Front-load the easy wins
Arcade games are the cleanest full point in the program. In the first week of a monthly line-up, clear the available arcade games before drifting into unrelated badges.
Batch skill badges by topic
Skill badges reuse concepts across a topic area (networking, data, security). If you finish three networking badges in one weekend, you'll move much faster than if you sprinkle them across a month, because the labs assume knowledge from earlier badges.
Save arcade games for the mid-season slump
Arcade games are the most fun and the most rewarding when your energy dips. Schedule them for the middle third of the cohort so you have variety when the initial excitement fades.
Use the milestone requirements as guardrails
Before starting new work, check the next facilitator milestone's requirement. Whichever category has the biggest remaining gap should be your next activity — this maximizes the chance of unlocking the milestone bonus.