Build a routine that fits your day

The most useful routine is one you can return to. Start with a small number of relevant words, then adjust from the workload you actually see.

A simple daily sequence

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1. Open Flow and review what is waiting before collecting more words.
2. Try to recall each answer before revealing it. A familiar-looking word is not always a word you can produce yourself.
3. Read or listen to the example when it helps you understand the word in a sentence.
4. When caught up, stop or choose a short practice activity for one skill you want to improve.
5. Add a few words you met during your day. Check their meaning and context before saving.

You can study in short sessions. Avoid rushing through ratings simply to clear the queue: those ratings affect future review dates.

Choose practice for your goal

• Recognising meanings: try Quiz mode, Match board or Fill the gap.
• Speaking from memory: try Recall it; say the answer before revealing it.
• Listening: use Listen first, Dictation or Sentence listen with a working phone voice.
• Spelling: use Write it or Letter tiles.
• Remembering sentences: use Word in context or Sentence builder.
• A few persistent difficulties: try Tough words, then improve an unclear card or example.

Practice activities are ungraded. They supplement Flow; they do not clear its scheduled reviews. Recall it creates separately scheduled cards and can increase your workload.

If the queue becomes too large

1. Reduce Settings → Learning → New words a day or New cards a day. Power mode permits zero new cards while you catch up.
2. Pause optional decks in Library if you no longer want to study them right now.
3. Check Card options → Prioritize new cards: newly added cards can bypass the daily limit while this is on.
4. Give yourself a realistic review session. Increasing the daily review limit only exposes more work; it does not make learning it effortless.

Higher target retention generally means more reviews. Keep the default until you have a reason to change it rather than treating the highest percentage as a universal best setting.

Make it easier to return

Use a reminder you find helpful, put lighter days into Weekly rhythm, and use Holiday mode for a planned break if you have Pro. After an unplanned break, lower new-card intake and work through existing reviews gradually. There is no need to reset your progress just because you missed a few days.