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When it’s More Fun to Read about Japanese than Study it — 8 Comments

  1. This has definitely happened to me a lot so I have now structured my “reading about japanese” habits. I restrict it to this website and /r/LearnJapanese subreddit, and even then I only check those out while doing passive, and a couple times a week. Anything else, I’ve got to be looking for specific information, not just mindlessly reading about japanese (for example if I want to find podcast recommendations, or maybe looking for some tips to increase my immersion time). And even that, I try to limit it and really THINK about it first, chances are I already know the answer.

    • The hardest part is when you look for specific information, and then your eyes briefly scan over something else about Japanese that catches your interest, and then you spiral out of control.

      This is why the more you can turn these type of searches to Japanese, the better. For example, when searching for recommendations, try to find Japanese people talking about podcast recommendations. This prevents you from going astray.

  2. This is me 100%. I visit this site as many as 10 times a day just to see if a new comment has been posted. I’ve been trying to cut back, but I’m hooked!

    • While I love your support of the site, try to cut back! : )

      Because every time you check the site is a chance for a distraction spiral.

  3. I have fallen into thia trap so many times, but it’s gotten way better as I advanced. The turning point, for me, is when J-J became manageable (which was half way through my 2nd attempt at JALUP Advanced). Things because a lot easier to understand and it became more fun to “study” (read/watch Japanese junk!) than to read about studying.

    It’s so hard to crawl out of though when you’re a beginner! Setting goals for yourself daily can help with the trap though. If you make sure you’re studying say, 10 new cards per day or 1 new chapter a week, then at least you make progess daily and the reading about Japanese time is just filler.

  4. This is a great and very timely article for me. All of it is so true! Although I don’t study Japanese, I use your blog to get ideas and inspiration for my own target language, but it is all too easy to gain so much “inspiration” without putting any of it to use.

    One thing that I personally used and have found helps is the extension for Firefox called LeechBlock. You can personalize it anyway you want to help you stay off websites you don’t want to be browsing. I block all .com during the week and only allow .ru, and then allow myself to read in English on Sunday. Sometimes I cheat, but LeechBlock has really helped my studies!

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