Well there is a lot of work to do, but at least I can read academic books!
Reading stuff that interests you (history, politics, whatever) is important.
However, you won’t become fluent in everyday conversations that way.
Ultimately, the question is: What are your goals?
And then you have to train explicitly to achieve these goals.
For example:
GOAL: I want to become fluent fast
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Then don’t read long books and / or listen to long audiobooks (with their slow-paced, clear pronunciation).
Instead, focus on podcasts / Youtube videos / talk radio with various (fast-paced) native speakers who discuss topics related to everyday life (you could start with “Easy German” on Youtube, for example). -
You can also resort to TV / Netflix / Amazon Prime, etc. series (ideally with more dialogues and less action). Yes, their word-density is lower than that of podcasts / Youtube videos / talk radio, but they simply have compelling content.
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Then you should also talk more:
→ Start with ChatGPT3.5 on Memrise (it’s just 24 EUR p.a.), for instance. The conversations with the AI are quite nice (I haven’t tested it with German, but with many other Germanic and Romance languages).
→ You can have written conversations with ChatGPT about everyday topics, which is also helpful.
→ Sooner or later, it’s best to switch to human tutors (on Italki & Co). -
Other helpful tools / strategies in this context are (Note: Some like them, others don’t):
→ Use LingQ’s export-to-Anki function to drill the conventionalized word groups (“chunks” / “collocations”) or sentences from the media (podcasts, YT vids, etc.) you find useful.
→ Use Glossika decks (on Anki - if available) or go to Glossika to drill sentences. -
Finally your training cycle for achieving fluency could look like this:
→ Practice reading while listening to the podcast, YT vids, etc. (Variations: Read the script first to mark LingQs or listen first without reading to see if you understand the gist of the dialogues, use Language Reactor to focus on subtitles without resorting to LingQ, etc.)
→ Re-listen to the dialogues until you feel at ease (2-3 times is often enough)
→ Use the sentences / collocations with: Anki (esp. the translation from your L1 into the L2!), the Memrise bot (ChatGPT3.5) for oral conversations, ChatGPT for written conversations, and / or your tutors.
- Note:
→ In terms of time commitment: You should spend at least 1.5 hours per day (about 5-6 days per week) on these activities to make rapid progress.
→ It will take some time before you feel comfortable in the oral dimension.
But after a few months you will definitely see the progress you have made.
GOAL: I want to study at a German university (it’s almost free - compared to the US / UK -, so why not? 
)
In this case, “reaching fluency fast” is still a good idea, but you have to get used to academic reading / writing in the scientific disciplines you’re interested in.
Tip:
Deepl Write / ChatGPT (if you select “academic” writing as style parameter) are very helpful in this context!
GOAL: I want to pass grammar tests
Then you need to use previous tests to get a feel for what is expected and also do a lot of grammar exercises.
etc. pp.
Good luck!
PS -
If you want to pass official language tests in German, it’s best to combine the strategies mentioned above.
PPS -
Should I listen and read or just listen to improve my listening skills?
Both (see above), but with the right material for achieving your goals.