As you know, every hour counts. It’s important to study consistently and to dedicate a large enough block that you can focus on actually apprehending something substantial. Because of this, we recommend you dedicate at least 20 minutes a day to studying. If you can, ideal is an hour. If you have more time, then more is better. If all you can fit into your schedule is 5 minutes, then it is important to at least do that in order to retain a consistent habit and not let your brain forget the language.
In addition to this study, better language learners often spend time watching, listening or reading level-appropriate media or content for enjoyment without any accompanying focus on learning new things. While this is both beneficial and crucial to do, this shouldn’t be confused for focused study, in which you apply your brain to understanding something new.
In practice, the line is blurry, as learners will often use ordinary media they enjoy to pick up on something new, but the point here is that your study time should not consist only of listening, watching, or reading something you can already comfortably understand. If that’s all you have the energy to do, it is still an important aspect and will be beneficial.
Should my flashcards be target language first or English first?
You’ll find a lot of different opinions on this and there is no objectively right choice, so it’s best to look at the advantages of each and decide for yourself based on your priorities.
Cards that show your target language first and prompt you to recall the meaning help with passive recall (understanding) more than active recall (remembering and producing the word when you need it), and cards that show your native language first help with active recall more than passive recall.
Generally, being able to recall a word actively means you will most likely remember it passively too, but the ability of passive recall to help your active recall seems to be a bit slower. In addition, active recall takes more mental effort, which is good for learning.
Given that, many people lean towards showing the English first and being prompted to recall their target language. The optimal mix might be both. Since each type of recall seems to build on the other, and engaging both more closely approximates real life, it might be that a mix of both types is more effective than either.
If you use Anki, take advantage of its customizability and have it make both types of cards for you. You can make each individual card be shown less often to account for the fact you will see the same word twice in two different cards.
