Read Your Recipes ALL the way through BEFORE you start cooking or baking!
Clarify any terms you may not know; gather all of your ingredients for that dish
Understand the time frame – don’t get surprised by “Marinade overnight” or “Let the dough rest for 2 hours” or “Use Mushroom Duxelles to stuff. . .” Know what the terms mean.
Write out your menu and make what takes the longest first.
Reach out and ask questions if you don’t know a term or technique.
Spoon Feast 
It’s funny as this advice should be “duh!” but how many of us have been caught out? 🙂
It’s one of the most common mistakes!
🙂