how to be a better chess player

how does one become a better chess player?

The best way to become a better chess player is to study master games. Start with Steinitz, Lasker, and Morphy. Then go to Capablanca,Alekhine, Keres, Botvinnik, and Smyslov. Work your way up to Karpov and Korchnoi. Another way to get stronger is to read a chess book or get some of foundation from a primer or game collection. I was fortunate enough to read " Chess" by Ilya Mazeilis. Try studying one game per day, and do a minimum of 5 tactics per day. It all depends on what you want to work on because there is a lot to chess.

I looked at a couple of your games. The first advice I would give you to stop or cut down on your speed chess--you cannot learn that way.

To learn to play chess better you need to realize what your mistakes are and then to try and avoid making the same mistake over and over again.

This will require you find someone who is a stronger player to help you learn what mistakes you are making. Someone at least rated 1200...

I looked at a couple of your games. Here is one of them: You were Black in both games...

Here is the 2nd game I looked at [you were Black]

So, now you have learned two general rules for playing the opening.

Please get help from somebody to tell you your mistakes and you will become a stronger player!

After 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4, the Small ECO mentions 3...exd4, 3...Nd7, and 3...Nf6.

After 1 e4 e5 2 Bc4, the Small ECO mentions 2...Bc5 and 2...Nf6.

When ever you study, and what ever you study, do it in a serious manner, with no distraction and maximum concentration.  And I wish I could say I have adhered to that advice, but I'm not that disciplined.

When I first got into chess, with no internet, and very few chess books, a friend used to to study from  Rueben Fine's "Basic Chess Endings,"  He'd set up some starting position, for example Bishop and 6 pawns vs Knight a 6 pawns, and ask himself, "What would I do here?  What is the ideal position for the superior side?"  He would burn his brain out for over a half-hour trying to figure it out, before he looked at the solution.  Then he would note on an index card, what he had missed, file it away, and then return to it 6 months later.  And, he did make OTB master by the time he graduated from college, 

Most of us, though, play chess to have fun.  Applying hard work towards a fun pasttime is not an option

 These playlists on youtube helped me a lot.

Chess Fundamentals - John Bartholomew

Beginner to Chess Master - Chessnetwork

I guarantee that you will become a better chess player after watching these videos.

"..., you have to make a decision: have tons of fun playing blitz (without learning much), or be serious and play with longer time controls so you can actually think.
One isn't better than another. Having fun playing bullet is great stuff, while 3-0 and 5-0 are also ways to get your pulse pounding and blood pressure leaping off the charts. But will you become a good player? Most likely not.
Of course, you can do both (long and fast games), ..." - IM Jeremy Silman (June 9, 2016)
https://www.chess.com/article/view/longer-time-controls-are-more-instructive

(By the way, after 1 e4 d5, the usual move is 2 exd5.)

After 1. e4  d5 the move 2. e5? is a mistake. Here is how Black should play against 2. e5?

@Deprofesso - 

From your profile you play essentially fast time controls....you are unlikely to improve significantly doing this.
Conclusion: By playing fast time controls you have little time to think about what you should be, doing. Therefore I suggest that you...

1. Play longer time controls - a higher percentage of your games should be daily chess...so you have time to think about what you should be doing...
https://www.chess.com/article/view/longer-time-controls-are-more-instructive
https://www.chess.com/forum/view/general/how-blitz-and-bullet-rotted-my-brain-don-t-let-it-rot-yours
2.Maximize The Usefulness of Your Moves...some good tips here...
http://www.mark-weeks.com/aboutcom/aa06b18.htm
3. Study fundamentals - learn what you should be doing.....some suggestions here...
Good Chess Books for Beginners and Beyond...
https://www.chess.com/blog/RussBell/good-chess-books-for-beginners-and-beyond

solve tactics and tactics and tactics. buy winning chess tactics by yasser seirawan. this is best for your rating. Buy beat your dad at chess and a couple of beginner to master books

Yes, please!

Scribd.com has lots of chess books to read (under the 'Books' menu), or download (under 'Documents' menu only).  The site is fee-based (about $10USD if I remember correctly), but they also have a 1-month free trial.  Over a period of several hours of browsing and searching chess titles/topics I downloaded dozens of chess books (.pdf documents) using only the free trial.  The site is safe and easy to use.

Tactics.

lessons and master games.

Maybe it's Maybelline