I’m hoping to finish Wanikani by the end of the year but I’m still only at level 19 after almost three years lol. I really regret not being consistent when I was younger now that I’m in my busiest years of high school so I’m going to try and speed run it from now on. Anyone else with a similar experience?
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Well…not exactly same experience as I am still at level 7 only, but I didn’t think it would take me 20 days to finish a level. I had expected it would take me 10 days or so but clearly I was wrong like always.
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I totally relate. I was shook when I realised that some people could finish in a year. Sometimes I log on, do a few reviews, close the tab and end up spending way more time on a level than I should be.
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Yeah, no idea how they did it. They must have magic… Maybe timeturners to level up a kanji more quickly.
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Yep 
almost on my 2nd year and only a few levels above you. I haven’t been super busy, just really low motivation lately and some stressful stuff going on killed my memory too. Its no big deal though, we are all here at our own pace! I do kind of think it is one of the unintentional negatives of WK forums though. You get to see everyone surpass you in levels and it can make you feel bad, or make you want to speed up which can sometimes be overwhelming. I wish I was someone that could finish in a year or less, but I’m not and there’s nothing wrong with that
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I had to take the red pill eventually because I was trying to go at an unsustainable speed… Reset to level 1, and now I take all the time I need.
It’s not a race
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Easy 
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It will be awhile for me. I want to spend time studying grammar and reading which makes me tired.
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You’re all welcome to come visit us on the thread “Team Snails on Vacation”! I’m not sure how to link a forum, but here’s a URL for our tracking table: 🐌🏖 Team Snails on Vacation 🐌🏖 - #2 by fray.
It’s a group of folks who are taking it “slower” on Wanikani…you’ll see our days to level is averaging one month, with some proud and wonderful members who have taken almost 300 days. Nothing wrong with slow progress, as long as it is progress!
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Yes - just passed my 7 year anniversary . Sticking with it has 100% been worth it though - don’t let the speed demons discourage you! Planning on making it to 60 by my 8th…
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Sorry, I didn’t mean to reply just to you…meant that for the entire thread. SORRY. I’m still learning how forums work!
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Each person has a different level of need of finishing WK. Some might need it because they live in Japan, some because they want to read novels one day, others might do it just for fun. In each case, the level of commitment should be dictated by the current need for Japanese learning, not by some synthetic need of finishing the levels ASAP. If you force it too much, it might even backfire spectacularly by growing a hatred for the app / Japanese in general.
It’s kind of like matching a car’s gears to one’s speed. The optimal acceleration happens when the speed and the gears match. Too low or too high, and either you waste fuel, or your engine dies.
It’s best to examine what your level of commitment is, and pick a speed that suits that. That’s your optimum. And don’t feel bad if it’s slow! After all, more effort would have diminishing returns (or even make you quit), and less would waste potential.
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I see team Snails is here already. I’m here to represent team Durtles!
We are taking it slow, durtleing the scenic route 
It’s a group for those who purposefully go slower to enjoy the process instead.
I am a low level as I only just got a subscription. But I have been here two years or so, watching speed deamons come and go, many of them crashing. So my plan is to NOT make it in a year. 2 is better, or even 3! Slow and steady.
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I started wanikani getting motivated by someone who did it in a year and I’m on year 4 and still haven’t finished. I had months of breaks at times and just generally low motivation.
Back to daily reviews now and hoping I can finish it this year or early next year! I just got the lifetime subscription at the last sale though so not pressuring or being hard on myself if I happen to not finish as quickly. I’ve realized after all this time that the slow and steady way is better for me. Now I take time to do the lessons (about 20 a day or so) and really try to commit them to memory rather than doing it all at once. I feel like I’m forgetting the ones I breezed through earlier on!
Also reminding myself that my original motivation for learning kanji is to really learn and be able to read better. So I can take my time and not feel like I’m in race!
Let’s go team turtle! 
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BlockquoteI really regret not being consistent when I was younger
ah yeah tell me about it
Blockquote now that I’m in my busiest years of high school
BAHHHAHAHAH…oh friendo you’re doing just fine. Keep at it.
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let’s see how I will do, I am still on Level 1.
i’m really glad that the snails and durtles posts are around, as well as posts like this recent level 60 post by nightsquid: Level 60 May 2020
they show that you don’t have to go fast, and that it’s fine to go at your own pace
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Don’t give the fast runners bad rep 
I slept a solid 8h a day when I was going through the levels, that’s part of the formula to succeed
It’s okay to take years to finish, because we can always start over and give it a fresh start I was a beast with grammar for 6 months (N4+ level), and then I took a 2 years’ break. My gf @FlamySerpent on the other hand reached N1 grammar level in 1 year and half. She’s a beast, so that inspires me to kick myself into grammar again 
Consistency + time is the best formula guys. Don’t try to do too much in one day. Bill Gates once said that we overestimate what we can do in 1 day and we underestimate what we can do in 1 year.
10 lessons a day should keep most people with less than 1h of usage. If you’re able to focus when doing WK, it should take around 30 minutes a day. That makes you reach level 60 in 2 years, which is significantly faster than any beginner of Japanese could dream of achieving <3
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Haha, 僕も (although, unlike me, I think you did finish in under a year).
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High school… younger years… 
I have been trying to learn Japanese properly for 20 years, so if it takes you 4-5 years total to get through WK, you are still better off than I am!
That said, I plan to be done this year, probably around 400 days total because I found something that works (WK) and I know if I stop for even a day, it will become 2, then 3, etc. I know myself and my crappy habits by now…
I wish you luck in your goal, and if it takes extra time just realize you are learning and you haven’t given up.
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