A little 'common sense' that I just figured out, switching back and forth from Shimano to Campy.
The bigger lever is always used to push the chain to a bigger ring. It takes more pressure to move the chain up. The small levers are used to drop back to a smaller ring. On the front ring, bigger is harder. On the back, bigger is easier.

Another approach. Instead of thinking about what gear I want to be in, just think which direction I want the chain to move. The closer to the bike, the easier it is to pedal. Yeah, that's it - don't think about gears, just about where the chain is.

Hmm,... I don't think this has helped at all...