Find a quiet road or MUP and work the gears on the flat to get a feel for the effect of each direction of shift. This will eliminate the minor stress of having to shift when you come to an incline and start building muscle memory. BTW, it's normal to start on an incline in the wrong chain ring (front "gears") and run out of rear derailleur gears; happens to us o the tandem when I misread a hill. Generally, if your starting up and incline better to be in too small (easier) a front chain ring than to wind up struggling up even a small incline and wearing yourself out.