I actually learned Git only with the help of GUI. Beforehand, I read a bunch of tutorials, but I just couldn't figure out the process of using Git, and how to u

I actually learned Git only with the help of GUI. Beforehand, I read a bunch of tutorials, but I just couldn't figure out the process of using Git, and how to use it in my everyday workflow. Then I used Tower (http://www.git-tower.com/ http://www.git-tower.com/) when it was in beta, and everything became so much clearer. The GUI made everything intuitive by leading me through common tasks, instead of forcing me to memorize what is related to what. It showed file diffs on a bottom pane when I click on them, revealing that what Git cares about are changes to files. It showed a commit message draft on the right, indicating that what I am always working towards is a commit. The tabs clearly divided the workflow into two rough modes: making changes and examining history. These visual cues helped me understand the concepts within Git. Tower is also faster at staging only certain lines of a change, letting me use the mouse to point to those lines rather than going through the git add -i workflow of "split this hunk, split it again, yes stage that one, no don't stage that one", etc. Now that I understand Git's concepts, I can use and have used Git on the command-line, but for now I use the GUI whenever possible. I still don't feel confident enough in my knowledge of all of Git's details, such as the commands to resolve merge conflicts, so the GUI's continued guidance is reassuring. Perhaps after I've used it actively for a few more months, a workflow like jenius describes at the end, using custom aliases for commands I use often, will be better for me.