The Goldlist Method in A Nutshell Language Mentoring

© Lýdia Machová | Language mentoring s.r.o.
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Table of contents
TABLE OF CONTENTS............................................................................ 1
1. INTRODUCTION TO THE METHOD ................................................. 3
WHAT IS THE GOLDLIST METHOD? .....................................................................3
NO APPS, NO PROGRAMS. JUST ONE NOTEBOOK. ...................................................4
EVERYBODY CAN LEARN WITH THE GOLDLIST METHOD .............................................4
2. HOW DOES THE GOLDLIST METHOD WORK? ................................. 5
BEFORE YOU START........................................................................................5
GOLDLISTING: DAY 1 ......................................................................................5
GOLDLISTING: DAY 2 ......................................................................................6
STARTING WITH DISTILLATIONS (DAY 15 AND 16) .................................................7
KEEP ON GOING ............................................................................................8
ONE MONTH IN ........................................................................................... 10
STARTING THE LAST DISTILLATION PHASE .......................................................... 10
3. QUESTIONS ABOUT THE TECHNICAL ASPECTS OF THE GOLDLIST
METHOD ..................................................................................... 12
BRONZE, SILVER, AND GOLD NOTEBOOKS? ......................................................... 12
20 EXPRESSIONS – TOO MANY? ...................................................................... 13
JUST ONE LIST A DAY?.................................................................................. 13
THE WHOLE LIST IN ONE DAY? ....................................................................... 13
NUMBERING THE DISTILLATIONS ...................................................................... 14
EVERY DAY, OR NOT AT ALL. TRUE, OR FALSE? ................................................... 14
4. HOW TO CHOOSE THE EXPRESSIONS CORRECTLY? .................... 15
EXPRESSIONS, NOT WORDS! ........................................................................... 15
WHERE SHOULD I GET THE VOCABULARY FROM? .................................................. 16
WHERE SHOULD I WRITE NOTES ON PRONUNCIATION AND GRAMMAR? ....................... 17
GOLDLISTING IN PROGRESS. DO NOT DISTURB! ................................................... 17
HANDWRITING AFFECTS OUR LEARNING ............................................................. 18
5. TESTING AND DISTILLATIONS .................................................... 19
WHEN SHOULD I TEST MYSELF? ...................................................................... 19
HOW SHOULD I TEST MYSELF? ........................................................................ 19
SYMBOLS ................................................................................................... 20
6. WHAT IF THE GOLDLIST METHOD DOESN’T WORK FOR ME? ....... 21
POSSIBLE REASONS WHY THE GOLDLIST METHOD DOESN’T WORK FOR YOU ................ 21
I CAN’T REMEMBER 30%! HOW DO I WRITE IT DOWN IN THE NOTEBOOK? ................ 24
1. Copy more than 70% – but don’t number them. .............................. 24
© Lýdia Machová | Language mentoring s.r.o. 1

2. Combine the expressions................................................................ 24
3. Rule them out of the lists ............................................................... 25
THE GOLDLIST METHOD DOESN’T WORK FOR EVERYONE ........................................ 26
7. THE GOLDLIST METHOD EXPLAINED: A TINY BIT OF THEORY .... 27
HUMAN MEMORY ......................................................................................... 27
LEARNING SHOULD BE LIKE BREATHING! ............................................................ 28
8. TIPS AND TRICKS FOR ADVANCED GOLDLISTERS ....................... 29
I DON’T HAVE THAT MUCH TIME! WHAT NOW? ................................................... 29
ALTERNATIVE METHOD OF DISTILLATION ............................................................ 30
SYSTEM OF SYMBOLS – EXTENDED .................................................................... 30
COMBINING THE GOLDLIST METHOD WITH OTHER METHODS ................................... 30
ONE GOLDLIST – ONE FOREIGN LANGUAGE ......................................................... 31
JUMPING FROM BRONZE INTO SILVER ................................................................ 32
9. WHAT DO EXPERIENCED GOLDLISTERS SAY? ............................. 33
10. WILL I REALLY REMEMBER THE EXPRESSIONS LONG-TERM? ..... 36
11. WHAT’S NEXT? ............................................................................ 38

1. Introduction to the Method
Are you struggling to remember new vocabulary in a foreign language? Are you
also fed up with the traditional way of memorizing words from glossaries that
you were forced to use at school? Did you then promptly forget all those words
the next day?
What if I told you that learning vocabulary can be done far more easily?
No memorizing and no big effort. With this method, you will remember huge amounts
of new vocabulary in a natural and pleasant way.
What Is the Goldlist Method?

The basis of this method is that you write down lists of expressions/phrases you
want to learn in a notebook. Then you wait for at least two weeks before copying
them, sorting out the expressions that you remember from those you don’t. You’ll
find out that you almost miraculously remember 30% of the expressions from each
list without ever having studied them! Your long-term memory works subconsciously,
and it learns especially
when you are not aware
of it. I know it sounds
incredible, but that’s how
the Goldlist method
works: it’s incredibly
simple and surprisingly
effective at the same
time. If you don’t believe
me, keep reading. Most
people are skeptical
at first... until they try the
method themselves.
The author of this method is David James, known in

the polyglot community as Uncle Davey.
The result of the Goldlist method is learning vocabulary in long-term memory,

i.e., you don’t remember them for just a short period of time. That’s the biggest
problem with the traditional way of learning languages. At school, most of us had to
cram words into our heads for the next test, but within a few days, we didn’t
remember anything! Needless to say, we couldn’t use them in practice later. I’m sure
you also have experience with this short-term vocabulary learning. That’s over now.
With goldlisting, the focus shifts to the long-term memory to remember the words
once and for all.

No Apps, No Programs. Just One Notebook.
The great news is that all you need to start using the Goldlist method
is a standard school notebook, some color pens, a source of new vocabulary, some
time, and peace and quiet.
But careful! It’s vital that you

choose a notebook you love
so much you’ll never want to put
it away. You may find it a bit
excessive, but I guarantee that
if you make the activity pleasing
for the eye, you’re going to
come back to your Goldlist
with joy and enthusiasm every
day. I also recommend not
restricting yourself to using only
a blue or black pen. Choose
your favorite colors. Remember,
your brain cooperates with your
eyes. And when your eyes like
something, your brain will never
forget it.
Everybody Can Learn with the Goldlist Method

The Goldlist method is there for everyone: perpetual beginners (people who
aren’t able to move forward in their language), active language enthusiasts, as well
as seasoned and successful polyglots. Most people fall for the Goldlist method
because it’s simple, playful, natural, and costs you only one notebook.
But the feeling you’ll get when you find out it really works is priceless. Hundreds
of thousands of people in the world already use it and swear by it. Read on and find
out why you should join them.

2. How Does the Goldlist Method Work?
Before You Start

Before you start goldlisting, you need to find a notebook for writing the lists.
Make sure you have a positive relationship with the notebook. The cover can be
a photo from the country whose language you’re learning. It’s going to boost your
motivation, and every time you take the notebook in your hands, you will be one step
closer to the land of your dreams. It’s a playful and natural way to learn
vocabulary. And when you like something, you’ll remember it more easily. I always
say you have to enjoy the learning!
The next step is to find a source of new vocabulary you can use regularly. You
can reuse your old materials from a language course, you can write down new
words from your favorite foreign-language book or TV series that you’re watching
(it should have subtitles in the same language), or you can use vocabulary from
a blog you read regularly.
You can even write down expressions that you understand passively but
wouldn’t be able to use in a conversation. The materials should be just above your
current language level so that you find enough new words.
Goldlisting: Day 1
Open your pretty notebook to the first double-page spread, write the date
in the upper left corner, and the number of the list centered at the top of the left
page. For the sake of simplicity, we divided the double-page spread into four
sections: A, B, C, and D.

Pro TIP:
You can also note the source of the vocabulary in the current
headlist, be it a book or a TV series. Then you’ll have the date
in the upper left corner, followed by the number of the headlist
in the middle, and the source (name of the book, magazine, or
article) in the upper right corner of the left page. It never hurts to
know where you collected the expressions from.
Starting in section A, create two

columns where you will write down
a new list of expressions and their
translations. This is called
the “headlist”. Number them 1–20.
The left column contains words
in the foreign language and the column
next to it contains their translations
in your mother tongue. Remember,
always write the lists in a calm and
quiet environment with no distracting
elements.
Now read the list aloud, slowly and calmly. Only once. You can read only
the expressions in the foreign language, but it’s better to read every new word
followed by its translation.
Don’t try to memorize or remember them; just read them, close the notebook,
and voilà, you’ve just made the first list!
Goldlisting: Day 2
The next day, do exactly the same thing. Find another set of 20 expressions,
write them down on the next double-page spread in the corresponding section A
block, and thus create a new headlist (the second one). Number the words
in the second headlist 21–40. After you read the list aloud, close the notebook again.
Warning! Don’t look at the previous

list, no matter what!

For the next 12 days, repeat this and create a new headlist every day (write lists
only in the section A block for two weeks). Don’t look at any of the older lists
during these two weeks. It’s very important as this time period is the key for your
long-term memory. If you look at the lists before you are supposed to,
the expressions become active in your short-term memory, and long-term memory
will be turned off.
Why two weeks? Because your short-term memory stores information for that
long. If you remember the expressions afterward, you can be sure that they moved
to long-term memory.
Starting with Distillations (Day 15 and 16)

On day 15, come back to the very first headlist and start “distilling.” Two weeks
have passed since its creation, and you can test yourself on how many expressions
you remember. Cover the column with the vocabulary in your foreign language,
go through the column in your mother tongue, and try to translate it into the foreign
language. Believe it or not, you’ll find out that you remember about 30%
of the expressions (about 6 out of 20).
Then copy the 14 remaining

phrases that you don’t
remember into section B
on the opposite page. That’s
the first distillation. Number this
new list 1–14, repeat
the expressions aloud and don’t
look at them for the next two
weeks. The 6 expressions that
you remember are left just like
that; don’t copy them anywhere
or come back to them anymore.
They stay in section A.
Remember to record the date that you created the distillation. Otherwise, you
won’t be able to keep track of the 2-week period until the next distillation.
On the same day after you make the first distillation, you also create a new
headlist (No. 15). That means that starting with day 15, the goldlisting is going to
take you a bit more time. Apart from creating new headlists, you are going to distill
the old ones as well. After some time, it’s going to be too much. Don’t worry;
I’ll explain what to do later on in this e-book. You don’t have to give up; goldlisting
can be adjusted to your time availability.
On day 16, you will make a distillation of the second headlist (that you created
on day 2) from section A into section B. Again, you should remember about 30%

of the expressions and copy the remaining 70% (14 expressions) into section B.
That’s how you create the first distillation of the second headlist. It should contain
14 expressions, numbered 15–28.
Section B always contains the first distillation of a headlist. As you’ve probably

already guessed, on this day (day 16), you’re going to create yet a new headlist
(No. 16). You don’t write anything in the C and D sections yet.
Keep On Going
This is what you do over the next two weeks. Add a new headlist everyday
(No. 15–28) and create the first distillations in the B sections.
I recommend that you create a little Goldlist calendar (like the one in the image
on the next page). It will help you keep track of which filtrations (or distillations) you
need to do each day.
The letters mark the type of list you’ll be making (a headlist or a distillation).
The numbers mark the double-page on which you’ll be writing the new/distilled list.
Always remember to start distilling after at least two weeks’ time. It’s okay
if you do it later; it can be also after three or four weeks. The recommended
maximum between distillations is two months. You can try to do it even later
if you had a longer break from goldlisting. Thanks to the calendar, you won’t get lost
in the distillations that are due. But don’t be stressed if you can’t make it on some
days.

Goldlist Calendar
Example:
On Sunday, the 28th of June, I’ll make a new headlist – No. 28, so
I’ll be on the 28th double-page in the top left corner in the A section
(hence A28). Besides creating this headlist, I can also do the distillation
of the A14 headlist, which I made on June 14th, and write the distilled list
on the 14th double-page in the B section, i.e. the top right corner.
That way, I’ll get my B14 list.
On Monday, the 29th of June, I’ll make another new headlist (A29)
in the top left corner of the 29th double-page (A29). Apart from that, I’ll
also do the distillation of the A15 list from the 15th of June, the result
of which will be my B15 list. But now, I can also do another distillation –
I’ll distill the B1 list from the 15th of June and make a C1 list in the bottom
right corner of the first double-page.

One Month In
A month has passed since you started goldlisting regularly, and that’s when you
start with the second distillations. On day 29, come back to the first double-page
spread in your notebook again and test yourself on how many words you remember
from the 14 expressions in section B (the result of the first distillation). You wrote
them two weeks ago, and you already know that it’s time to come back to the list
and distill it.
Cover the expressions in the foreign language and test yourself on how many
you can translate from your mother tongue. You’ll remember 30% again (about four
words). Then copy the rest (10 expressions) in section C. Number them 1–10
and record the current date. Read the list out loud once, and that’s it.
That’s not the end of goldlisting for today yet. Go to headlist No. 15 and
make the first distillation of the list from section A into section B (copy
14 expressions you don’t remember). Then create a new headlist, No. 29.
You noticed it’s adding up, but I guarantee that after one month, you’re going to
be a goldlisting pro and the process will be automatic for you.
Starting the Last Distillation Phase

It’s day 43 (two weeks later again) and time to come back to the first double-
page spread again, for the last (third) testing that concludes the distillations
of the first headlist. Yes, you’re going to fill in the last section of the first double-
page spread. Test yourself on how well you remember the expressions from
the second distillation in section C, copy 70% (7 expressions) into section D, and
number them 1–7. Record the current date in section D. You’ve just created the third

distillation of the first headlist! Read the expressions aloud. What now? You’ll see
in Chapter 3: Questions about the Technical Aspects of the Goldlist Method on p. 12.
After finishing the third distillation of the first headlist, go to the second distillation
of headlist No. 15 and the first distillation of headlist No. 29, and remember to create
a new headlist as well (No. 43). The Goldlist calendar will come in handy, right? :)
That’s how you proceed every day. Return to older lists systematically, distill
them after at least two weeks, and create new headlists with 20 expressions
at the same time. That means you do something every day. Spend about 30–60
minutes a day with the method, depending on whether you have already prepared
the vocabulary beforehand and if you want to make the distillations and headlists
regularly every day. I recommend that you put down the words from a book or article
you’re currently reading on a piece of paper or highlight them in your e-reader.
And when creating a headlist, just use 20 of them. More on that in Chapter 4: How to
Choose the Expressions Correctly? on p.15.
The method can be adjusted beautifully even if you don’t have as much as
an hour for learning, but more on that later. Right now, we’ve explained the system
with 20 lines and daily goldlisting.
The words that are already stored in your long-term memory require no further
action from you. Just distill the lists all the time, which makes them shrink (while
the number of remembered expressions increases every time). But what do you do
with the last 7 expressions that remain after the third distillation? No, it’s not the end.

3. Questions about the Technical Aspects of the
Goldlist Method
Bronze, Silver, and Gold Notebooks?

You don’t have to use only one
notebook, but as many as three of them.
The first set of lists goes to the Bronze
notebook, then you continue with the Silver
notebook, and at the end, you get to
the Gold notebook (that’s why the method
is called Goldlist).
I promised to come back to the seven

expressions that remain after the last
distillation in section D. After you make
several third distillations with 7 words, join
three of them into a new headlist
in the Silver notebook. It’s okay that you’ll
get a list of 21 expressions. Keep distilling
the 30%.
You can simply copy the expressions

from the Bronze notebook, or you can get
maximum efficiency by distilling between
the Bronze and Silver notebooks. More on this trick in Chapter 8: Tips and Tricks for
Advanced Goldlisters. The distillations in the Silver notebook work the same as
in the Bronze notebook. Then you proceed to the Gold notebook by using
distillations from the Silver notebook.
It’s really not vital to do this to the very end. Most people just stick with
the Bronze notebook and prefer to create more lists with new vocabulary.
Sometimes you’ll know all the vocabulary in the last distillation in the Bronze
notebook, and it’s not necessary to copy it again. Or you won’t know some words,
but if you don’t remember them even after three distillations, you can rule them out
as “not so important” and continue with new headlists.
Another option is to first finish off the Bronze notebook and then distill all
the third distillations in the D sections (even if it’s been more than two weeks).
Join the expressions into new Silver headlists. Everybody can choose the way
that suits them best. Are you going to write Bronze lists only? Or will you go all
the way to the Gold notebook? It’s entirely up to you!

20 Expressions – Too Many?
Are you already thinking about how on earth you are supposed to collect
20 expressions a day for the new headlist? The number is just a suggestion.
You can make your lists shorter or even longer if you want. If you need a shorter
version, I recommend making your headlists 14 expressions long. During
the first distillation, you copy 10 expressions, then 7 and at the end, only
5 expressions will remain.
It’s not so important how long the headlists are, as long as you maintain the 30%
success rate in the distillations. For example, David James, the author
of the method, works with as many as 25 expressions.
“Everybody can choose the

way that suits them best.”
Just One List a Day?

The method is not limited in any way. You can create more headlists in a day
if you want. It’s just important that you follow a certain system. Remember, if you
create 10 new headlists on the first day, you’re in for 10 first distillations in two
weeks’ time. And as you already know, the longer you’re goldlisting, the more it adds
up. But if you do decide to create more than one headlist a day, remember to
always take at least 10 minutes’ break between them. Take a walk, go get
a glass of water, or listen to some music.
The thing is, the long-term memory gets tired easily, though we don’t feel it
like we do with the short-term memory. If you don’t take at least a short rest while
goldlisting, you’re going to remember fewer words in the distillations. For more
information on the various factors that can influence the results of the Goldlist
method, read on.
The Whole List in One Day?

You should write the whole new headlist within one day. The date that you
record in the upper margin should be the day when you wrote every word of the list.
That means you collect the vocabulary first and create the list only after that.
It’s better to create a headlist every other day than just half of one every day.
If you find out that 20 expressions are too many but still want to create a new
headlist every day, you can consider working with the shorter version
of 14 expressions. It’s much easier and faster to fill such a list. (How does
the shorter version work? See the section 20 Expressions – Too Many?) If you’ve
already started with longer lists but feel it would be better to use the shorter version,

don’t worry. You don’t have to throw the notebook away and buy a new one.
Continue in the same notebook, just create shorter lists. You can add some pretty
drawings now that you have much more empty space in the notebook!
Numbering the Distillations

The same method of numbering used in the headlists in section A (start with 1
and continue until you fill the notebook) applies for the lists of the first, second, and
third distillations, i.e., in sections B, C, and D.
“Numbering will give you a huge motivation

boost and a feeling of achievement.”
That means on the first double-page spread, all the lists start with 1.
On the second double-page spread, the lists start with 21 (section A), 15 (section B),
11 (section C), and 8 (section D). Then you can continue with numbering in this
manner in each section until you fill the notebook. Numbering is not obligatory.
But it’s a great motivation boost and gives you a feeling of achievement.
Just imagine the moment when you write the expression No. 1,000. Won’t you be
proud of yourself?
Every Day, Or Not at All. True, Or False?

Many people think that if they start goldlisting,
they have to strictly maintain the 2-week period
between distillations and if they skip just one day,
there’s no point in doing it anymore. That’s a huge
mistake! The Goldlist method doesn’t put you
under pressure. Quite the opposite, the method
works best if you see it as a pleasant leisure
activity for learning vocabulary that you gladly
come back to every day.
As mentioned before, two weeks are the minimum amount of time that must
pass before you start distilling. It can just as well be 3–4 weeks. I did some
distillations of my headlists from a year before as an experiment. And guess what?
It worked like a charm! I remembered just a little bit less than the usual 30%.
It’s okay if you can’t do it in one day. You can catch up the next day
or the next week, or you can do just the distillations and create new headlists every
other day. You can take a break anytime and then pick up where you stopped.
The only rule is at least two weeks must pass between the individual steps.
Otherwise, the information would be stored in your short-term instead of your
long-term memory. Everything else can be adjusted to your time availability.

4. How to Choose the Expressions Correctly?
Expressions, Not Words!

Up to this point, “expressions” and “words” were used interchangeably in this e-
book as people are used to calling new vocabulary “words”. However, it’s necessary
to know that you should never learn individual words. They’re much harder to
remember without any context, and you’d struggle to use them in a conversation
later. It’s vital that you use whole expressions, phrases, parts of sentences, or even
short sentences in your Goldlist (and not only there).
Pro TIP:
Examples of expressions suitable for the Goldlist:
“she bought a handbag”, “a fascinating book”, “I couldn’t find

him”, “he was interested in diabetes”, “if you had come sooner”, etc.
Don’t put the expressions in their basic forms like infinitive or

nominative. Then your brain will remember them better, and you will
be able to use them in practice. That means, no German words like
“aufmachen + Akk”. It’s much better to write “er hat das Fenster
aufgemacht”.
It’s best if the expression consists of 2–4 words, out of which only one is
brand new for you. That way, not only will you learn the new word, but you’ll also
know how the word is used in the language.
That’s why you don’t have

to worry about inadvertently
including the same word
in several lists. If you always
use it in a different context, it’s,
in fact, perfect for your
long-term memory!

Where Should I Get the Vocabulary from?
There are many sources at your disposal.
However, before you start goldlisting, you need to
prepare an extensive source where you will be
able to find new expressions for several days.
There’s nothing worse than spending 30 minutes
every day looking for a new article to find
20 expressions for your headlist. It takes too long,
and it’s demotivating.
The best sources of vocabulary are

an interesting book, a TV series that you watch
regularly (even better if it contains subtitles
in the same language), or a blog with many
articles on interesting topics, or you can get your
vocabulary from podcasts. Choose texts slightly
above your level so that you can find enough
new expressions there, but not too hard;
otherwise, you’d have to look up every word.
You can also include words that you understand passively but would never know
how to use in conversation. Goldlist will help you get them in your active vocabulary.
If you’re not sure about the correct translation of a certain expression, it’s better to
skip it. Your long-term memory is smart, and it won’t store anything you don’t trust.
Pro TIP:
Many people get discouraged by the fact that they have to find
the vocabulary for their Goldlist themselves. They’d prefer to use
methods that show them pre-chosen expressions, e.g., the Duolingo
app. But don’t be mistaken: If you let somebody else choose
the vocabulary for you (e.g., an app), it saves you a little bit of time,
but you won’t learn the expressions as effectively as those that you
pick yourself.
Just like every other method for learning vocabulary, the Goldlist
method works incomparably better when you learn expressions
of your own choice. Learn to make looking for vocabulary a nice
activity that you’ll enjoy doing every day, and you’ll see that the success
rate will be even more than 30%.

Where Should I Write Notes on Pronunciation and Grammar?
When goldlisting, you don’t just learn vocabulary. Your memory also collects
information on grammar and pronunciation. You can include in the line anything
you consider suitable or necessary for learning the expression correctly. Feel free to
include pronunciation (especially for English and French), accents (the meanings
of certain Russian words depend on the stress placement), genders of nouns,
or even past forms of irregular verbs. Don’t torture yourself by memorizing grammar
charts when you can add grammatical phenomena to your Goldlist and remember
them much more easily.
When testing yourself, you can be strict and mark as “learned” only those
expressions that you remember perfectly, including all the information that you
added to them (pronunciation, accents, past tenses). But they don’t have to be
sorted only into those that you know and those you do not. I like to create a special
group for the expressions that I knew almost perfectly. I could say them without any
problem, but I got some detail wrong like the article or the accent. You can count
such expressions as learned if you don’t remember enough expressions from that
list. On the other hand, if you remember the list very well (over 30%), you can copy
the “almost perfect” ones into the distilled list.
You can use various symbols to denote what expressions belong to which group.
You can get creative here and think of any symbols you want. The most typical are:
a tick (✓) for expressions you know perfectly, a dot (●) for those that you know just
a part of, and an X (✗) for the ones you don’t remember at all. More on symbols
on p. 20.
Goldlisting in Progress. Do Not Disturb!

When creating new headlists and
distilling, you should be well-rested
and have the time set aside
specifically for this. No distractions. Do
your goldlisting in a quiet environment
and block out any distracting elements
like music or TV. Your brain receives
everything subconsciously, but you want
it to focus solely on the vocabulary
in your notebook.
You can goldlist in your favorite place, e.g., in your garden or on the balcony, but
it could be the kitchen for some. Remember not to memorize the expressions in any
way. Just be happy about them, and your long-term memory will take care
of the rest.

Handwriting Affects Our Learning
Always strive to use your prettiest handwriting in your lists. Don’t rush it, take
your time. No scribbling like you have to catch a train. The brain knows very well
what you’re writing. Believe it or not, the strokes of your hand also influence your
learning. That’s why goldlisting is done on paper and not on a computer.
The memory effect with typing would be much weaker.
It also wouldn’t hurt to use color pens. I write each list in a different color. It’s up
to you what colors you choose. For example, your headlists can be red, first
distillations green, second distillations blue, and third distillations orange. Of course,
that’s just a suggestion. Various colors will make your lists bright and beautiful, and
the remembering part will be a bit easier.

5. Testing and Distillations
When Should I Test Myself?

A lot has been said about this, but it’s always good to revise important
information. As you already know, at least two weeks must pass between
creating a headlist and doing the first distillation as well as between
the individual distillations. If you broke the rule and start distilling sooner,
the expressions would renew in short-term memory and wouldn’t get in long-term.
That’s what we’re trying to avoid at all costs. Short-term memory must be excluded
from the process completely, which can be achieved by waiting for two weeks.
Also, it’s not recommended to wait more than two months between
the distillations. But this period is not as strict as the two weeks. The upper limit is
there to push you forward so that you can see progress and not lose time with long
breaks. If you take a longer break from the Goldlist method and switch to another
method for learning vocabulary, you can come back to your lists later and distill
them, that’s no problem. It could be interesting to see how much you remember after
six months or a year.
How Should I Test Myself?

I always test myself from Slovak (my native language) into the foreign
language. I cover the column with the expressions in Swahili, Russian, or whatever
language I’m currently learning, read the Slovak expressions one by one, and try to
translate them aloud in the foreign language.
David James, the author of the

Goldlist method, does it the other
way around. He tests himself from
the foreign language into his mother
tongue, and then he activates
the vocabulary in the future by
traveling to the relevant country.
But I want to be sure that

I know the expressions not only
passively but also actively; that’s
why I always test myself from my
mother tongue into the foreign
language.
Choose whichever way you want. This testing proves to me every day that this
method works, even for words and expressions that I’ve seen only once. I’m always
astounded that I’m always able to use them actively in two weeks.

Remember to always test yourself out loud and not count yet how many
you know or don’t know. Count these only after testing. Just write symbols next to
the expressions for now, and you’ll see how it went at the end. No rush and,
of course, no cheating. :)
Pro TIP:
 I always test myself by translating from my mother tongue into
the foreign language.
 I cover the column with foreign-language expressions.
 I read through the expressions in my mother tongue one by one
and try to say them out loud in the foreign language.
Symbols
Symbols, as mentioned above, are a great help for testing yourself. As you
already know, you don’t have to divide the expressions strictly into two groups: those
you know and those you don’t know yet. Elements such as articles, pronunciation,
accents, and various suffixes create flexible situations when you fail to translate
the expressions 100% correctly. This group should be separated as well.
It’s up to you what symbols you use

for the distillations. For example, you can
use a tick (✓) for expressions you know
perfectly. You can use a dot (●) for the ones
where you hesitated a little, didn’t say them
100% correctly, or mixed up the noun article
or some other detail. If you don’t know
the expression at all, you can use an X (✗).
Then when doing the distillation, you

copy the expressions with the X symbol, and
if you need some more expressions to fill in
the distilled list, you can choose from
the expressions with dots. Not all little mistakes have the same importance. If you
get an accent in a Russian word wrong, which changes the meaning of the word
completely, make sure to copy it. But if you mess up articles in German and it
doesn’t bother you too much, you can consider the expression learned.
If you end up with more than 70% of expressions with X’s and dots (i.e., those
you don’t know perfectly yet), you have several options. More on that in the next
chapter. How can you take the symbols to the next level and get the most out
of using them? See p. 29 in Chapter 8: Tips and Tricks for Advanced Goldlisters.

6. What if the Goldlist Method Doesn’t Work
for Me?
The Goldlist method doesn’t always work perfectly but don’t give up on it.
Sometimes you just need to get the ball rolling by using the method and making
the whole process automatic before you can determine how to adjust it to make it
more effective for you. Even though the method may have worked like a charm so
far, it can still happen that you’ll encounter a list you’ll remember only 10–20% from.
It’s totally okay.
Goldlisting requires a specific approach. You need to try it yourself, experiment

with resources that produce the most relevant and interesting vocabulary for you,
and find places where you feel the most comfortable when writing and distilling.
If you haven’t achieved the desired 30% with your first lists, it’s possible that
you’re making a mistake somewhere. Read the following list of frequent mistakes,
and maybe you’ll find out what you’ve been doing wrong. Avoid them and you’ll see
that your goldlisting will flow like a dream.
Possible Reasons Why the Goldlist Method Doesn’t Work for You
1. Cheating on the 2-week break: Some people are impatient or want to cheat
on the method because they’re afraid that they won’t remember 30%
of the expressions in two weeks. So they sometimes peek at the lists before
the end of the required 2-week period. In this way, short-term memory
is activated, and long-term memory doesn’t bring them the desired results,
i.e., the results won’t be long-term. If this point applies to you, try coming back
to goldlisting, and this time, no cheating!
2. Memorizing vocabulary: As mentioned before, the Goldlist method is

pleasant, chill, and playful. The whole remembering process works
subconsciously. If you consciously try to remember the expressions,
the long-term memory is switched off, as described in point 1. Memorizing
works only with short-term memory. Don’t worry; read the vocabulary only
once, and in two weeks you’ll see how amazingly the method works.
3. Being distracted: Writing headlists and distilling them requires your full focus
without any outside distractions. If all you can think about is tomorrow's
shopping, or you keep your eyes on your children or TV all the time,
I guarantee that you’re not going to be happy with the results in two weeks.
You have to pay attention to what you’re writing; do it mindfully, don’t rush it,
and keep your full focus. There’s no point in doing it otherwise.

4. Music in the background: Some people like to learn and work with music.
I don’t recommend this, even if it’s just in the background. The brain switches
its focus to your favorite song and stops focusing fully on the expressions
in the list you’re writing. It’s really important that you find a calm, distraction-free
time slot in your day, and you’ll be in for a nice surprise in two weeks.
5. Illness: It’s no surprise that you can’t do much at school or work if you don’t
feel well. If you’re ill, feverish, or in pain, your health is priority No. 1. You can
come back to goldlisting when you’re better. Illness weakens your body as well
as your memory. Keep that in mind and take a few days' break from goldlisting.
6. Writing and distilling lists takes too long: It’s possible to grow tired while
goldlisting, and so does your memory. That’s why it’s good to take short breaks
to give the long-term memory some time to recuperate. You should spend
no more than 20–25 minutes in one sitting with goldlisting. If you take a rest
afterward, you can continue with your distillations or writing another headlist.
It’s totally okay. But if you like to goldlist for an hour at a time, it would really be
better if you take a walk and only come back to goldlisting afterward.
7. Sleep deprivation: Not getting enough sleep at night can also negatively
affect your results when testing yourself. You should be well-rested for writing
headlists and distilling. Don’t do it right before going to bed, when you almost
can’t see the letters anymore, or after pulling an all-nighter at work or at a party.
Tiredness can greatly affect the number of expressions you’re going to
remember in two weeks. If you feel tired when goldlisting, try doing it
at a different time of day. I have had a great experience with waking up a bit
earlier and doing my goldlisting first thing in the morning.
8. Stress: If you write under pressure, don’t have much time, or want to get it over
with as fast as possible, you surely already know you’re doing it wrong.
The process takes place on the subconscious level—you’re not learning this
consciously—that’s why you need to put in some time and focus. You need to
feel absolutely calm for this method. Otherwise, there’s no point in doing it.
9. Using unattractive materials: Resources and materials for collecting new

vocabulary should be interesting to you, and the expressions should be useful
for conversations with foreigners or coworkers. If you write down expressions
you know you won’t ever use, your brain has no reason for remembering them.
That can happen if you use fiction as your resource, which is often too literary
and contains unusual expressions not used in normal conversation. It’s much
better to work with non-fiction (e.g., biographies or popular science). So if
you’ve chosen Jane Austen novels and you’re wondering why you can’t
remember words like “dowry” or “bonnet” (meaning “hat”), consider using

another book. I always recommend non-fiction for language-learning purposes,
such as self-development literature (like books on success, happiness, how to
be a good parent, etc.).
10. Lack of interest: Another reason why the method doesn’t work for you as
you’d like could be your lack of interest in the language. If you’re not really
interested in the language, topic, or vocabulary, you’re not going to remember
the expressions you write down. I hope you don’t belong in this group and
you’re driven forward by a generous dose of motivation. But if you feel that your
motivation for learning the language is insufficient, consider looking for
a stronger one, or change the language you learn.
11. Sloppy writing: I’m sure no one is proud of sloppy writing. However,
scribbling in your notebook can have a huge impact on how many expressions
are going to be kept by your long-term memory. Try taking 30–60 minutes to be
deliberate with your handwriting, play with it, and use color pens. I always say
your eyes must enjoy this as well! So make your lists beautiful, neat,
and colorful. (By the way, it’s not just me who’s saying this. I got this
recommendation directly from David James. His notebook might not be that
colorful, but he’s always really careful with his handwriting in order to have
aesthetically pleasing lists.)
12. Alcohol: Do you write your lists when you relax with a glass of wine? If it’s
just an occasional way to make the method more enjoyable, it’s totally okay.
But if you find out that you don’t remember much in two weeks, try excluding
the alcohol next time. Let your long-term memory work without any influence
of substances.
13. Too much information: Writing too many words in one line is also
a frequent mistake. If you use the line space for a whole sentence with three
new words, their pronunciation, and past tense or declination forms, your brain
is not going to manage it all. In that case, divide the expression into several
lines. Remember that each expression should contain no more than 1–2 new
words. If you also include too much information in one line, try to avoid this by
making the expressions simpler.

I Can’t Remember 30%! How Do I Write It Down in the Notebook?
If you’ve just found yourself in one or more points in the list above, try changing
that in the next lists. Think about what you could do differently to improve your
goldlisting process. Do you use materials that suit you best? Do you write them
during the most optimal time for you?
If your distillations haven’t proven to be as great as you expected, don’t quit

on the method just yet, especially now that you’ve discovered what you were doing
wrong. You don’t even have to start anew; you can use the lists you’ve already
created.
I’m going to show you three ways of copying expressions into distilled lists if you
didn’t manage to remember 30% of them, leaving you with more than 70%
of expressions to be copied. This advice is important, so read carefully.
1. Copy more than 70% – but don’t number them.

The first option is to simply copy more
expressions. But remember to add only
one or two lines to the list that aren’t
going to be numbered. That means that if
you’re doing the first distillation
of a headlist, you copy 14 expressions
that are numbered normally and add to
them one or two lines without numbering.
For the next distillation, try to copy

only the 10 expressions that you’d
normally do. It’s possible that the extra
lines are going to stay with you for
a couple of more distillations, i.e., the
next distillation will have more lines than it should; that’s okay. It just sometimes
happens that you encounter several difficult expressions in one list.
2. Combine the expressions

If you don’t want to ruin your neat lists and extra lines are out of question, you
can join some lines together. This way, you can copy more than 70%
of the forgotten expressions, but you cram them in the lines at your disposal.
Remember to observe a couple of rules, outlined below. The best-case scenario
would be to join the expressions that go together due to their meanings.
Let’s say that you can’t remember the expressions “a whole bunch of problems”
and “a broken air-conditioner.” These two expressions had nothing in common
in the text they came from; maybe you even picked them from two different sources,
but you put them in one list. In the new distilled list you write down, “a whole bunch

of problems with a broken air-conditioner.” (NB: In languages that decline their
nouns, i.e., Russian, remember to verify the expression at least in Google Translate
to be sure that you got the grammar right.)
But this way of joining the expressions is often impossible, especially if you use
longer expressions. If you can’t join the expressions in any logical way, just write
them down next to each other and separate them by a dash. That means, in our
case, you’d write down “a whole bunch of problems – a broken air-conditioner,”
and next to that, you write a translation of both of them in the target language
in the same way. It’s just about saving one line. In two weeks, mark as learned only
those lines that you remember entirely and perfectly.
3. Rule them out of the lists

The last option for the situation when you remember fewer than 30%
of expressions is to rule them out of the lists entirely. But don’t throw away just
any expressions. Think about the expression. Do you need it? Are you going to
ever use it in conversation?
Maybe you used an expression from a marginal area of vocabulary that’s not
used very often, and maybe you’re not even that much interested in it. If so, your
brain already knew about that, and that’s why it doesn’t remember it. In that case,
just rule the expression out and forget about it. The Goldlist method is a great help
for learning vocabulary, even if you won’t remember each and every expression from
the lists. Make as much of the Goldlist method as you can and don’t worry
about the rest.
Personally, I don’t use this option at all as I think in advance about the relevance
of the expressions when I create the headlist. You’ll gradually learn to distinguish
useful words from the others, and you won’t have to discard any expressions from
your lists.
When I know less than 30% of the expressions:

 I rewrite the expression, but don’t give it a number.
 I combine two expressions into one.
 I rule the expression out of the list (don’t include it
on the next list).

The Goldlist Method Doesn’t Work for Everyone
Even though the author of the method is convinced that it works for everyone
who observes the basic principles, my experience with thousands of people whom
I’ve told about it shows otherwise. Some people fall in love with this method right
on the first day and keep goldlisting for years. Others try it but don’t like it that
much. I stand by the idea that everybody should spend time with the activities they
personally enjoy. So if you feel the Goldlist method doesn’t work for you even when
you did everything right according to Chapter 6: What if the Goldlist Method Doesn’t
Work for Me? don’t force yourself into it and try other methods for learning
vocabulary instead. Enjoyment is the most important ingredient.
As a part of an experiment, I tried the Goldlist method in different conditions than

I recommend to people usually. I wrote just individual words, not expressions. I took
them from the textbook I was currently using for my Swahili, but I jumped forward to
the more advanced chapters that I wasn’t working with at the time. I had no
personal relationship to the words. It was as if I’d just opened a dictionary to
a random page and wrote down some words. In two weeks, I remembered zero
of them. I got fed up after four distillations and quit goldlisting for some time.
I came back to the method only later, when I spoke Swahili a bit better, and this
time I did everything according to the recipe that had proven effective with my
German and Russian: I used expressions, not individual words, and I found them
in texts that I’d already worked with in the past even though I’d never learned those
specific expressions. The results were amazing. Out of 14 expressions, I could
often rule out 3–5 ones that I was perfectly sure of. I enjoyed learning Swahili
vocabulary again.

7. The Goldlist Method Explained: A Tiny Bit of
Theory
Human Memory
To understand as best as possible what’s happening in your head while
goldlisting, you need to differentiate between short-term and long-term memory.
You already know that the Goldlist method helps you to store vocabulary
in your long-term memory subconsciously and effortlessly. If you manage to
achieve that, you’re going to remember the expressions from the lists for a long time
or even for the rest of your life.
Short-term memory, also called the “working memory”, stores information

only for a short time, and if you don’t work with the information any further, you’ll
simply forget it. An example of such information in your working memory could be
an instruction from your teacher on what page you’re to open to in your textbook
or a certain date that your colleague mentions in a conversation.
“You’re going to remember the expressions

from the lists for the rest of your life.“
Many factors influence whether certain information in your brain gets transferred
from short-term memory into long-term. I discussed the reasons affecting the results
of the method in the section Possible Reasons Why the Goldlist Method Doesn’t
Work for You on p. 21 of Chapter 6.
David James says that storing information in long-term memory only works
subconsciously—not while we are focused on the expressions, and that’s why
we aren’t able to influence it directly or control it. Long-term memory works
differently from the short-term one. While short-term memory is able to store
a huge amount of information in a short time (e.g., a day before an exam), long-term
memory can’t be fooled like this. It’s almost impossible for the brain to remember
such a huge amount of information forever. You’re going to start forgetting it
gradually, and only the information you remember after two weeks is safely stored
in your long-term memory. But that won’t be much as you were trying to learn too
much stuff by force.
As you can see, long-term memory is really powerful, but you have to
remember that it works subconsciously. That’s what you need to use for learning
vocabulary. You’ll avoid laboring over many expressions that will fade out from your
memory sooner or later.

Learning Should Be Like Breathing!
Maybe you’re wondering what on earth learning has in common with breathing.
David James explained this nicely in one of his blog posts.
Memory and the remembering process itself can truly be compared to breathing.
Imagine that! Most of the time, you don’t realize that you breathe. It’s
a subconscious process. You don’t need to put any effort into it, but your body still
knows what to do. If you try to breathe in a special way, like taking deep breaths
or breathing too quickly on purpose, you won’t last long. In some time, you’ll return to
your original, involuntary way of breathing because it’s best for your body.
Now, look at it from the perspective of learning. If you’re trying to memorize

vocabulary, it’s as if you turn off the natural processes in your mind. In other words,
if you take control of your memory and start memorizing, you automatically
block out your natural long-term memory, and the expressions will stay with you
for just a short time.
As David James further explains in his blog post, it can be nicely understood
through the example of children and their way of learning. Children under 5–6
years of age seem to be able to pick up a language effortlessly. The natural
development of the brain also plays a role here, which allows children to soak up
new information like a sponge.
Another element is that children

don’t even realize they’re learning
something. They pick up the
language naturally, and the greater
fun it is for them, the more easily they
remember vocabulary. Only after they
come to school do they suddenly
realize that they are learning
something, and they then have to
make some effort to remember new
things. That’s how short-term memory
gets to the foreground, blocking
the natural function of long-term
memory.

8. Tips and Tricks for Advanced Goldlisters
If you have some experience with the Goldlist method and you can boast a nice
collection of lists, I’m sure you’ll appreciate some tips and tricks for advanced
Goldlisters. But the following advice can also come in handy for beginners who don’t
have that much time for writing lists or who want to use the method to the full right
from the start.
I Don’t Have That Much Time! What Now?

If you do your Goldlists regularly, there will come a time when the tasks
somehow add up. If you have a notebook with several distillations in progress and
keep making a new headlist every day, it could become too much at some point.
But the Goldlist method is not supposed to put you under pressure. That’s why
I’m going to tell you how to adjust the system for your needs if you don’t have that
much time. In an ideal world, you’d create a headlist and first, second, and third
distillations on one day. However, it’s alright if you slow down a little bit and
divide the day’s work into two days.
For example, when I have a busy day, I make a new headlist (section A) and
a second distillation (into section C) in an eligible list (i.e., in an older list that
I distilled for the first time at least two weeks ago). The next day, I do the remaining
distillations, i.e., a first distillation (into section B) and a third distillation (into section
D) – always in eligible lists. I combine them like this (A+C and B+D) because it
always totals roughly the same amount of time every day. It’s up to you how you
combine the distillations with the new headlist.
It’s true that the progress will slow down a bit as well, but it keeps you in contact
with the language every day, and that’s the key. Remember that the goldlisting
intensity can always be adjusted to your current time availability. It’s even
perfectly okay to do just one distillation or headlist a day.

Alternative Method of Distillation
If you don’t like to multitask and would rather do things one after another, you’re
going to love this alternative way of distilling your lists. Just write one new headlist
a day, and then after two weeks or even after a month, you start with the first
distillations. Nothing less, nothing more. Put writing headlists aside and do
distillations only. After the last A  B distillation, continue with the B  C distillations
until you come to the last list. The same goes for the C  D distillations. When you
finish the whole cycle, start creating new headlists again. This way of goldlisting
doesn’t take so much time, but your progress will be much slower. It’s not necessary
to have each type of distillation in progress at the same time. It’s totally okay if you
decide on this option and do one after another. The only condition is to keep the 2-
week break.
System of Symbols – Extended

I already wrote about the basic symbols indicating whether you know
an expression or not (p. 20). However, this system can be extended by combining
the symbols. Try it for yourself.
Pro TIP:
 (tick) = I know it, no hesitation.
∙ (dot) = I know it, but only partially or with mistakes.
X (a cross) = I don’t know it at all.
.
 (tick with a dot) = I know it, but I made a tiny mistake (wrong
accent in Russian, pronunciation of one
syllable in English, etc.).
X∙ (a cross with = I don’t know it, but I had at least a faint idea
a dot) of how the word sounds, or that it ends with
a certain syllable, etc.
a dot) znie, alebo že sa končí na nejakú slabiku a pod.
When testing yourself, put a symbol in the margin that indicates how well
you knew the expressions. The combination of a tick and a dot will help you very
much when you decide which expressions you’re going to copy. For example, if you
need to rule out 6 expressions and you’ve put a tick by 8 expressions while two
of them also have a dot, you will know that those two expressions should be copied.
Combining the Goldlist Method with Other Methods

If you have seen my video course (called Language Master), you already know
of several methods for effective learning of vocabulary. If you’d like to also use
another method for learning vocabulary at the same time, you can but be careful

not to use the same expression with two different methods. You could write
words from a book or blog only in your Goldlist, and if you decide to combine this
method with Anki, you can learn unknown expressions from TV series or movies
there.
Just remember that these two methods work differently. While the Goldlist
method is based on the subconscious memory of vocabulary, with the AnkiDroid app
you revise vocabulary systematically every day via your conscious memory. If you
used the same expressions in both methods, you’d break the 2-week rule
in the Goldlist method. That’s why I generally recommend using only one method
at a time. You can switch them at some point if you want. I like to hop between
these two methods because I tend to get bored with using only one after a couple
of months.
One Goldlist – One Foreign Language

If you want to have one Goldlist notebook to learn two languages at once, you’re
going to find out very soon that it’s not a good idea. Imagine writing German-French
lists (or insert any two languages that are not your mother tongues), and when you
come to distillations, you don’t know the German expression in one line, the French
expression in the second line, and you have problems with both versions in the third
line. This makes copying the distilled lists unnecessarily complicated, and it would be
a huge downer for your motivation; maybe you’ll even quit distilling for good.

It’s vital that you use your native language for goldlisting – or a foreign
language that you know really really well. For example, I’d dare to make my
Goldlists in English, but I’m still faithful to my native Slovak.
However, if you want to write two Goldlists in two foreign languages, you can.
It’s true that I say it’s always more effective if you focus on only one language
at a time, but if you want to learn two languages at the same time and see that you
have great results, I see no problem in that. If you have two notebooks for two
languages, it won’t affect your ability to remember vocabulary in them.
Jumping from Bronze into Silver

You already know one of the options of creating a new headlist in the Silver
notebook. Just take three third distillations (D sections) in the Bronze notebook and
copy them to form a headlist in the Silver notebook. It’s okay that it makes up for
21 expressions instead of 20.
However, there’s another way for those who want to use the method’s potential
to the full. Make four distillations in section D, wait two weeks from writing down
the last (fourth) one, and then distill all four at once. Out of 28 expressions (4x7),
pick 20 that you don’t remember—the 30%-rule works here as well!—and use them
in your new Silver headlist.
This way is much more effective as you don’t lose time, and the Silver
notebook will contain only those words that you haven’t stored in your long-term
memory yet. I have very good experience with this approach and always do it like
this.

9. What Do Experienced Goldlisters Say?
Ema Dvořáková:
“Goldlist – love at the first sight. This charming
method changed my approach to learning
vocabulary. I used to memorize words with zero
results. As soon as I discovered Goldlist, everything
changed. The expressions pop up in my head in
any situation and I’m able to use them in practice.
I’ve been goldlisting for over a year and I still

love it. I’m always excited when I’m creating a new
headlist and I’m so happy when I do
the distillations. It’s an amazing feeling when you
distill the words and see that you know more and
more of them. And they’re not just somewhere
in the back of my mind but I can use them actively!
That’s the best thing.
I use this excellent method for English and Russian. I have 114 lists and 2,281
expressions in my English notebook (and counting). My notebook is beautiful and
that’s why I can’t wait to come back to it every day. It’s my third Goldlist notebook
for English. My Russian? At the time I have 13 lists and 260 expressions in my
purple notebook which also makes learning so much fun.”

Miriam Kovalčíková:
“I think the author of the Goldlist method should get
a Nobel prize! I don’t memorize words. They jump
in my memory by themselves. I can suddenly create
sentences and use words and expressions I was never
able to remember.
I use the method also for grammar. I note down

phrases with prepositions and sentences in various
tenses. I get new vocabulary from an Assimil book and
from a book with exercises. I’m just finishing
off the third notebook for my German Goldlist and I’ve already bought four for my
Russian.
I had a problem at the beginning –

I was trying to memorize the vocabulary
like I used to do at school. Then I started
to focus more on my pronunciation and it
went much better. This method helped
me immensely.”
Michaela Zuzáková:
“I started goldlisting thanks to Language
Mentoring videos two years ago. Since then,
I’ve finished 4 notebooks. I prefer to get my
vocabulary from books, magazines, and articles
that I read. Later, when I do the distillations, I can say
exactly what article or book it comes from, so I know
the context. While writing new lists and distilling,
I always try to focus on what I’m doing and eliminate
any distractions.
I was sometimes really motivated

(especially during the Autodidacts’
Academy) but sometimes I needed
a break. The thing is, I found a system
that works for me and that I enjoy.”

Ivana Hofbauerová Veselá:
“When I started goldlisting, my English was
at about A2/B1 level and I often struggled to
understand even Facebook posts. Today, I read
books in English effortlessly.
I goldlisted almost daily during the first couple

of months, then I slowed down a bit because of some
obligations. Now I’m trying to do it every day again.
I created 103 headlists with 2,060 expressions during
182 days of goldlisting.
I’m 43 years old and my focus and

memory aren’t what they used to be.
Still, I can do it! All I need is motivation
and resilience.
I believe now that anybody can do

it.”
Mati Svobodová:
“I started goldlisting on January 15, 2018 and
since then, there have been times of intensive
learning and some longer breaks. I have 55 headlists,
which means I wrote number 1,100 today.
And I have to say, I owe most of my

Italian knowledge to the Goldlist method.
I listen to audiobooks and podcasts,
I have Italki conversations, but I’ve
learned the most with the Goldlist
method.”

10. Will I Really Remember the Expressions Long-
Term?
Many people are skeptical at the beginning; they don’t really believe that this
method will work for them and that they’re going to remember the vocabulary
for a long time. Believe it or not, I also used to be this way. That’s why I decided to
test my results after several months of goldlisting.
Eight months after creating

the first Russian headlist,
I tested my knowledge. I did it
from my native Slovak
into Russian, and I went
through the expressions that
I knew already during
the first distillation (the ones
with a tick). I hadn’t seen
the expressions since the first
distillation was done, so I was
really curious about the efficacy
of the method. I was pretty
shocked when I saw the result of my little experiment.
As you can see in the chart,

as much as 83% of the
expressions remained in my
long-term memory. That’s
an amazing result, don’t you
think?
I hesitated a bit when

I was trying to translate 13%
of the expressions into
Russian. Those were the cases
in which I used a wrong
preposition or pronounced
the word with a wrong accent.
And if I couldn’t remember

at least one word
in the expression, I considered
it not learned. Those were just
3% of all the expressions, which
is almost negligible.

This test confirmed my belief
that learning vocabulary with
the Goldlist method is much
more effective than traditional
memorizing at school. Not only
did I remember the expressions
after eight months, but I can also
still use them in an active speech
today—an achievement rarely
seen at school.
I love goldlisting; I have many

notebooks full of expressions
in various languages to prove that.
Of course, there are also other
effective methods for learning
vocabulary (I write about one
of them in my e-book Flashcards
Adventure), and it’s good
to change them during long-term
language learning. However,
with Goldlist you don’t even realize
that you’re learning!
It’s amazing how this method works, and I think it’s definitely worth trying
yourself. Forget memorizing and forgetting. Remember the vocabulary once and
for all.
“One notebook.
Thousands of words.
No memorizing.”

11. What’s Next?
If you’re already a fan of the Goldlist method, I have some important information
for you:
1. First of all, welcome among goldlisters! You’re starting a new era of your
language learning. Enjoy it!
2. System is king! If you don’t create a plan for how you’re going to proceed
with the method, there’s a big chance that you’ll soon forget about your
learning. If you’re really busy, create a plan that’s not too demanding,
e.g., a new headlist 3x a week and one distillation every other day.
3. Goldlisting itself is not enough for learning a language. It must be

combined with other methods to improve your comprehension and speaking.
If you’d like a complete guide on how to improve your foreign language skills
from the lower-intermediate level and higher, check out my Language Master
video course.
Remember, language learning must meet four

basic conditions in order to be successful:
 you need to enjoy it,

 you need to spend a lot of time
with it (an hour a day is perfect),
 you need to use effective
methods (e.g., Goldlist),
 you need to find a system.

4. Let’s stay in touch!
You can follow Language Mentoring and our language-learning tips on:
www.languagementoring.com
[email protected]
Language mentoring
@languagementoring
Language mentoring
If you have any questions, feel free to drop us a line.
5. If you would like to share this free e-book with your friends, please send them
here: https://languagementoring.com/goldlist
I wish you success with this excellent method and lots of fun with learning your
language!
Your language mentor,
Lýdia Machová
nd
2 edition 2021 | www.languagementoring.com

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© Lýdia Machová | Language mentoring s.r.o.

© Lýdia Machová | Language mentoring s.r.o. 1

© Lýdia Machová | Language mentoring s.r.o. 2

What Is the Goldlist Method?

The author of this method is David James, known in

The result of the Goldlist method is learning vocabulary in long-term memory,

© Lýdia Machová | Language mentoring s.r.o. 3

But careful! It’s vital that you

Everybody Can Learn with the Goldlist Method

© Lýdia Machová | Language mentoring s.r.o. 4

Before You Start

© Lýdia Machová | Language mentoring s.r.o. 5

Starting in section A, create two

Warning! Don’t look at the previous

© Lýdia Machová | Language mentoring s.r.o. 6

Starting with Distillations (Day 15 and 16)

Then copy the 14 remaining

© Lýdia Machová | Language mentoring s.r.o. 7

Section B always contains the first distillation of a headlist. As you’ve probably

© Lýdia Machová | Language mentoring s.r.o. 8

© Lýdia Machová | Language mentoring s.r.o. 9

Starting the Last Distillation Phase

© Lýdia Machová | Language mentoring s.r.o. 10

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Bronze, Silver, and Gold Notebooks?

I promised to come back to the seven

You can simply copy the expressions

© Lýdia Machová | Language mentoring s.r.o. 12

“Everybody can choose the

Just One List a Day?

The Whole List in One Day?

© Lýdia Machová | Language mentoring s.r.o. 13

Numbering the Distillations

“Numbering will give you a huge motivation

Every Day, Or Not at All. True, Or False?

© Lýdia Machová | Language mentoring s.r.o. 14

Expressions, Not Words!

“she bought a handbag”, “a fascinating book”, “I couldn’t find

Don’t put the expressions in their basic forms like infinitive or

That’s why you don’t have

© Lýdia Machová | Language mentoring s.r.o. 15

The best sources of vocabulary are

© Lýdia Machová | Language mentoring s.r.o. 16

Goldlisting in Progress. Do Not Disturb!

© Lýdia Machová | Language mentoring s.r.o. 17

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When Should I Test Myself?

How Should I Test Myself?

David James, the author of the

But I want to be sure that

© Lýdia Machová | Language mentoring s.r.o. 19

It’s up to you what symbols you use

Then when doing the distillation, you

© Lýdia Machová | Language mentoring s.r.o. 20

Goldlisting requires a specific approach. You need to try it yourself, experiment

2. Memorizing vocabulary: As mentioned before, the Goldlist method is

© Lýdia Machová | Language mentoring s.r.o. 21

9. Using unattractive materials: Resources and materials for collecting new

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