With any language, I don't think it's super important from where you learn the basics - some sources can be more helpful and pedagogical than others, but you'll figure out the basics soon enough. If you can study every day in the morning, that's great. If you can study regularly later in the day, even better, because your brain will be more alert, perceptive and retain more information.

My main tips concerns how you proceed once you've gotten some basics down. Find a French book, magazine, or well-updated website, something that interests you. Grab a dictionary (or your favourite translation service) and start working your way through it. It's gonna go slow at first as you take several minutes making sense out of a single sentence, but soon you'll start picking up some speed, and eventually you'll start using the dictionary less as you fill in the gaps using context. This is a great way to learn language in a natural manner, similar to how children learn to speak just by listening to adults. In time you might be able to do the same with a French movie - start with English subtitles but concentrate on what they're saying and try to pair the words and phrases with the translated versions. Make conversation (through text, for starters!) with people who speak the language natively (and preferably, are willing to correct your mistakes and give you constructive criticism). The internet is a fantastic place for this. Exchange letters with people, even!

This all probably benefits from using more traditional methods simultaneously - classes, exercises, what have you. I just think you miss out on a lot by only studying grammar rules and vocabulary and not excercising the natural flow of the language.