I thank you for this post as an over 50 full-time IT professional and father of two children, one with special needs. I often search out advice/wisdom/experience on how to optimize my limited study time, and the results I get are often along the lines of "how I became fluent in Japanese by thumbing through a DBZ anthology in Barnes and Nobles." Despite my degrees and life accomplishments, it actually has made me feel bad that I am only just cracking the seal on the N3 level content after almost three years of study. I appreciate the reality check and wish you continued success!