I'm trying to find a more efficient way to use Skritter. In the past when I review stuff in the queue, I adjust the setting to "review only". I've done this because it seems like the site works much faster and because I like to do one study-part at a time.

Right now I have hundreds of items in various lists that I have come across over the last year and I've been waiting until my queue is down until I add them, but I've realized that will never happen. For the first time in a long time, I adjusted my queue setting to "keep adding new words", but after a few minutes of studying it didn't look like anything was added at all. My permanent study parts were adjusted to "tones only", because I still wanted to only do one at a time, and I also only want to add new tone items, and no new writing/definition items, because my queue for those is around 10,000. My tone items due, however is getting low, and I seem to be able to get through them quickly. So, I'd like to gradually add new tone items while reviewing. In the past, I've just crammed new items to get them added to my queue, but that's very time consuming and not efficient if there's no need to "cram". If it were to prepare for a test or speech, then it would be worthwhile, but if it's just to add new stuff to my queue, it's definitely not efficient. This is one reason why I haven't crammed a new list of words for about 4 months.

So, basically, I would like to find a fast way to shove all the new stuff I would to add into my queue. If I can do this gradually, that would be better. But, if "gradual" means adding 1 or 2 new items after 15 minutes of study, then that's not what I want because I've got hundreds of items to add and that would take years.

Have you tried adjusting "add word frequency" under Account / Profile / Study Settings? I am also trying to think of ways to use Skritter more efficiently, but at the moment its all I can do to clear my queue daily. If I can comfortably do that and continue Skrtittering I was planning to add in more parts to study (i.e., tones) and also to increase the word frequency.

I think they got rid of "cram mode" on the web version, but "advanced study" in the iOS app can let you do the same thing. As much as it has been discussed on the forum, I'm still not clear exactly what to do if I want to study a single list or combination of lists (no reviews of other material) and if I do so how it will affect my statistics and the behavior of Skritter when I return to normal mode.

my add word frequency is already on "fast"

How about just manually adding the new words you want that day?

@lechuan that's exactly what I'd like not to do. It takes a lot of time to do that. I'm trying to find a way to review old stuff, and let the system automatically add new stuff as I go

Just hit the plus button? Hit it twice to add multiple. Should take a couple seconds to do

I just tried hitting the plus button again. I was trying that earlier today and the site started freezing. Just now when I was trying it again, I was able to add 2 items, but now it's saying "still searching for a word to add" for a while

by the way, is there any way to see what words have been added using this "hit the button" method? Is there anywhere I can go on the site to see where these items are being pulled from?

Go to the study page (website), or lists page (iOS app). Words are being added from the "adding words from" section. If you have more than one list, I think it cycles through the lists as you add words.

I usually manual add about 10 words (at one time) per day.

Bohan, the problem might be that you already "know too much". If you are adding from a list, where you already know a lot of items, it takes quite some time for Skritter to search through the list. In the meantime, Skritter is also downloading a lot and that also blocks the ios app and doesn't let you study.
Therefore, I only add manually and at a time, when I am not studying. I add then 50 or sometimes even more items, using the ios app and let my iPad sit there for a while and Skritter can search through the list and download what is needed.
After a while, let's say half an hour, I go back to Skritter and then I get all the new ones almost in a row one after the other. Normally, I set the list studying mode to pause after each section, then I can see in the list what was added. This works fine for me.
Sometimes, I also study on the web app. Then I don't add any new items, because the search for new items slows down the web app also and makes it almost impossible for me to study.

@Lechuan, what is the total of your current reviews? Close to 0?

okay, thanks guys. I just did what lechuan told me to do. I organized the "adding words from" section, and now I know what's going on.

Thanks!

"Cram mode" sounds like a great option. I often find myself clicking 28 times to add a whole list all at once!

@joeymac1981: I usually hover between 200 and 500 total reviews in the morning, and try to clear them all, or at least get through a few hundred during the day.