My iPhone, home of my Pleco cards, was run over by a car today and crushed. (I dropped it in a parking lot and didn't notice until too late.) I discovered, to my chagrin, that I had not backed up my Pleco flashcards at all. For some reason I think I turned off iCloud a year or so ago, before I started learning Chinese. The phone may yet be reparable, so I may be able to recover the flaschards.
Anyway, I'm wondering if this mishap might be a blessing in disguise. I've been spending at least an hour a day on flashcards, mostly Pleco, but also Anki sentences (using Spoonfed Chinese). Most days I also read, watch a Chinese show, or listen to a podcast, but not always. And my flashcard time keeps expanding as my vocabulary gets larger. I now know a couple thousand words (in theory). I'm starting to think the first thing I should do is read and watch a show, and only then look at flashcards. I'm even starting to wonder if my paper flashcards (Chinese Builder Cards, sold along with the text Integrated Chinese) might be better for me, since they don't nag me the way apps do. My paper graded readers don't nag me, but flashcard apps do, so I tend to want to appease the app first.
If I do go back to digital flashcards, how can I keep the volume under control? Adjust the SRS settings for less frequent reviews?
Anyway, I'm wondering if this mishap might be a blessing in disguise. I've been spending at least an hour a day on flashcards, mostly Pleco, but also Anki sentences (using Spoonfed Chinese). Most days I also read, watch a Chinese show, or listen to a podcast, but not always. And my flashcard time keeps expanding as my vocabulary gets larger. I now know a couple thousand words (in theory). I'm starting to think the first thing I should do is read and watch a show, and only then look at flashcards. I'm even starting to wonder if my paper flashcards (Chinese Builder Cards, sold along with the text Integrated Chinese) might be better for me, since they don't nag me the way apps do. My paper graded readers don't nag me, but flashcard apps do, so I tend to want to appease the app first.
If I do go back to digital flashcards, how can I keep the volume under control? Adjust the SRS settings for less frequent reviews?