I'm sure this type of question is asked a lot, so I apologize if this is a familiar one to you all.
I've been studying Japanese on and off since 2020 and have passed the N5. Im pretty busy so I always try to "optimize" my studying, which I think in many ways interferes with reaching my goals. This has left me a little paralyzed on what I should actually be doing everyday to reach proficiency.
Do you have any advice on how to study and not feel overwhelmed by the sheer amount of resources available to you? Ive used, in the past(not all at once): Busuu, Bunpro, Bunpo, LingoDeer, MaruMori, Wanikani, Anki, Renshuu, etc.
I think choosing one app that you use every day/most days is best here. One hour a day tops, to not get burned out, at least until you're pre-intermediate. Once you're somewhat comfortable with the language, you can switch to full immersion (watching youtube, anime, reading books, etc.). If you stay consistent and don't give up, you'll reach your goals sooner than you might expect
agreed. stick with one app, preferably one with a wide spectrum of uses (renshuu rather than wanikani, for example).
manage your workload, in particular if your available time is tight. that means limit the amount of new stuff in your schedules!
get that immersion going. one thing that’s worked well for me is to watch stuff i would watch anyway, but by japanese creators. that way you have a good chance of understanding what’s going on even if you don’t understand everything they are saying, which is importantly for tos kind of immersion.
and keep on studying. learning japanese is a long process and there are no real shortcuts. so just keep on studying.
Agree on what the rest have said. I've had the same problem in the past and because of burnout I just end up not studying at all. Now I've been able to be consistent by using Renshuu only because I can study grammar, kanji, vocab here daily at a bearable pace and amount, no problem. For wanikani and other apps I try to progress in the weekend at least when I have more time.
Thank you all so much for the replies! I will definitely try and just focus on using Renshuu now that I'm on summer break. Hopefully just using one resources will help me focus
