I know the feeling, that you have but if you think too much of where you want to be and what to get, you'll stress the game and a tough game can't be rushed.I always lower my expectations about my progress speed in MM7 as there aren't that many shortcuts available. I try to keep my fighting/exploring inbetween 9 am and 5 pm (leaving some time for shopping as well as getting back to a city) - you might as well train one or two levels whenever you can - preferably each day - it saves time (actually 9 hours) every time, if you time it right. Thus you'll slowly get better. Also you won't likely miss out on any timed quests.
I know it feels easier to train many levels at once like in MM6 and getting lots of skill points to distribute at the same time makes levelling up skills easier to manage.
* And a correction to my post earlier - the great HP/SP potions are not black potions like in MM6, they are actually white potions in MM7, which of course makes them easier to reach. I haven't travelled with a Druid in all of my journeys in Erathia so it makes sense now.
