Jim,
Thanks for your question.
I think it’s great you’re making time for any daily practice even if it’s a small amount. You can always increase your practice time later on. The most important thing is you keep your practice sessions fun as that’s the biggest predictor of what will keep you playing/improving.
As far as making use of practice time, I’d say the single best thing you could do is play along with the practice tracks I provide.
You could practice doing basic rolls or pinches, licks or backup as you improve. This will help you learn to feel the music and the timing which is important when breaking off of tablature. You could also practice “filling the space” of the spots in the tab you can’t remember. In real life jam sessions, I rarely try to play a tab from memory as that can be difficult. Playing along with the practice tracks is the best way to get comfortable just “jamming.
For me, I try and sing the words in my head which helps me remember the song when I’m playing without tab, but this takes too practice just like other skills.
If you have any other questions let me know!
Best,
Mike