select good ground features at regular intervals (I use 6 minutes -ask your instructor why 6 mins if you do not know), check your position with these, then Put the map away, look out the window and fly the aircraft until approaching your next feature, this way you are more likely to see your features rather than miss them staring at the chart.
Completely agree. The hardest thing about nav'ing was not doing the drift calculations etc etc. It was learning that maintaining height, maintaining heading, maintainin speed gets you to your destination whilst the map does not.
It took immense effort to NOT get the map out every couple of minutes to stare at. Whenever you do that, your heading drifts, so does your altitude and so does your speed. That's how you miss your destination and get lost.
When you start naving the map is as addictive as crack cocaine. It's as hard a habit to break, but it's the secret. Trust your PLOG put the map away.