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“… contrary to other styles… being wise… doesn’t mean adding more. It means to minimize. In other words, to hack away at the unessentials. It is not a ‘daily increase’ but a ‘daily decrease’… a shedding process.” - Bruce Lee
ja-minimal assumes you’re starting from scratch. The program is supplemented by Dark Japanese @ Wordpress and tumblr. Every aspect of ja-minimal is inspired by research, enabled by bleeding edge software.
It is minimalist both structurally and strategically, in that it gleans maximal benefit from minimal time. As you progress you’ll find that tactics become internalized—transparent and automatic.
“Learn the principles, abide by the principles, and dissolve the principles.” - Bruce Lee
Resist the temptation to ignore grammar study, to avoid output, to suppress your primary language. Give counterintuitive tools and learning techniques a chance.
At the onset, deliberate learning is the main focus, supplemented by authentic Japanese; gradually this will even out and then it will reverse.
Think longitudinally, of short-term effort for long-term ease. If you want to save time, be proactive now. Discard the notion that learning ability is ever ‘fixed’. Don’t aim to become a native, aim to become multilingual, bit by bit.
Work at your own pace. Chisel away the inessential as you proceed. Slow is smooth, smooth is fast. Don’t waste time rushing or throwing as much Japanese at yourself as possible through so-called ‘immersion’ or a haphazard clutter of decks, books, and tools.
“… one does not accumulate but eliminates. The height of cultivation always runs to simplicity. It is the half-way cultivation that runs to ornamentation.” - Bruce Lee
Be consistent, but don’t obsess—relearning is easier than learning. Make flow your goal, not fun. Flow is the fruit of desirable difficulties.
The spaced retrieval software, Anki, is your new best friend. Learn how it works; I recommend using it this way. As a side-effect it will in turn make you better at learning how to learn.
