>>1
i picked up mandarin relatively fast, so this is what i consider to be the most efficient way to learn it:
1. learn how to use the notation of pinyin (the phonetic translation of syllables using roman alphabet and tone markings) before even attempting to learn the language itself. if you get a reader or textbook, it will most likely supplement the characters with pinyin, and your pronunciation and understanding of word components will be better throughout your learning experience if you have a strong basis in pinyin and tone usage first. (i can't overstress the importance of learning how to use tones well. it will be the difference between sounding fluent and sounding like a foreigner once you've studied the language itself for a while)
2. before tackling characters, learn the various character components. the meaning and pronunciation of a character is dependent on the components of the written character, and you will be able to write and speak characters much easier if you know the components well. characters seem like simply a lot of memorization if you approach it without first learning all of the character components (there actually aren't that many, it's a lot like learning the alphabet.)
so to summarize, learn pinyin, learn tones, and learn character components before trying to learn any actual words. this is the most systematic way to approach mandarin by far. you can e-mail me (linked on name field) if you have any other questions to a fluent speaker, or if you want textbook suggestions.