I cannot agree with Megan more and that is what you need to do. In my humble opinion , it is not necessary for you to do plenty of rote learning on purpose ,in spite the vocabulary is fundamentally needed . Try my tips . I learn every words by making a new sentence with this word . You would not forget instantly you make a suitable sentence with this word .Besides , try to get familiar with your vocabulary frequently by speaking or writing (by way of output) . Do not exploit your input (reading or listening) only and attempt trying more output to enforce your collocation . I think vocabulary would be put into your permanent memory for longer time and your English would be better day by day.

Don't think of it as memorizing, think of it as learning :) The key to fluency in any language is practice, and once you use the word enough times in conversation, it will stick in your mind. Maybe you are trying to memorize words that you don't commonly use in conversation. Steer away from trying to cram in lists of words, and try practicing a casual conversation with a native speaker. During the conversation, write down all the words that you would like to use to express yourself properly, but don't know. Try to learn those, and the next time you have a conversation, the same words will flow out much more easily!