Feels like I wanna quit, not that am a quitter, but just just my brain seems to go blank each time I start my reviews.
As full time worker, with family and a kid, including all other parts surviving in Japan, it seems that I have a lot to do and my body and brain can’t take too much anymore… anyone in this with me? How are you coping?
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I cope by taking a nice fat break every 10 levels
During that break I don’t do any lessons, only reviews. Shortly, the reviews drop significantly, until I only spend a couple minutes on wanikani on an average day. Eventually the motivation comes back, and it’s 10 more levels.
Take a break?
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I do reviews on the train 
If you’re in Japan and have time during commutes it’s a quick way to refresh your brain, even if you just have 10 minutes.
May not help everyone, but I also have a favorite album to study to. Lana Del Rey’s Honeymoon puts me in the mood to learn kanji.
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That’s an interesting concept. Appealing, really. Maybe I’ll do just that, but every 20 levels instead.
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I came to that point a long time ago and ended up starting it all over again.
I’m not sure that was the right thing to do, but so far I’ve been feeling it better.
It’s most of the time hard to cope with daily reviews but I try to keep going.
As for lessons, I’ve slowed down a little and I’m at an average 15 days per level making reviews sessions less overwhelming.
Taking actual japanese lessons helped a lot with regaining motivation since I’m now able to use my kanji knowledge every week for an hour and a half during class.
To be honest, Japanese is much harder than I thought it’d be (it’s the 4th language I’m learning and I’m proficient in 2 of the 3 other ones). The grammar and the vocabulary aren’t hard by essence but there is so much to learn and remember that it sometimes feels like I’m never gonna cross the finish line.
Sometimes you just gotta power through, I guess.
頑張ってください!
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Do you read or write in Japanese for fun? Maybe if you did something Kanji related that got the serotonin rising you’d regain your motivation. I guess in theory it should be exciting to learn the information and not a burden, but in practice it seems both feelings come in alternating waves. Having a human brain is tough!
I agree though, best not to stop altogether, but just focus on reviews of what you already know until you get that spark to keep going.
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これがお前の限界？
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Hang in there! Maybe you should take a break, I end up getting overwhelmed often as well and slow down for a few weeks here and there… I’m currently getting back into WaniKani from a two-ish week break. I’ve been using vacation mode to stop reviews from piling up, and been taking care of a two hundred plus lesson count/700 + reviews…
Maybe you should focus on rest for a little while! Even if you have to make slow progress for a while, it would be better than quitting!
I’m rooting for you!
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Could you maybe elaborate more on what’s the problem? Maybe you’re overwhelmed, too many reviews at once? You could slow down. Maybe you’re going through reviews too fast? Slow down. Or since you mention blanking out, maybe you’re not remembering the mnemonics? In which case, I’d advise re-reading mnemonics each time you get something wrong. And no skimming! Re-reading mnemonics needs to be slow to work.
As others have pointed out, and it’s nothing specific, it might be burn-out, in which case a break might be good. WK has vacation mode. Or you lost the interest, in which case maybe finding something to read that interests you might work. For that you can check out FloFlo.
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Sounds like you need a vacation
I find that there’s a fine line between having enough workload to feel productive and engaged, and going over that line and being stressed or burned out.
Sometimes gotta pump the brakes and slow down a bit
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Like @durtle said, it seems like the motivation just naturally comes back. I’m trying to move to Japan, so I’m finishing up my degree at a very accelerated rate (14-15 credits/semester including summer), learning Japanese, and working full-time as a manger. In the past two months, keeping up with WaniKani became so tiring. I was forgetting a lot of characters, which was demoralizing, and the reviews kept stacking up.
Recently though, I’ve been burning through reviews. It just seems fun again, for whatever reason. Nothing is really different in my life; got a lot going on, and will continue to have a lot going on through the end of next year, but I’ve just had this surge of motivation lately. I’m not making a ton of progress, but I’ve brought my review stack from a consistent 750+ to below 300 today for the first time in what feels like forever.
Also as @Nenad said, reviewing the mnemonics seems to be helpful. I read them multiple times, say them aloud, look back and forth between the kanji/vocab, mnemonic, and radical/kanji components before moving on.
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I lived in Japan, got to level 10, moved to the UK to be a teacher… became far too busy and then all those reviews washed over me after a year of stopping… today… I reset it all to level 1 and am going to try it all again.
Maybe you could consider this before total surrender? I’ve no regrets!
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Hi, I’ve had this feeling too. That your brain is going to pop and that somehow you are not making it.
When this happens, I do 2 things. Rest → slow down on learning, just do reviews as others recommend.
Go to WaniKani stats and look at all the progress you have made so far. Not only what is to come, but how much you now know. It is frustrating to get a review wrong, but balance it out by thinking how many you have actually gotten correct to get to your level.
Good luck mate!
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Yeah thanks a lot for your suggestions. Every case is unique I guess, just in my case I have much to do and I am a monthly subscriber here. I am recently trying to focus on my grammar and communication skills using genki test books but the time I have is not just enough. Anyway I have tried to slow down.
I think you got the mail on the head by saying, “every case is unique”. We really don’t know your stresses, personality, and circumstances well enough to prescribe anything perfect for you. As many have done, however, they’ve thrown together ideas that maybe you could adopt to your situation and run with.
And based on your last message, you’re not quitting (Japanese), but considering refocusing your energy for your studies. I think you know what’s best for you in the end.
Wishing you the best
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Would like this 10 times if i could.
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