After reading the thread about Language Logs, I'm feeling a bit of Log Inadequacy here.
I did cancel the Language Add1 Challenge on the 3rd. But I was just notified that I've been thrown out for failing to upload my video to Youtube. So it goes. I went back to the page and waaaaaay down on the bottom of a link it says "don't sign up for this challenge if....." and "you don't want to upload videos to youtube" was listed. Would have been nice if it were on the top of the page.
I'm starting the Goldlist 70 day Challenge tomorrow. I actually started yesterday just to see if I would like it. I don't think I'm going to be doing it exactly like they want--my current list is words I'm working on right now, so I won't be writing them down and ignoring them for 2 weeks. But reviewing them every 2 weeks after that I think will work out great.
I took a class a long time ago from Bilingual America--great classes but super expensive. (Job related, so it was deductible.) The teacher was very big on "10 times" in everything you did. He had check boxes on everything--here's your vocabulary list, and review it 10 times, checking it off each time you complete it. Here's your sentences, with 10 check boxes. Then when you moved to the next chapter, after you checked off that chapter's vocabulary 10 times, you were supposed to go back to the previous chapter and review it again. If you were finishing chapter 8, you then went back and reviewed the words and sentences from chapter 7 four times, chapter 6 three times, chapter 5 two times and chapter 4 one time.
I only took the one class from them but I swear every word I learned there I've never forgotten.
I think when I moved to German I forgot about that and have moved through chapters and vocabulary and then wondered why it wasn't "sticking." Well, between the Goldlist and reviewing vocabulary every 2 weeks and using the other method and constantly reviewing previous work, I think I'll do better this time. I've already started it with Duolingo--each time I do a module, I'm going back and redoing a previous one--over and over again. Some of the words and phrases are nearly automatic now. Except for Herzlichen Glückwunsch!--that one will be the death of me.