Best way to improve? ~1200 Elo+

I've been playing chess on and off for around a year now, and have learned some valuable things... however, I'm curious what other players have done to improve. What has worked for you? or which methods lead to improvement?

I don't want you thinking this is another post about how I want to get to 2000 Elo in 1 year or something crazy. I have a real life, and this is more of a hobby. It would be nice at some point in my life to be 2000 Elo+, but I'm willing to take my time and enjoy the ride.

Thanks!

I just started chess again a couple of weeks ago after not playing since elementary school and with just playing a lot of live chess at first I came up around 1200/1300.

Since then I looked up a couple of openings and defenses, tried to think about my playing style, which is naturally agressive. And tried to figure out some of my weaknesses, such as patience or focus once I'm way ahead in a game (I usually resign pretty fast if I'm like 2 pieces behind).

Having figured out my strengths/weaknesses, I just started working on my weaknesses, so more online chess, taking a longer time to think about my moves (although I usually still make my moves pretty quick).

I'm around 1350/1400 now with online chess, I know it's a bit inflated from live chess, but still a nice improvement from the initial 1200 from when I started playing again.

To improve from 1200 ELO I would suggest:

[1.] basic tactics - pins, forks, skewers, back rans such as puzzles. At this level it is pure tactics.

[2.] Keep your king protected by castling at about move 10.

You probably won't hear this from anyone else (maybe because it's crazy...), but memorising games really helps/helped me.

Memorising games from the romantic chess era (Paul Morphy, Adolf Anderssen, etc.) is a good start for pattern recognition, then find a modern player who matches your style and try to memorise some of their games.

Before all else study the Chess Board itself with no pieces on at all you must know the Chess board very,very accurately be able to visualize each square in your in mind see it's relationship to the neigbouring squares surrounding it as Lasker says in his manual once you master that then you're ready to study the elements of Chess and the Endgame that's where you begin if you want to learn the right way not the Openings.

I'm brilliant without any pieces on the board, it's when the pieces are placed that it starts to get complicated!  :0)

that is a good suggestion i did that too though i've forgotten practically everyone of them still remember the evergreen game. If you ask me, i would say keep playing against good players persistently and play against yourself and im not gonna say play impartially but play until one side wins, go back to the winning move and see how you could've prevented it and continue. if some side wins go back more moves and recheck. keep analysing like this for some set amount of time like say 30mins and then start afresh (my tournament preparation). not to mention learn some simple openings