I use a mixed approach. One is learning vocabulary, grammatic, rules, etc. with a classic flashcard approach. I use spaced repetition with Anki. I learn daily with Anki for some years now.
The second approach I use and do a couple of times a week is watching videos from the EasyItalian YouTube channel and/or hearing their podcast on the way to work on my bike (words I don’t understand I put into my Anki deck, luckily they provide a lot of useful information, vocabulary lists, etc.). The third approach I do — for a year now — is using Duolingo (also daily). This one is what brought me the most gain. I sometimes tried to speak with my wife (who is Italian) and the extended family in Italy, but I failed because I’m really slow in retrieving the correct words. Listening gets better and better, but it is still difficult to understand whole sentences.
I refer to myself as a hard gainer when it comes to learning languages, and I are still impressed by myself that I mastered English to a good degree. Still, speaking in English is a real challenge, even when reading and listening to English is like second nature to me.
Duo lingo is a catastrophy. When I wanted to learn Japanese, I started with it as well. Then I did some research and everyone who mastered a language agreed that the duo lingo approach doesn’t work. It seems like you make progress, but it works only in the app, not in the real world.
I’d recommend the Birkenbihl method. It’s much closer to how humans learn languages naturally.
I can also recommend Karawaban. It’s for Japanese, but he explains the principles of immersive learning pretty well in German. People learned Japanese with this method in two years with 2-3h a day.
It’s basically how I learned English. I knew basic grammar from school and then I started playing games and reading books, looking up every word I couldn’t understand.
Look it up. If you want to master Italian, I’m sure this will super boost your results. Especially with your family situation.
Thank you for the information. I will research the two approaches (Birkenbihl and Karawaban).
First time in a washout I feel bloom. It is Ascended Mogul that does it’s work. I feel good and self-assured. I was a little bit stressed out, before the washout, that is now going. I’m thinking about prolonging my washout further for some days.
@Parsifal I did some research yesterday about the Birkenbihl Method, and it sounds solid and intriguing. I also recognized that I possess everything to follow the recommended steps. With my paid subscription of EasyItalian I get transcripts, audio, etc. that I can use with the Birkenbihl Method. I will incorporate that in my schedule. Very excited about it. Thanks for the recommendation.
On my 13th day of washout. It still feels good and blooming is going on. I think I extend my washout for some more days. It feels good, and I have no strong desire to run the subliminals (thought yesterday the thought to run Ascendes Mogul came up). I will pause for some more days and observe how I feel and how my desire to run the subs will change.
I did some research and I think I might have had Subliminal Overload and/or heavy Reconciliation.
I had symptoms like that:
Overload manifests as profound physical and mental fatigue. You may find it hard to talk or write complex sentences and your thinking may simply feel sluggish.
and that:
Some things to look for: moodiness, extreme frustration and anger
Since two or three days I feel more grounded, clearer in my head. I don’t feel angry and confused as before and it feels a lot easier to do my daily Anki flashcard routine. The days before the washout (and some days in) was the first time since some years I couldn’t follow my “normal” schedule and could only concentrate for a short time. Yesterday could clean up a big backlog of cards.
09.04.25: Ascended Mogul (15min)
Ended washout yesterday. The washout was great. It cleaned up my processing queu and let the subs bloom. Really after my listen to Ascended Mogul yesterday I recognised my lack of money manifestation channels. I’m not involved in any activity/circle/system that would allow for a flow of a massive amount of money to me and my family. My day job does not support that. It is a channel for security and comfort but does not has the ability to let flow money in in massive numbers. Have to think about that.
11.4.25: Limitless (15min)
11.4.25: Spartan Apex Warrior (15min)
Limitless hits hard. Lot of recon in form of overload. It makes me distracted and stressed out. I’ll cut it back for this cycle to 3min only.
13.04.25: Ascended Mogul (15min)
15.4.25: Spartan Apex Warrior (15min)
15.4.25: Limitless (3min)
Ascended Mogul has the effect to make me detached and calm. When my wife shows sings of distress or looses her calm, I don’t get anymore in a defensive mode. Instead, I can laugh and make some funny comments. I can keep myself totally detached and even tease her a little. At the same time, I draw the lines when she goes too far. It is so refreshing not fall in the trap and take everything personal.
Yesterday I said something that made her angry. I took it calm and stayed at ease. Later we had some fantastic bedroom action 
17.04.25: Ascended Mogul (15min)
Cutting back Limitless to 3 min, made the recon dissipate.
Ascended Mogul is a beast. Had a short interaction today with a beautiful woman and felt no unworthiness or fear of disapproval, like in the past. Lately, I even got in the habbit of making them smile at me. That feels good. Before Emperor and Ascended Mogul I always looked sheepishly away and felt unworthy and even guilty to disturbing them with my presence 
I also got chatty. I started to speak a lot to people and make them listen to me. Before Ascended Mogul I was rather silent and afraid to put myself on the line. As a result I had problems to find the right words because I always feared rejection. Now I’m learning how to express myself without fear.
My sense of money also heightened. I always think about ways and pathways to make money and open up channels for money flowing in. The next step is to implement that ideas into reality.
19.4.25: Spartan Apex Warrior (15min)
19.4.25: Limitless (3min)
21.4.25: Ascended Mogul (15min)
23.4.25: Spartan Apex Warrior (15min)
23.4.25: Limitless (3min)
25.4.25: Ascended Mogul (15min)
Massive “life” recon when working. I think it’s not recon from the titles, but a BIG, nasty roadblock when I try to do work. It soooo hard to be concentrated and focused. I rather want to be somewhere else. Doomscrolling etc. is the result. I hurt myself MASSIVELY eventually.
Have to find a way around this.
His facial expression looks like he’s lost. There’s no fire burning in his eyes, no deepness of life experience, no light of healed pain. He might look savage but he lacks the groundedness.
Maybe this is accurate for a “primal” man, but I wouldn’t want to embody this archetype.
You’re right about that, sir. But it’s a nice “guide-post” for my Spartan: Apex Warrior in the stack.
That makes sense, using it as a inspiration for a part of your stack. So let it be your guide.
27.4.25: Spartan Apex Warrior (15min)
27.4.25: Limitless (3min)