Getting Started
Choose the right course of study for you
There is an excess of material on the market these days. This gives you countless choices when it comes to choosing a language course to follow. 
Unfortunately, this also means there is all sorts of crap out there (pardon my French!). This is where Lingualism comes in handy. For each language, I have listed book, software, and website recommendations and reviews to help you get off to a running start and enjoy your language learning experience.
If you just want to learn a few phrases and the basics to get by on an upcoming trip abroad, you'll want to get a phrase book and/or course specifically for travelers and perhaps a pocket dictionary. Otherwise, you'll want to get a more comprehensive, general course. Even if you want to study a language for professional reasons, it's best to start with a general course; at the intermediate level, you can get a business course book.
If you're not starting as an absolute beginner, you want to make sure you get an level-appropriate course book to brush up what you already know and take your learning further. It is better to get a course which starts off a bit below your level (you can whiz through the first lessons as a review until you find the difficulty approaching your level) than above your level (which can prove stressful and demotivating). You may also choose to focus on particular skills, such as listening or reading, for which there are skill-based books.
You should also take your learning style into consideration. If you've studied a language before, take a moment to reflect on your experiences. What did you enjoy most? What aspect of learning a language did you find the most challenging? Are you a visual learner? Are you good with grammar? Keep the answers to these questions in mind when you select your course. Another important factor to keep in mind is how much time you have to invest in your studies--just a few hours a week, or several hours a day.
Get set up right!
- Make sure you choose a good course book and/or program which covers different skill areas and suits your needs (general, travel, business, etc). Recommendations for course books and dictionaries are in the Lingualism Book Center
- A good dictionary is indispensible! There are good learner's dictionaries out there. Make sure your dictionary is designed for those learning the foreign language, and not your first language!
- Get a good notebook. Keeping notes and reviewing them regularly is vital.
Study Tips
- Shorter study sessions more often is better than longer study sessions less frequently. Try to study for at least 30 minutes every day, rather than all-day study marathons just at the weekends!
- Study when you're alert and interested.
- Keep in mind that learning a foreign language is actually developing a skill, and not just acquiring new knowledge. That means that understanding is not enough; you have to be able to use what you've learned. Practice newly learned vocabulary and grammar until you're comfortable with them. If you push yourself to go too fast or skip out parts of the course, you might know a lot but still won't be able to open your mouth and produce fluent speech. As they say: practice makes perfect!
- Review often. The more you review, the better you retain the information long-term. One of the biggest mistakes learners make is to fail to review. The result is that a lot of time is wasted studying because the majority of the information is simply forgotten before long. (read about vocabulary memorization)
- Use the language. Remember that it's not all about studying. You have to use the language to build your fluency. Read for pleasure, watch TV and movies, keep a journal, make friends.
Expectations
Have realistic expectations. Learning a language takes time and patience. Don't believe titles that claim you can learn a language in "5 minutes a day" or in "30 days". That's pure BS! Learning a language takes hundreds of dedicated hours of study. Over time, you can reach an impressive level, but know that native-like fluency is rarely ever achieved. Even advanced proficiency generally takes years of dedicated study.
Don't be discouraged, though. The longer you study a language, the more you become familiar and comfortable with it, and the easier it becomes. At the lower levels, you will be spending a lot of time just getting to know the language--its pronunciation and spelling, its grammatical idiosyncrasies, and basic vocabulary. The higher your level becomes, the more you will find that you are comfortable with the sounds of the language and know most of its grammar. You will increasingly be focusing on the acquisition of new vocabulary and building fluency. This is when all the work you've put in really starts to pay off. You can enjoy movies and TV programs, read newspapers and literature, and converse comfortably with native speakers. It's a very rewarding feeling. Be patient. You'll get there.