Day 2 of asking for tips on getting to 1800

It's simple, Let the computer win for you.

Continue to grind tactics, (boring, I know but trust me it works) and shift your mindset to "I won't resign no matter how hopeless this is" (caused me some draws where I would have lost due to an attack into a perpetual) and "I can beat any opponent". Right now, you probably see a 1900 or 2000 and think the game is already over, but you shouldn't think this. Challenge as many higher-rated players as you can and once you eventually beat one of them, you will automatically get this mindset shift and start to focus less on the opponent and more on the chess. If you find your opening boring or that you have played it a lot and want some variety, switch up for a bit (but go back once you raise the rating) as it makes you feel like you play better. I got bored of the caro for a while at 1690-1720 and went to the accelerated dragon Sicilian. I felt like I played better and cruised up to 1900 rating and went back to the true and tried caro of mine and I was able to beat a 2100 effortlessly out of the caro. The shift of mindset is so beneficial. There's even a video of Carlsen saying that once he started feeling like he could beat the top players he was able to do so, and then he became the top player.

I also want to mention for rapid specifically, leverage momentum. If you have a winning streak, then continue playing as you are likely to keep it. After such a winning streak, one loss is usually enough to tilt you. Call it quits and stop playing for a couple of hours. Set a maximum losing streak for yourself too. I find 2 games a good time to stop as it prevents tilt and such. I also recommend not going above 5 games a day to avoid fatigue (although you can bend this one a little bit to leverage winning streaks to their full potential)

I sincerely wish you the best in your chess journey and good luck! Tell me if these tips worked, I would love to see that I made a difference in someone's journey! (Especially escaping a plateau, I know it's the best feeling)

Hello!

I really do appreciate such a detailed response. Thank you so much for your input. I will definitely be trying everything you said. I do have one question, though. I feel like my openings are pretty strong at the moment. Should I learn a new one, or should I stick to the ones I have right now? Also, how much time would you say I should spend doing puzzles?

Hello!

If you have multiple openings you are strong in already, you shouldn't be worried about boredom or having the same position every game! Just try to mix it up like alternating between your few openings every game so things stay fresh (If you feel like you play consistently stronger in one, then maybe use that more than the others) and I would say you could aim for 2 hours of puzzle training totally in a week but that would assume you are doing them for about 20 mins a day and one day being a break/rest day. I wouldn't want you to limit yourself to puzzles on a time amount though since the goal is to have consistently high-quality puzzle solving (it's to improve your calculation ability, your tactics should be solid where you are at) so I would say aim for around 15 puzzles a day max, regardless of result. Try and calculate every candidate move, take your time to be thorough and use the formula you probably heard everywhere: Checks, Captures, Attacks (For you and your opponent). Take as much time as you need to solve a puzzle (Even if you're stuck on a puzzle for 5 whole minutes or more)

Man I would try to give you more advice but @AdhvaithAjay is kinda the king of advice and I can't really compete

Now, I would like to point out one more small thing regarding your openings - https://www.chess.com/game/live/132025175099?username=elon_crust123&move=0

in this game on move 8, you played c4? which is a mistake. In the opening you chose (the caro kann) you have a lack of space in the center and on the kingside and are using the c pawn to pressure the center. Releasing this pressure is bad for you as with a locked center white is free to attack on the kingside without a hindrance to his center. This might show a need to refine the opening knowledge slightly (Maybe watch a video or two explaining the concepts a bit more, just so that you aren't lost after playing the theory)

Making sure gaps like this in your positional knowledge of the positions you are getting will get filled in will also give you an advantage against many players, as they probably aren't studying the intricacies of the Caro Kann as white. Hope this clarifies your doubts, and just add another comment to this post if something else pops up. Good luck!

Sorry to post so many things, but I forgot one more thing - try not to play blitz or bullet but play rapid. I know this one might sound annoying since blitz and bullet are exhilarating, but if you don't have the time to implement the new thought processes and ideas you will go back to the old ones. Playing blitz and bullet forces fast moves and just reinforces the old ways. Every time you try to learn something new like a thought process or positional concept, start out by building it as a habit in slower games and then transition that into faster games to make it second nature. I find this as a helpful way to incorporate new things into your chess games!

Looking forward to an update!

One thing I do encourage is increasing your pairing range up dramatically. It is in your interest to test your skills against higher rated players.