Study Hints

General Tips

• If you see a word and immediately check it's translation, you'll hardly memorize it at all. If you try your best to recall what the word means before checking the translation, the chances of memorization are much better.
• It is much easier to memorize a word's meaning when you know how to pronounce it corretly, so get it right.   
• Go to Youtube and search for as many videos as possible about how to learn pronunciation on your target language. Don't limit yourself to a couple videos: see as many as you can because sometimes one video will get something wrong, so the other videos will fix it.
• Pronunciation guides have a strong tendency to have over-simplified information that is misleading or just plain wrong. So at the end of the day, the best way to learn good pronunciation is by listening to a native speaker and trying to replicate it well, not by reading a guide.

• I don't really like cognitive enhancers("nootropics"), except for the safe ones. But if you want to find more about them (at your risk): https://www.reddit.com/r/nootropics/wiki/beginners

• If you want to type some sentences of my books into Google Translate (to see alternative translations, to hear the pronunciation) you might want to learn how to type faster. "Touch typing" is a technique in which you type with all ten fingers of your hand, and when you get good at it you can type as fast as you're reading this sentence. It's a skill that takes little time to master and will be useful all your life. You can learn it by searching "touch typing" on google or visiting the following sites. http://www.keybr.com/ and https://www.typingclub.com/

Getting rid of Distractions

The two following tools are designed specifically for Windows and macOS operating systems.


"Cold Turkey" is a productivity software that helps users limit their digital distractions by blocking access to time-wasting websites, apps, and games. It's recommended for increasing focus, reducing procrastination, and promoting healthy work habits by enforcing self-discipline and preventing online distractions. You can download it here:
https://getcoldturkey.com/
 
"Micromanager" software, created by the same maker as "Cold Turkey," restricts access to non-essential apps, allowing only whitelisted ones for enhanced productivity. It prevents multitasking, promotes focused work, and minimizes distractions. An example of use: you can use this software to block yourself from leaving the Anki app for one to two hours, thereby eliminating distractions. This software, combined with the Speed Focus Mode add-on for Anki, is very effective in boosting your focus during your study sessions. You can download it here:
https://getcoldturkey.com/micromanager/
 
There are apps for Android that serve a similar purpose. Such as the app called "Stay Focused": 
Stay Focused: Site & App Block - Apps on Google Play
Do some research and find what distractions-blocking app best suits you.

Improving Anki with Addons

What are Anki add-ons?
Anki add-ons are like extra tools that you can add to the Anki flashcard app. They give you more options and features to personalize your studying. With add-ons, you can change how the app looks, add new types of flashcards, automate tasks, and connect with external resources. They help you customize Anki to fit your learning style and make studying more effective.
 
Where can I install Anki add-ons?
Anki is available on the following platforms:
1. Anki Desktop for Windows, macOS, and Linux.
2. AnkiMobile for iOS devices.
3. AnkiDroid for Android devices.
4. AnkiWeb, which is a web-based interface accessible through a browser.
 
But Anki addons are available for Anki Desktop only.
I should mention that I have no affiliation with the developers of Anki. I only make decks and share them.
 
What add-ons do you recommend? 
This add-on helps you focus when you're studying, and I think it's a must have:
• Speed Focus Mode (auto-alert, auto-reveal, auto-answer) - AnkiWeb
The first version of this addon was actually commissioned by me, then it became a very popular add-on.
 
These add-ons allow you to add audio to the cards of a deck. I recommend them if you want audio on all cards, or if you wish to try out different voices for a deck.
• HyperTTS - Add speech to your flashcards - AnkiWeb
• AwesomeTTS - Add speech to your flashcards - AnkiWeb
AwesomeTTS is better if you wish to add audio for many cards all at once, as HyperTTS may crash when selecting over 1000 cards.
 
This add-on allows you to use a gamepad/joystick to study on Anki. It makes study more a lot more comfortable:
• Contanki - Controller Support for Anki (beta) - AnkiWeb
For the sentences deck, it's very useful to have a shortcut to suspend a card.
To suspend a card means: remove that card from the deck.
It's useful to have a shortcut to suspend a card, because you're supposed to remove cards that are too easy for you, or cards that teach you nothing new.
You can configure this add-on to have a joystick shortcut to suspend the card:
• When you install this add-on, go to the main screen of Anki, click Tools → Controller Opions → Add → In the Action column, type 'Suspend', in the Shortcut column type '@' → click 'Controls' → click 'Review' → select the RB bu (or whichever button you prefer) → select 'Suspend' → click 'Save'.
This will add a shortcut that suspends the card whenever you press the RB button in your joystick.
You should suspend:
• cards that are repeated
• cards that are too easy for you
• cards that contain nothing new to you (for example: no new vocabulary, no new word pattern)
You should remove or suspend those cards, otherwise your 'due reviews' will pile up to a big number.
 
This add-on shows a little pop-up confirming which option you picked (Again/Good/Hard/Easy). It goes well with the previous add-on that I recommended, because it lets you know you selected the right option.
• Color Confirmation - AnkiWeb