Remember that this journey is a marathon and not a race. When I went through the 40 day program the first time, there was still much work to be done afterwards and a ton of lessons and nuances that I picked up on that no amount of reading or techniques could teach me. Most importantly, if I could give you any advice, you need to go off of what you're feeling. You need to just do the meditations based off of your own progress and FEELING and not fret if you're doing this or that right or wrong. There is no magical set number of days when you'll start to be able to do, feel, see or hear X, Y, or Z. It's different for everyone.
In the grand scheme of things, 40 days is a very miniscule amount of time. This is a lifelong path and there are no shortcuts. In my opinion you will shoot yourself in the foot if you approach meditation with the attitude that things aren't going fast enough... underlying all of this is a delicate balance of energy and intentions. Keep your intentions pure and be patient. You'll know when you're ready to do certain things. In my experience I was already successfully doing energy work and magick before I began my path in SS and well before the 40 day program. Give it a shot as your "side project". There's a lot of fun and experience to be had.
Good luck and Hail Satan.