Took a year break, feeling lost

WaniKani
#1

Hi WK family,

From 2018 to 2019, I took WK and Japanese very seriously. I studied 2-3 hr/day and was LOVING it! In May, 2019, I got accepted into my dream graduate program at a top tier R1 institution. As a result, my schedule changed to a 60 hour work week with reading in every “free time” slot. Now, however, I have gotten ahead of the curve and want nothing more than to get back into my Japanese studying.

That being said, I haven’t opened the app in almost a year. I am seeking advice. Should I get back into the grind where I left off (there are at least 2000 reviews, there’s 360 of them now as a free member)? Or should I create a new account and start from scratch? Also, are there any promotions or offers going on a monthly or annual sub?

Thanks, friends!

5 Likes
#2

Gonna assume you didn’t hit “vacation” mode.

Reset as you see fit.

Welcome back.

Promotions: You’re 4 months late for the $100 off on lifetime…sorry. Maybe this coming December?

#3

hi, just so u know, WaniKani gives u the option to reset to a specific level
u can find the option under “danger zone” in settings
that might also be an alternative!

Good luck with whichever route u choose to take :slight_smile:

1 Like
#4

Hey,

I too have dealt with feelings of being burned out and feeling just lost in general. Remember to take care of yourself, it’s not a race, and go easy on yourself. You’ve done a lot already :slight_smile: You’re doing th ebest you can in your situation.

It might be worth it to use the 50% for a monthly sub and develop a daily habit before committing yourself to a year/lifetime and then beating yourself up should you go off the wagon again.

EDIT: as brought up by someone else, you will probably get more benefit by using more social means of learning Japanese when you can

#5

Congrats on your getting into your top program! Since you’re at a top tier R1 institution, I would suggest finding some other grad students there who are into Japanese, doing conversation, clubs, even taking a class if you can fit it in your schedule. It depends on your program, of course, but so much of grad school is solitary rise-and-grind something that makes Japanese a refuge, something social, something fun might be nice. WK is pretty much just rise-and-grind, and it will be waiting for you when you get out. All those free and vibrant R1 opportunities (and people) won’t.

(of course, what i just suggested is harder during a quarantine, but still)

1 Like
#6

Congrats (a bit late) on getting accepted to your grad program! That’s super awesome!

How far did you get with WK before? If you got pretty far, then I would recommend maybe resetting to a few levels before you dwindled off and seeing if you can go from there. if that doesn’t work, then reset more levels back, and so on until you get to a comfortable spot. And you just missed the sale, so if you really have the time to commit to it I would recommend to get maybe the year subscription, then pick up the discounted lifetime at the new year (which is what I did). Until then, just pick away at your reviews until you feel like you’re in a good spot, then start lessons.

But don’t feel bad if it doesn’t work out again! Everyone has priorities in their lives, and if you try to make everything a priority you’ll burn out. Wishing you the best on your Japanese and grad school journeys!

#7

Here’s my advice as a working professional. Please take it with a grain of salt.

  1. Reset and start from scratch
  2. Cut everything else out but WK
  3. Allocate 20m per day for WK. You can do more but the bare minimum you have to do is 20m. It will help you keep the schedule.
  4. Go on the monthly for now until the Christmas sales roll around.

Now, here’s why I’m advocating the method above. If you do at least 20m per day and stick with the schedule, you should hit 60 in 3 years or so. Depending on the grad program you’re in, that should align with you finishing your degree the WK stuff and being in a good position to continue learning Japanese. If you do an hour a day you’ll probably hit 60 in closer to 2 years.

1 Like
#8

Thanks for the tips guys!

I went with the reset. I feel inspired to get back into it and appreciate the support and advice.

Cheers!

2 Likes
#9

I wrote a guide for Wanikani, and I think that reading it might be useful to you… now that you’re trying to get back to it and do better :slight_smile: I’d mainly recommend chapters 4 to 7.

3 Likes
#10

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