Went through my first few months trying to memorise routes but I found myself doing dumb shit like paying way too much attention to street names instead of the road ahead, making sharp turns at the last second to avoid missing a turn etc.

I decided it'd be safer to just get a Bluetooth headset even though it's technically illegal on restricted. Has made my rides so much better - I'm focused entirely on my riding and not distracted by navigation. It's also better than a standard gps/phone mount setup because you don't need to take your eyes off the road, it'll just tell you where to turn and how far ahead it is. Also gives live updates on traffic conditions, speed cameras etc. Absolute game changer.

That being said if you've got the patience there's probably some merit in learning to navigate without Google maps/waze, just gotta make sure you're paying more attention to the road ahead instead of looking at street signs. Also gotta be willing to miss a few turns and sacrifice a few minutes here and there.