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Anyone else finding it difficult to get through the 300 commonly used words?  Feels like parrot learning particularly when I don't understand the various verb conjugations.  Hope this will become clearer as I progress.

Well, concentrating on learning the most frequently used words is a good strategy, because you will encounter them more often, and therefore recall them more easily than one you learned but never saw again for 6 months or whatever.

If I were to go back and begin learning Spanish all over again I would not learn vocabulary in a vacuum, such as "aprender" on one side of a flash card and "learn" on the other. I would use the words in context:  "Estoy aprendiendo español." It gives clues as to what idea the word actually stands for, makes it easier to use in other sentences, and in this case, also teaches the participle of the word. I would also use pictures illustrating the word, and would use the SRS, or Spaced Repetition System, which is timed to show you words just before you forget them and not waste time on words you have learned.

Some time ago I found the book Fluent Forever and its use of the Anki SRS program, which accomplishes all of these things. I highly recommend reading it. 

Buen suerte,
Dan

Yes and no. Sometimes I find it tedious, but when I'm in the mood for it I like it. I'm learning Spanish partially to enjoy learning it, so I don't want to make it feel like a chore. I've also been writing short, for lack of a better word, stories for myself to help me use more of the words, more of the time.  For me, this  makes me more motivated since each new word means I can express different ideas.  I'm still a beginner so my stories are by necessity kind of silly, but it seems to help.

Excellent idea Rebecca. 

Easier to do normal studying and then a couple of the words.

Another thing to try along those same lines, Rebecca, is to keep a daily journal in Spanish. I've found this very helpful personally.
 

Journaling in Spanish is a great idea, but I haven’t yet gotten far enough to speak the past tense. Usually when I think about writing in a journal I right about things that have happened. Once I can do that I think journaling will be excellent. For now little stories and mock conversations will have to do.  
Writing mock conversations is very helpful for me.  I use the format in the lessons and then substitute in different vocabulary. It’s fun to try to see what you can say with what you already know.