A language learners’ forum

My own strategy seems to be: move there. Bang head until it enters.

Strategy:
1) think a lot about learning methods
2) learn to enjoy the head banging stuff
3) find small epiphanies and victories that are truly enjoyable
4) play with methods, tech, tools
5) drop everything for short whiles
6) play with words: songs, poetics and the beauty of expression of literature
7) accumulate the love of expression
8) share language learning in a small private circle
9) travel
10) forget
11) rinse and repeat

My method:
HAVE FUN. <--- can't underline that enough.
1) focus on pronoun (a) verbs (b) object constructs (c) that are visually relevant
2) get talking baby talk
2.5) work on reading about grammar but not overly so
3) conjunctions of all sorts
3) worry less about writing for a while
3.5) vocabulary building moments where I stuff word lists, anki and cards down my throat
4) simple reading, lots
4) abstract verbs and nouns
4) then worry more about talking, more talking
5) finally work on writing (maybe)

I get down to it and do it. No matter what.
And then, after a while, I know some of it.
And then more and more of it. Exempli gratia, I can read a book, listen to a radio play, or watch a movie.
Once I've read all the books I originally wanted, I mercilessly abandon it.

And then, if I feel like it, I let another little something choose me. And let it grow in me, no matter what.

I mostly use massive native exposure and immersion inspired by the blog, All Japanese All The Time. Because I like lots of languages, I cycle through them throughout the day or sometimes I take a break from one or more especially if it's at a high level. I also use/collect textbooks just because I love them, but I don't often stick with them unless I'm adding sentences to Anki.

Studying
1. I work through an Assimil course not ignoring the ebbinghaus curve.
2. Then I work through another workbook (if necessary). I do this at least 3 times.
3. After having a good basis I jump into the cold water and regularly practise my new language.

Repeating
1. I rehear the Assimil lessons 4-5 times a year in gym and look the forgotten words up.
(I part the course into two lists (even and odds) and rehear them randomly for I prefer a good mix of easy and difficult lessons).
2. Secondly I reread a grammar summary 4-5 times a year.
3. Furthermore I repeat a vocabulary list in my new language if it seems necessary to me.

Last but not least
I avoid using to many sources at the same time but focus on a few well chosen.

1.(a) Learn alphabet, pronunciation of phonemes and words, start listening.
(b) Do Pimsleur: learn sentence pronunciation, read transcript, learn vocabulary doing scriptorium with sentences via anki after lessons.
2. Converse daily, anki review vocab and sentences after lessons, read on lingq, do a grammar, continue listening and scriptorium.
3. Practice all skills until finished.

My strategy boils down to:
1) have motivation (got a friend you want to chat to/ or a site to follow in language X)
2) find some basic 'intro to X' site/booklet
3) start working through 2) until I have a grasp of the writing system
4) find interesting texts (sports, current issues, inventions, kids' fairytales) and drop them in Learning With Texts

Basically intensive reading as soon as possible and/or talking to a native tutor. I've done that (minus LWT as I didn't know about it yet) with my Spanish (A2->B2, a tutor and reading Spanish sites helped more than university classes) and Arabic (0->A2, native tutor and later on, self-study), and now I'm doing it with Japanese too, with LWT (0->?, started a couple months ago, no tutor ).

1.want it
2.don't have time
3.regret
4.study as much as possible in intensive breaks between other stuff
5.procrastinate a lot with series and books
6.shuffle and repeat, until you know it quite well
7.despair you seem unable to progress even further

The most important thing in language learning is the most important thing in life. I'm going to let a great man say it far better than I ever could (and in less than 30 words):

1.) Wish you were as virtuous as Smallwhite in always choosing the next thing strategically with the best possibility to improve. End up putting too much pressure on self and fail.
2.) Wish you were as balanced and methodical as Iguanamon, working consistently with a few well chosen resources. Skip around inconsistently and fail.
3.) Try to procrastinate with huge volumes of series and books like Cavesa. Run out of time and randomly lose interest.
4.) Cross fingers.

A basic overview of my language learning strategy could be called "The Shampoo Method"
Phase 1. Lather - Listening lots of listening even when I don't understand, learning alphabet and vocabulary and a very little bit of grammar (which means learning common verbs, pronouns, nouns adjectives and simple word order to express concepts like, I want...., I like...., I don't like...., I'm going (somewhere), then after I learn vocabulary do more focused listening (that is picking words and phrases I understand), practice pronunciation, listen to music and sing along and begin extensive reading.

Phase 2. Rinse - Also known as actually using the language, ie making myself think in the language, speaking, writing (including, but not limited to, scriptorium), intensive reading while continuing Phase 1 activities. I also learn more advanced vocabulary and a little grammar as I encounter it and then use this stuff in speaking and writing.

Phase 3. Repeat, always repeat until I become interested in another language because of wanderlust !

In real life I am often way too lazy and erratic to actually get very far into Phase 2 with most languages . Sometimes this leads me to what I guess is Phase 4. Revisiting and Streamlining - Revisiting means reviewing (or revising) what I've learned in a few languages as a way of maintaining knowledge and preventing myself from forgetting too much and streamlining means that much of my wanderlust ends up being brief dabbling sessions.