20 minutes a day: Should I prioritize STOMPI word order or building phrases?

As a busy professional, I only have a small window to study. I’ve been obsessing over the STOMPI word order rule, but it’s killing my flow in actual conversations. If I want to be functional for a trip to South Africa next year, should I keep drilling the grammar rules, or just memorize formulaic phrases? I'm worried that prioritizing perfect syntax is actually preventing me from outputting anything useful. I am asking specifically about learning Afrikaans, not a generic study routine.