Go into the gym with a plan
A common sight in gyms, is the person who goes in without a plan, does a random combination of exercises and exercise parameters, and leaves. They then come back week after week, and always look the same. You should never go to the gym without a plan of action. It's useful to know what you lifted the previous session/week, and your expectations of what you should be able to lift this week.
I suggest recording your lifts, sets and reps, as well as how difficult they were to perform. Then you increase on the previous weeks load - ie. more weight, extra repetitions, an extra set, etc, where possible. This helps to enforce the principle of progressive overload (when we increase the load, we gain mass, getting progressively stronger), and will bring you closer to your goals. For long term tracking, I suggest inputting the data into an excel file.
Be consistent
Going to the gym on a consistent schedule, and not skipping sessions, is the fastest way to achieve results. Remember, each time you step in the gym, your body gets a little stronger. Too much time out of the gym, and you will lose those gains, or at the very least, end up with less progress over time. Your consistency will also help going to the gym become a habit, and dedicated, consistent people are less likely to quit, or let other activities creep into gym time.
Don't neglect weaker body parts
Remember, the body is not a set of independent parts. You are only as strong as the weakest link. Want to improve your bench press? You will have a rough time if you have weak triceps. Make sure to have balanced training, and spend a bit more time on weak parts, not less. You will end up stronger in the long run. As well, having a balanced routine, which exercises all parts of the body adequately, will make you less likely to get injured, and improves posture.
Use primarily free weights and compound, multi-joint exercises
Muscles act together, not as separate parts. To gain the most mass, you want to take advantage of exercises that incorporate a large number of muscle fibers at once by working the body as a whole, or several muscles at once - such as squats, deadlifts, and the bench press. These exercises require the use of stabilizer muscles. Having strong stabilizer muscles will keep your body balanced and help prevent injury.
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