One of the most effective ways to study any language, including Spanish, is to create study flash cards. On the unruled side of an index card, write a Spanish word. On the other side, give its meaning in English. Also givethe pronunciation and examples of its use in a sentence. In addition to individual words, you can also do cards containing short phrases.
Another useful way to accelerate your acquisition of the Spanish language is to watch movies and television programs in the language. Have your dictionary handy as you watch, and pause and replay sections until you understand them. Use the visual clues and context in a scene to help you figure out what is being said. For example, if someone is using the word "gato" as he holds a cat, this should give you a clue as to the meaning of the word.
This approach comes from the opposite direction than the previous one. In this case, watch movies in English that have Spanish subtitles. The advantage of this technique is that as you listen to the dialogue of the characters, you can see the exact translation at the bottom of the screen. And unlike your own efforts at translating Spanish movies, you know that the translation you are seeing is accurate.
You might also want to make the acquaintance of some people who are bilingual in Spanish and English. In particular, if you can join a club or group that has a large percentage of Hispanics, you can listen in to their conversation to help you get the pronunciation of various words. You can also ask them to help you with your own efforts.