Someone had asked this question earlier. But rather than reply there and make the thread longer, I thought it might be useful to post this separately here, in case anyone finds it useful.
So, I can’t stand flashcards, or rote memorisation, and avoid both like anthrax on postcards. (And I hate Anki with a passion.) In most other languages, I just learn words by reading and listening, but since Kanji makes that impossible in Japanese, I have had to find other ways.
The most useful way I have found is by using character etymologies. That is to say, by learning the origins of characters. I started by learning the common pictographical characters first, and then by learning the meaning of the main radicals based on them. Then, I also began to see that a lot of characters were borrowed just for sound, and so, whenever I see a particular radical, I could make a guess about its sound.
For example, it is easy to learn where the meanings of 田 (field)、女 (woman)、木 (tree) come from. But knowing that 休 comes from a person (left part of the character) resting under a tree (right radical) makes remembering the meaning (to rest), easier. Meanwhile, the character for hyaku (百）has the same sound wherever it appears as a radical. So, it is purely a sound component. On the other hand, wherever the radical ritto (looks like リ) appears, the meaning is often associated with cutting or severing (the radical comes from the image of a sword). I can learn a lot of characters this way.
An example: 花 is flower. The bottom part is 化, which means change. The top part is always used for vegetation. So, flower represents a change in vegetation from one state to another. And so on.
The hardest part is associating sounds with the Kanji. But I never learn isolated sounds for Kanji. I only learn them in the context of vocabulary, not just because there are so many readings for each character, but also because the pitch accent changes so often. Context is the key.
This method might look complicated: but it is the most interesting and fun method I have found. And it’s helped me remember Kanji much better. If you are a bit curious about Japanese/Chinese history, that helps as well. But I know this method might not be for everyone.
Sources: I have relied on the work of Noriko Williams (you can find her books on Amazon), and an extension for Yomiwa called Outlier Dictionary. Wiktionary is also invaluable, as it shows the evolution of character from its earliest stages.