Learn conjugation without drowning in tables
Conjugation feels overwhelming because of how it is usually studied, not because it is inherently hard. A single verb across every tense and person can add up to dozens of forms, and staring at the whole grid at once is a good way to freeze. The way out is to change what counts as "one thing to learn."
Mistake 1: trying to learn a whole verb at once
A verb is not one item. Its present tense alone is several forms, and the full paradigm runs to dozens. Trying to "learn hablar" is really trying to learn twenty things in one go. Instead, treat each form, hablo, hablas, habla, as its own small target with its own progress.
Mistake 2: studying all tenses in parallel
Beginners often jump between present, past and future at once and end up mastering none of them. The present indicative carries most everyday speech and teaches the rhythm of person-plus-ending. Get it solid across many verbs first, and the other tenses will build on the same instinct.
Mistake 3: passive reading instead of recall
Re-reading a conjugation table feels productive but barely builds memory. Producing the form from a prompt, then getting corrected when it is wrong, is what actually makes it stick. Every study minute should ask you to recall the form, not just recognise it.
Mistake 4: giving regular and irregular equal time
Regular verbs follow rules you can generate on the fly. The irregulars are what actually need memory. Spending equal effort on both wastes your hardest work on the easy cases, so front-load the high-frequency irregulars and let the rules handle the rest.
A simpler approach
Put it together: one form equals one card, present tense first, active recall every time, and extra reps for irregulars, all scheduled so each form returns just before you forget it. Verboteca is built exactly this way, and it is why ten focused minutes a day outperforms an hour lost in tables.