Hello, I was always told that to improve in a subject, it's good to practice it 5 minutes everyday.

And to do various activities, using written and oral skills, input and output.

So.. I'm trying to see how I could get to do that in German or Dutch.

I'd say that not every activity can be done in every context. And sometime you really need to use a pen and copy or write down some stuff.

So I'd say :

home alone, you could :

* Copy some sentences of an article. Globalvoices.com provides good topics.

Usually it is good to underline grammatic structures, look for some words...

* Send an email to a friend or write something in your exercice book in italki.

* See a serie, or a part of one serie. Well I don't really now what can be short enough, but, in not such a good style, plus belle la vie is with short episodes.

* Rewrite sentences. You wrote a sentence last time, now write it again with a new verb, a new subject...

* Speak loud! If no one is there, you can repeat what you used in the week ALOUD. Kids do it and they improve so fast!!

Alone and on the way

If you have a smartphone

* Use a small podcast. I guess rfi.fr has some, or radiolingua.com!

* Play an audiobook. If you want one for free, try librivox.com.

* Go to a good bookstore specialized in languages or french. Try to get something adapted to your level and interests: book or audiobook. And play or read it one the way!

* Read whatever book, magazin or text you managed to get or print from the internet

*If you drive by car, then you can mix adaptators and devices to broadcast audiofiles inside!

With friends

*Some say that competing with others helps. So find competitors and chat with them!

*So, well, chatting. On internet, live in a bar...

*With a good bar where you can sit at a table: board games! Yes we had drawned one with some friends for spanish. Dices, questions about spanish language, a book to check, a path alike a monoply and a jail. Always nicer with a jail. "If you go to jail, you have to use 3 verbs at the past tense without mistakes to exit". Then you learn it faster!

*Call. Friend? Family? Teachers? I hope you have some already!

Compare your timetable with activities that you could enjoy and try to get one a day! And note everyday in a diary what you have done, sometimes you just need a look at it to find time for 5 minutes of your target language.

What other ideas do you have?