(Mangling the iron triangle rule a bit...)
1. Fast
2. Easy/Fun
3. Effective
You can pick two.
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I've used the analogy of climbing a mountain before, so I'll abuse it further:
There are an uncountable number of paths one can take to climb up the language mountain, and none of them are 'wrong' per se.
Some climbers like to go vertically straight up as it may be faster, but this is a lot of hard work and they may not get to see all the interesting places around the mountain along the way. But perhaps they will get to enjoy those views when they reach the top.
Some who try this approach give up because it is such hard work. Others actually enjoy the difficulty.
There are other folks who take a more winding path up the mountain, the path is longer, but the slope is easier and it can be more like a very long enjoyable stroll than a grueling vertical climb.
Many climbers do a mix: climb vertically a bit, stroll for a while, perhaps trying out a few different paths to see where they lead.
Some mountains are much bigger (3x-4x) than others. Some mountains already have a few stairs and trails cut into them by previous climbers for at least part of the way up. Other mountains are huge opaque rocky jungles that very few have climbed before (I'm looking at you Cantonese).
Some 'climbers' spend all their time at base camp, preparing their equipment and talking to other climbers, but don't actually do much climbing. Some climbers fiddle with some climbing contraption for months on end in the hopes that it will be a magic carpet, but often weeks or months later they realize the contraption hasn't moved them very far at all.
One thing is for sure: No one is going to carry you up the mountain. You've got to do it yourself.
And these mountains have one Twilight Zone like magical property: whenever you _think_ you're about to reach the peak, the clouds part and there's an even higher one behind it.
Some climbers only climb a little ways up the mountain and love the view... and don't feel the need to climb up any further.
People climb for different reasons and may enjoy different things about it.
There is no single 'right' way to climb, for most of us, this is a hobby. The trade offs between say, Speed and Ease/Enjoyment are a personal thing.
Just keep climbing and enjoy the view, wherever you are.