Thanks! I'm trying to get together a sort of notebook on moves I need to work on. It's just for me. I've been dancing for a little over a year, but life has intervened and I haven't progressed in pushing forward like I want to. But that's about to change!

I don't have more than a touch of general dance experience, but I've taken a good bit of various levels of BD. I just feel like I want to break it down into the very basics because I'm feeling overwhelmed trying to learn too many things all at once, before I master what I learned before it. I have sort of a hard time catching on in class sometimes. It doesn't come to me naturally. I have to work at it. Hence I'm making myself a notebook and a schedule. I think I'll pick a handful of moves at a time and then work on the daily. Once I feel like I've gotten it down pretty well, I'll rotate it to once or twice a week. Does that sound like a decent plan, or does someone have a different suggestion?

If you're not doing additional training (other than bellydance), I'd suggest starting a yoga and/or pilates practice,
even if it's just once a week (more is better of course, but you have to do what works best for you and the way you live).
Try to take a class and/or invest in some good books and dvd's.
It will definitely make you dance better (better posture, strength, flexibility, stamina...).
Further, definitely drilling the basics to perfection (hipwork, torsowork and éspecially the arms).

I'd say figure out how much time you want to spend practicing.
You can start with a couple of yoga asanas or pilates mat exercises and then do some basic drills.
For example, this drill session will take you approximately 10-15 minutes
(I made it up when I needed to get back into the belly dance swing of things, after haven't done it for a while):

- hip circles at 'normal' speed, 10 left, 10 right, and then the same thing SUPERSLOW... keep correcting you posture and really use precision and control to work those muscles
- the same thing, but with the torso
- snake arms: 10 left, 10 right (same idea: quickly and then repeat slowly), then both arms 10 quickly (but not too quickly) and 10 superslow
(actually I also did flamenco armdrills just before the snake arms, but unfortunately I can't explain them in words really... they were great to get better armwork)

If you do this a couple of days every day, even without the yoga or pilates, you wíll get results.
And 10-15 minutes is really doable, especially when you don't want to quit like after 2 times (because you were too ambitious with a 2 hour program, it happened to me), but build a constant practice.
Later on, you can add another drill (= 5 minutes more), or replace one of the drills.

Good luck, and have fun!

lol, i love number three. :D

Wow. Thanks for all of the great advice! My notebook is taking shape! wheeeeee!