Consistency beats intensity. Use this simple template and adjust minutes to fit your schedule. Track inputs and outcomes weekly so you can fix bottlenecks before they stall progress.
Template (45–70 minutes)
- SRS reviews (10–15m)
- New grammar (10–15m) + 3–5 self‑made sentences
- Reading/listening (15–25m) + summary
- Kanji (10–15m) with components and stroke order
Time‑budget templates
- 30 minutes: 10m reviews, 10m input, 10m kanji.
- 45 minutes: 10m reviews, 15m grammar, 10m input, 10m kanji.
- 60 minutes: 15m reviews, 15m grammar, 15m input, 15m kanji.
Weekly cadence
- 5–6 days on; 1–2 days lighter or off.
- One timed section (Reading or Listening) on the weekend.
- One deep review block to close errors from the week.
Tracking sheet (weekly)
- Minutes studied, new words, new kanji.
- Mock section done (Y/N), blockers → fixes.
- Top 10 high‑value cards curated from real input.
Adjustments for levels
- N5–N4: prioritize grammar clarity and kana fluency; keep listening slow and accurate.
- N3: add collocations and paragraph summaries; alternate intensive/extensive listening.
- N2–N1: connector catalog, discourse mapping, weekly full mock and deep review.
Pitfalls
- Perfect plans that break on day two. Favor templates you can always do.
- Only input or only SRS; you need both recall and comprehension.
- Letting kanji backlog grow; 10/day written carefully beats 0/day.
Metrics that matter
- Daily study minutes (target range per your template)
- Unknown words per 1,000 in reading (steady decline)
- First‑pass listening accuracy (trend up)
- Error‑fix closure rate week‑over‑week
How Kanji Koi helps
- Adaptive SRS keeps reviews within your time budget.
- Component‑grouped kanji sessions reduce look‑alike confusion fast.
- Collocation‑friendly cards make vocabulary stick in context.
- Offline mode supports daily consistency.
Tag your deck by week (e.g., Week‑38) and attach summaries to cards you mined. When they resurface, you’ll recall both the phrase and where you saw it, reinforcing comprehension.
If kanji are the bottleneck, keep sessions small but daily—shapes stick with repetition.