I don't know if there's anyone else who needs to hear this but I figured I'd put it out there anyway. It's nothing new but sometimes you need to just be told again to really take something in.
There is only so much time and effort you can put into anything. This isn't even specific to learning Japanese or any language really. A trap I fell into was following the big standard route of learning and it being horribly un-fun and exhausting. Why? Because I was spending that limited time and effort learning stuff I didn't need to know.
Stop and think why you want to learn Japanese. Go into specifics.
I'm learning to enjoy high fantasy video games and stories. Then why in the hell am I wasting time learning words about modern corporate Japan? Are the words for "chosen one", "sword of a thousand truths" and "go kill 30 slimes and bring back their jelly livers" used in every day talk? No, but that's ok. Because my "everyday" Japanese will be words like this so I do need to learn it. Asking my boss for vacation time? Not so much.
"Don't you want to visit?" Yes of course, but I can't afford it. By the time I can afford it then years would have gone by. Might not even be until I retire which is at least 40 more years away for me. Sure I could use my limited time and effort to learn holiday vocab now but by the time I can go to Japan I would have forgotten it anyway. That time and effort would be better spent learning the topics I am going to use now.
Are you looking to live and work in Japan? Sure then maybe those corporate Japanese courses textbooks take you through will be useful. Maybe not because maybe you aren't in the corporate industry. Maybe you work with patients in a healthcare setting, so learn vocab and typical conversations related to that, and ignore the stuff you won't need. Do you just want to visit as a tourist? Then focus on that. Look at where you want to go, learn vocab and sayings relevant to what it is you want to see and do and prioritize that.
I'm not saying textbooks and Japanese language courses are bad. If it works for you then that's fine. However learning a language is a slow constant process so make sure you prioritize what you learn so you can use it sooner. The sooner you start using the language and immersing in your chosen media or industry the more you'll start picking up bits and pieces you can use elsewhere.
To give an example, yes high fantasy is what I play and read most but I'm not against other genres. The language I learn from playing a high fantasy game will translate into other games the more I play. The same can be said for reading. While the setting may be different, people still widly converse in a similar way. Somebody saying "oh my gosh it's so cute" to a baby dragon vs a puppy is probably going to be the same if not very similar. Characters will meet and introduce themselves in similar ways. The descriptions of how blue the sky is will be the same in any story the sky is blue no matter the over arcing genre the story is set in. Even if the colour is different the overall sentence will be similar enough for you to work it out and understand.
At the end of it all, focus on the 'why' you're doing something and make the 'how' fit that. Don't burn yourself out trying to learn stuff you don't need to know. Time is a limited resource and your mental health is important to manage to. Don't burn both up by forcing yourself to learn and remember things you won't be using.
by GivingItMyBest