This is exactly why I have been going slowly so I don’t burn out.
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I’ve reset twice over the years, the highest i got was level 18, but I let reviews build up for years and forgot so much that i couldnt get back on track - so now, taking it slow. 10 lessons per day. It may take me years, but it will be far more manageable!
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Sounds like you’re doing fine. It’s not a race. Go at your own pace and do what suits you. I’m still not past level one, and my interest and motivation are pretty much zero after several years of trying. I’m impressed that you’ve got so far.
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It is so nice to know there are other people who have been in my situation and were able to progress. I am hopeful for the future!
I have noticed this. I’m just going to jump into reading instead of putting it off forever. Same thing happened with English when I was a kid. I procrastinated doing it until a friend of the family introduced me to the Magic Treehouse series, and I fell in love with reading. I need to find something in Japanese that gives me the same reading energy!
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So true! I changed my mindset when I saw this a few months ago.
I don’t know who made the graphic, but I love it!
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If you need somewhere to start, I think what really helped push me over the edge was just forcing myself to read satori reader. It has lots of helpful explanations that helped get grammar concepts to stick, and ultimately improved my basic reading comprehension to the point where I could do ok reading things that were centered toward children and young adults.
You might be shocked how hard it all seems at first, but it gets easier with time. But you probably know this first hand if you had to learn English as a second language too
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Okay cool, I’m on the right path then. I have satori reader, so it sounds like I just gotta get myself to use it every day. It really is hard, but if powering through is what it takes, then it’s worth it.
Also, I probably worded something wrong because English is my first language, I just hated reading at first haha 
But I like it now, so maybe I’ll have a similar experience with Japanese
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My regret after level 60, was I wasn’t reading enough, and let my memory decay. The truth is it is difficult to evaluate myself in hindsight; but reading too few, being simply able to read some manga and novels, isn’t going to cut it.
Also, a part of rushing through WaniKani, to the end (and continued a little in Anki), was also about avoiding grammar. They have to learnt eventually, anyway. Otherwise, if all else fail, why not just bite the bullet, and read in “studying mode”?
Without levels, it feels like learning without destination, but it’s reality. Picking a destination as far as the horizon goes, and picking the next destination after the horizon changes, are just what needs to be done. Otherwise, it’s just dreaming, without seeing the way.
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So beautiful, this must sound amazing in Japanese xD
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Ah I just misinterpreted your comment on learning to read English as like, learning to read it as a second language apologies.
Yeah Japanese is the first second language I’m trying to become truly literate in (dabbled in Spanish, Italian, and German previously, but never got far in any of them because of the school setting). And it brings back frustrating memories when I was a little kid and being uncertain about if my understanding of an English passage made sense. As adults we’re so comfortable with our ability to read and comprehend language that we forget how difficult it was to get to this point to begin with.
It really just takes practice. If I had to recommend something from Satori Reader, I think starting with their nutshell grammar series is honestly really helpful, even if you know basic grammar. They explain things in a way that makes it easier to read their stories, which makes it easier to take away other concepts while reading the stories.
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Lots of people in the Japanese learning community seem to miss this part.
The way I learned Spanish was, after several months of frustration with “studying” and getting nowhere, I finally just picked up a graded reader and powered through it with a dictionary. If I was confused on grammar I’d just Google it. I’m not saying it’s possible (or at least advisable) to do the same with Japanese—it’s a much harder language that shares far less with English. But the same principle applies. You have to jump in at some point. You have to do the thing. That’s the only way to really learn, everything else is just preparation.
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Yeah, this. This is how I learned english. I just started to consume content in english. I was more or less fluent by 8.
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