I am convinced that using computer flashcards is an incredibly valuable way to learn Spanish vocabulary. Even essential — unless you are a child or have a photographic memory.
I feel even more strongly about this now than when I wrote my ebook Five Keys to Learning Spanish Rapidly — the link takes you to my page that describes it — and next time I revise it, I will improve the flashcards section.
But… recently I bogged down. You don’t need my long list of excuses, but in a nutshell I got busy with other things and my long-term goal of speaking better Spanish almost disappeared off my radar.
This is not a “True Confessions” blog but when I wanted an article for today, it seemed to me that writing about bogging down might be useful, because we all do it.
Drifting away from studying Spanish (or practicing vocabulary with the flashcards) is not the problem. Because, as I said, it’s something we are all going to do now and then, sooner or later. The important question is how to get back into learning Spanish. This is different for everyone, and different for any one person at various times.
For me, a few days ago, the moment came when a Mexican friend used a word that I didn’t know, even in context — and I knew that I had put that word into my flashcard program after she had used it once before. That annoyed me so much that I ran the program that evening. I gulped when I discovered I had almost a hundred words and phrases ready to review, but I caught up. And now I’m back on track, maybe not quite as diligently as at other times, but I’m doing it.
As I’ve been writing this, the old song “Pick Yourself Up” kept going through my mind. I found a version at YouTube sung by one of my favorite singers, Diana Krall. Want a bit of motivation? Take about three minutes and go listen to Pick Yourself Up, Song by Diana Krall on YouTube.
And see if that helps your Spanish! Or whatever is really important to you right now. You can get the essence in the first 30 seconds, if you’re really rushed.
