1) Read bridge books
There is no shortage of books on the subject of bridge. My favorite authors when I started were Kelsey and Mollo. Those books are still worthwhile and entertaining today. Many new authors have maintained the high standard set by those literary giants and are worth a look. In effect, reading books accelerates the number of bridge deals you experience, and, if you've selected a good one, provides tools you can use every time you sit down to play.

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2) Play with and against better players
In a typical club session, I will notice a large number of errors over the boards played at my table. None of us are immune to errors, but one cannot learn from them unless one is aware that something has gone wrong. Playing against better players, you will notice your mistakes more often, as they are more apt to be punished. Playing with better players; if you sense something went awry, ask and they can usually point out where things went wrong. Most experienced players are willing to play a session with a student of the game and provide a few pointers, so don't be afraid to ask.

3) Ask questions
If you encounter a hand that caused a problem for you and you don't see how to solve it, ask a question. Again, experienced players are usually willing to answer bridge questions. Keep in mind, that some questions will generate different answers depending on whom you ask. Sometimes there isn't a right answer to a question, particularly when it comes to bidding.

4) Play a hand only once
This advice comes from none other than the great Bob Hamman. What he means by this is that one needs to learn to classify the approach necessary when declaring a hand. Do I need to set up a side suit? Should I plan to cross-ruff? Can I afford to draw trumps? Many hands fall into narrow categories, and once you identify what your strategy should be you can repeat the successful approach time and again with a minimum of effort. How do you learn to know what approach to take? Combine experience with tips 1, 2, and 3 above.

5) Bid your games
One of my favorite bridge quotes comes from the greatest bridge player of all time (in my opinion), Benito Garozzo. It comes from a conversation he had with Grant Baze over a bidding problem. His words: "Looking for an excuse not to bid game is an exercise for an ostrich." This is not a suggestion to bid game on every hand, nor an indication that game tries / invitations are bad. What he means is, when faced with a decision whether to bid game or not, (while there are times when the bidding may suggest such things) do not assume the worst when making your decision. Thoughts like, "well if trumps don't split and partner has only the K of this suit and this finesse doesn't work so we might go down" are not winning bridge in the long run.

6) Make more than 1 bid at a time
No, this does not mean you should bid out of turn or use illegal signals with your partner. Rather, this means that you should plan ahead when you bid. Before making your first bid, think about what partner's (and your opponents) likely continuations will be and how that will affect your second bid (and subsequent bids as well). You may find that you want to re-consider your first bid. Here's an example inspired by a deal from a local sectional. You hold:
A98xx
x
Kxxx
Kxx
Partner opens 1 and RHO doubles. Many players will redouble reflexively, holding 10 points. What is likely to happen? LHO is certainly going to bid some number of hearts. Say they bid 1. Partner could easily double to show 4, are we happy? No. The opponents have a likely 8 card fit at the 1 level, we are not going to want to defend. We will bid spades now. If we were going to bid spades anyway, why not do it immediately? The opponents have had a chance to exchange information at the 1 level, and learned that partner has 4 of them. This is information you could have prevented by just bidding 1 the first time. Opponents are also not always so cooperative. What is LHO bids 3 (or even 4)? Partner will probably pass now and you will have no idea what to do. Double again? Bid spades? Raise diamonds? Whatever you do will be a guess. Much easier to start with 1, you will have more information at your next turn to decide what to do, and partner will know more about your hand as well.

7) If you want something done right, do it yourself.
The words of my parents still ring in my ears to this day. In terms of bridge advice, the meaning is simple, (usually applying on the defensive side). If you can see the right thing to do, do it yourself. This saves your partner a lot of agony. They may not have the same information you do and sometimes partners make mistakes. The recent Oxnard sectional provided a classic example. My partner was declaring 3NT (not our best contract), and the opponents were in a position to cash 4 spades and the diamond ace. Opening leader (who had opened 1D), held AKQx and the A. He led the A and his partner encouraged. He continued with K, Q, and another spade to his partner. His partner thought for some time and led a heart, allowing the contract to succeed. The leader was upset, expecting his partner to lead the suit he'd opened. How much easier it would have been for him to cash the A before leading a 4th spade.

8) Don't be a result merchant
Sometimes dummy comes down and we find out we're not exactly where we want to be. On occasion, our luck is in and we wind up with a good score. Conversely, sometimes you're in a great contract that goes down with some foul breaks. Or maybe you or your partner makes a normal lead that allows declarer to make a contract he wouldn't have otherwise. It happens to everyone. At the club, I'll hear things like "nice bid partner" (in the first case), or "how do we stay out of game" (in the second), or "why didn't you lead some other suit" (in the latter). The important thing to keep in mind is that your actual result on a board does not necessarily reflect a job well done or poorly done. I will often hold a brief discussion after a board (time permitting) with partner, if I think we could have bid to a better contract. At times, I will discuss how we might reach a contract that actually goes down (on the actual lie of the cards) believing it to be our best spot. I've gotten some strange looks when that happens, but next time I'm hoping to get to the better spot, regardless of the outcome.