I've been tackling this language in a half-assed way. I did all three units of Pimsleur and a couple hundred notecards. Then I got a notch using Russian (I'm still not sure how I pulled that off). After that? I slacked off. I only became proficient in tourist Russian. My Russian was actually just as good as when I arrived in Ukraine than when I left.
I took three detours since then: about 100 hours with Polish, 15 hours with French, and 20 hours refreshing my Spanish. But now, one year after Ukraine, it's clear to me: the language of my future is Russian. For feminine women and for adventure, for a man who wants to be challenged to the point of failure and who wants to earn his salt, this is the mountain to climb. I have delayed and procrastinated, I have rationalized and doubted, but now I am certain: I will become proficient in this language. It must be done.