How do you get up to speed quickly

[Nkiruka Okeke]

A lot of topics have been discussed before, so many problems have been solved and I'm trying to read as much as possible to really get up to speed.  There is years and years of knowledge and experience on the blogs, in books, on YouTube and on Bigger Pockets.

Confessions:

1. I'm a work-a-holic

2. I don't have a lot of free time

This is important to me so I am investing a lot of time in it.  I definitely want to review the resources provided by the site.  I do think there is a trade off.

If you want a mentor, there has to be trade offs.  You have to offer them something, time, services, cash and/or deals.  

If you want to get up to speed and avoid the mistakes others made, you have to learn from others mistakes.

What has your mentor experiences been?  Has anyone been successful without a mentor? What books/resources do you guys recommend if I want to get up to speed quickly?