How do you improve your chess skills?

This has been a minor dilemma to me since I first started playing…or playing at…chess in my teens. The thing is, I hate studying chess. Reading chess notation and memorizing classic bores me to tears. The only chess book I’ve ever really learned anything from was Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess, because it used simple diagrams to demonstrate each particular skill set presented.

I know enough basics to hold my own against average players IE.

* develop your pieces toward the center
* castle
* try to see at least 3 moves ahead
* look for and exploit pins and forks
* make aggressive moves your opponent must respond to
* win the exchange

Basic stuff, but it has allowed me to successfully win the majority of my games. (I learned long ago that a lot of players don’t even bother learning the basics.) But there’s a wall I hit that I can’t seem to overcome. On rated sites I average between 1500–1600, yet I can’t move beyond that range. And what does that rating mean anyway?

Any suggestions offered is greatly appreciated.