So I finally made it to level 20, whatever that means. Restricting myself to 15 lessons a day brought instant relief, both psychologically and in actual lesson/review load.
Definitely the right approach for me.
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Heyyy I just reached lvl 21-死 the other day and I’m currently taking a week break on new lessons (doing just 5 per day to keep the habit). So you are probably going to pass me!
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Yeah man, I noticed already. You’re in my leaderboard and I was jealous because you were going so fast!
BUT I said speed is not an issue, so I‘m gonna control my childish feelings.
Keep it up, buddy!
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You never question the why again because you already answered that question long ago. You should trust yourself.
Also you are going fast! Good luck.
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Thx spooky, let’s rock this!
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It‘s easy to say I will be 60 in one year while sitting comfortably on your couch, having just learned the radicals of level 3, beer in hand, and hanging out in the forum to wind down.
Truth is: it takes a LOT of dedication and discipline to get to 60 - no matter if you go fast or slow.
A LOT.
You‘ll find out if you haven’t yet.
Onwards…
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Oh, do I know that. When I got to level 12 , I suddenly went from ~20 day levels to ~40 (anywhere from 30 → … uh 345 days for level 22!)
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I hit a wall. Nothing seems to stick. 
So what I decided to do, is level up to 21 and then stop the lessons for a month. Only reviews.
Same for iKnow. I will finish core 2K in 5 days, and will only do reviews for a month.
I am moving to a new place next week, both my family and my recording studio, and life is really stressful at the moment.
It is taking a toll on both my energy and my wellbeing, and my memory really suffers. I need to cement levels 1 through 20, and getting my apprentice count down (currently at 93), before being hit with my first burns on June 6.
With iKnow, I now have 2.275 items total, with 1164 mastered. I will go to 2300 items and then stop and only do reviews for a while.
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I also always stop doing lessons when it becomes too much. It’s a very effective way of taking it easy while still doing reviews. Once you solidify everything your confidence and motivation will increase too!!
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Reviews are crucial. Thanks for your motivational post.
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WK Level 21, finished iKnow 2K
I think I‘ll just continue without a break.
I had a great italki lesson yesterday, which was very motivating. Heck, I‘m conversing in Japanese, if this isn‘t motivating I don‘t know what else is.
My teacher is great, he is a professional teacher, and makes me feel like everything I say is important and interesting, even if I‘m fumbling with words like an idiot.
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So things have been rough. I moved to a new place and it has been much more stressful than I thought it would be. I stuck to my routine, but only the bare minimum. No new lessons - just hanging in there very early in the morning and very late at night.
On a positive note, I burned my first 26 radicals today, and I think my stats look quite healthy.
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Congrats on the burns!
Moving houses always takes so much out of you. Every single time it’s more stressful and more tiring and more draining than I remember it being.
So don’t be hard on yourself, and great that you’re fighting to keep the routine, even if it’s at a minimum. I think that’s what gets you there in the long haul. 
Flexibility when it is necessary.
Hope you’re enjoying your new place, and that you can more comfortably fit in your learning again soon. Hang in there!
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Thank you so much, Omun!
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22 - finally.
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My retention has hit rock bottom. Very frustrating. Feels like I never spent any time on WK.
My motivation is at an all time low.
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Keep going, once you push through this things will pick up again. I have my days where I’m drawing a blank looking at my reviews and it feels like I’m getting nowhere… it’s frustrating but I try to just keep at it and eventually it sticks.
“Nothing in the world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, difficulty…"
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Thanks @TheLastSwitch. Still here, still fighting.
23 - painfully slow. I‘ve come to 5 reviews every 30 minutes, with a timer in between. It‘s the only way I can make this bearable.
Doing my reviews to a soundtrack of screaming kids, yelling wife, blasting music, while accepting phone calls, obligations, shopping for groceries… there isn‘t a quiet moment in the day. And when It’s finally quiet at 11:30 I am sooo tired. Really hard to concentrate like this.
Onwards.
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