When it comes to adding sentences to your SRS so that you can build your Japanese vocabulary, it can feel like a really time-consuming process. Unfortunately, there are no magical solutions to make adding sentences faster, but with the right mindset and some general tips you can work on making the process smoother.
The best advice I can offer is to look for shortcuts. Whenever you're adding sentences to your SRS, pay attention to the parts that are making you take longer. Perhaps you're adding definitions for words you already know or typing out a full phonetic guide – if you don't need them, then dropping them can speed things up. Pay attention and look for things you can drop from your cards.
The second piece of advice is to copy and paste as much as you can. Don't type out anything that you don't have to. I will typically copy and paste the sentence into the card creation screen, then type in the word (with kana and kanji) into the answer side of the card. Copy the definition from the online dictionary and paste it into the answer side next to the word. You can then copy the combined word and definition and use it again for the next card (if it has the same word). As I said in the previous paragraph, pay attention to places where you can reuse text that has been typed out already.
The third piece of advice is nearly identical to the first, but worth repeating. Look for things that you don't need and try new card formats. I went a long time adding useless bits of information to my sentence cards that I never even bothered to look at. Don't define words that you don't need a definition for, and don't add sentences that are too long. The longer a sentence is, the more words you'll probably need to look up. Aim for sentences that focus on a single new word so that you don't need to put extra effort into it.
Above all, just keep adding sentences. You'll be clumsy and slow at first, but with more practice you'll get faster. Following the advice in this article will really only speed up the natural process, so don't worry too much about following it closely. So if you've been stressing out about your sentences, don't worry! You'll get faster soon enough.
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Right, I'll keep pushing forward and keep on adding sentences. I'll get more used to it and figure out what I do and don't need.
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