For those of you who have studied Japanese (and it's not your first language), early on in...

For those of you who have studied Japanese (and it's not your first language), early on in my studies, would it be beneficial to memorize the 188 Japanese particles, or is it too abstract early on? I. Interested in what order of things worked for those of you who have successfully studied Japanese yourselves, with the exception of conversation, because I imagine that you have to practice with actual people. You all have been so helpful to me before regarding the studying of Japanese. You all are seriously awesome.