In one sentence, describe what the following article is about:

Claims that you can learn shorthand in a few hours should be taken with a dose of skepticism. The time it will take you depends on how often you practice, the difficulty of the system, and your goal speed. It may take as long as a year of hard work to really master a useful shorthand. You need to fully absorb the word-building principles first; speed comes from them. Try for at least 45 minutes to an hour, if you can. Remember, though, that even daily short sessions are better than one or two longer ones per week. Start with the alphabet, filling each line of a piece of notebook paper with one letter. Next, you'll move on to words, doing the same thing. When you're ready, you'll move on to common groups of words. Saying the words aloud as you write them helps your brain make the connection between the phonemic sound and the symbol. Shorthand dictations come in different speeds (words per minute), so you can work your way to an increasingly rapid pace.  Practice each speed (30, 40, 50, 60, etc.) until you're comfortable, then move on. If you want to practice as much as possible, put dictations on your MP3 player and practice whenever you have a few extra minutes.

Summary:
Start off with realistic expectations. Prioritize mastery over speed. Practice every day. Drill in stages. Increase speed with dictation exercises.