The best way to get on top of a piece of music.

[Richard Prowse]

I'm still working on the first Bach Prelude... slowly chipping away at the coal face. I guess I have a method for working on 'classical' pieces and it occured to me that maybe there are better methods out there. It is not my intention to get into fine details, but here is my approach.
1) I see what bits I can play.
2) I go slowly through and work out fingerings.
3) I set a goal as to how far I can play 'up to speed'... I might start with the first 2 lines and gradually build this amount up.
4) I look ahead at the hardest bits and try to work out how I will get through them... there might be a 'scary' bit that I just can't play, so I try to look for solutions.
5) As I work through the piece, I look forward to the day when I will have it memorised.
6) I try to remember about the music behind the notes.

I would be very interested in seeing 'better' approaches, as I'm sure many of you will have done deeper thinking on this topic than I have. Working in isolation, as I often do, it is vital to review one's methods.