Daily practice is crucial to language learning. Languages are complex systems to familiarize with and regular contact with it is necessary in order to ensure as short a learning curve as possible. Pausing your studies for long periods can set you back considerably, wasting a lot of time you’ve already invested.
No Time
If you have a really busy schedule ahead, take at least 5 to 10 minutes a day reading a few phrases or practicing a new sentence in the language you are studying. Do it during commute (if you’re not driving) or during a short break at work if there is no other free time at your disposal.
Regular Study
Ideally, you should study the new language at least an hour or more each day. If you have the available space for it in your schedule, follow the lessons as outlined in your language software course. If they are designed properly, they should facilitate learning at an optimal pace, taking you from the basics towards the more complex concepts.
Translation Game
One thing I regularly do when I don’t have the time to study in-depth is to take phrases I use in my daily English communication and see how they can be expressed in the new dialect. You can use whatever material you want to use although I personally prefer my highly-accurate language translation software.
While I’m working on my PC, I’ll take a five-minute break to fire up the application and type a phrase I want to learn how to use in the other vernacular. I do this several times a day while I’m at my work computer and it has been one of the most helpful tools in my arsenal for picking up new languages faster.