Days 1 to 7
One lesson a day, in the slot you said you'd use, at the same time each day. Do the speaking exercises out loud even when it feels silly; skipping them is how people end up able to read a menu and unable to order from it. On day seven, ask yourself three questions: Did I look forward to today's lesson or force it? Can I still use what I learned on day one? Have I actually spoken out loud this week? If the answers are bad, switch to your alternate program now rather than in month two.
Weeks 2 to 4
One lesson a day, six days a week, and twice a week open Babbel's review tool instead of a new lesson. The review is where the vocabulary actually sticks; new lessons are where it goes in. Missing one day is fine. Never miss two in a row.
Weeks 5 to 8
Keep the lesson-plus-review rhythm and add one piece of listening a week from Babbel's podcasts or short audio. Start a two-minute habit: at the end of each day, say what you did today, out loud, in the language, badly. It gets less bad.
Weeks 9 to 12
You will be through the beginner courses and into the intermediate ones, and this is where Babbel starts to thin out. That is not a reason to quit; it is the signal to add a human. Before day 90, have one real conversation with a person: a tutor, a language exchange partner, or a friend who speaks it. Everything you have drilled shows up in that conversation.
Give it the full 90 before you judge it. The difference between people who learn a language and people who don't is rarely the program. It is whether they kept going after the first month.