[rearis]

When you were a baby you didn't practice walking, you learn to walk by walking, maybe with some help, even if wasn't properly. Same thing with instruments. You practice by playing, playing songs that you like and it's in your level. Of course you need to "practice" a specific chord for example, you need to master that chord (meaning you need to just be able to mount the chord and must sound perfect), but that's it, after that you just start playing a song that uses that chord slowly and work up the speed. And if you have trouble on a specific part of the song, you reserve some time to just do that chord sequence, at least that's what I do. But that's just me. In the very beggining I did that 1234 exercice, but it didn't take too long, I guess some exercices are essential (I'm learning to play online with an amazing teacher), but they must be very specific, which only a good teacher can tell, that's what I think. As I said, the 1234 exercice was in the very beggining, and he also gived a little very simple fingerstyle sequence, I guess to get us connected to the instrument and see what we will be doing in the future, he really cares about motivation.

I'm just a begginer, maybe there is something that I really need to practice in the future, but the point is, practice if it's really necessary or you will get bored and quit. Play and you'll be automatically practicing. If you go to YouTube and search for practice or something like that, there'll be 1 billion of people "teaching" all sorts of exercices with millions of variations, teaching you what worked for them. You can try but be ready to be bored and disappointed if doesn't work.