Learning is something we do habitually daily without even realizing it. Once learning becomes “studying,” most of us struggle to stay motivated and go through with our plans to learn a hobby, skill, or to study foreign languages.
Learning foreign languages can be especially tricky since it’s a process that will take months or years to take root and bear fruit (pun intended). So how can you motivate yourself to study foreign languages with all the other chores and obligations coming your way day in and day out?
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Create a List of Reasons “Why” you are Learning
You will have to be patient with yourself to learn properly, so you should write a list of reasons why you are learning foreign languages. Some of those reasons can include a boy or a girl you like abroad, wanting to move one day, or attending college abroad. You might have professional aspirations and want to learn the difference between translating and interpreting firsthand before settling into a more permanent career later on.
You can also simply learn “for yourself” because you deserve it, and you know it will be useful to know another language. Write down your reasons on sticky notes and post them somewhere in your room to remind yourself of “why” you learn every day.
Set Reasonable Goals for Yourself
Once you have your long-term goal in place, you can break it down into small milestones to keep track of as you progress. Setting up so-called KPIs will allow you to gauge how much you’ve learned and how much you have to learn that day, week, or month. Using SMART will help you set achievable, time-sensitive goals for your study activities. Those goals can look something like this:
- Learn 30 new words– 17/30
- Translate 2 texts – 1/2
- Write a short essay– 0/1
- Read 5 texts weekly – 4/5
These goals can make it much easier for you to see how much you’ve learned so far. You can keep The Word Point review close by and check how well you’ve written and translated your texts while learning. It will eliminate uncertainty in your study activities and motivate you to check off your goals constantly.
Find your Perfect Spot to Learn on a Daily
Settling into a routine is one of the best things you can do when it comes to motivation to learn a new language. No one expects you to learn wherever and whenever during the day since you will have to focus properly to learn anything.
Find a spot that “vibes” with you and go there whenever it’s time to learn and focus on significant tasks. Being in a comfy environment will help you tackle the tasks faster without a need to type a request “Who can I pay to do my assignment ?”. This can be anything from your backyard, home office, favorite coffee shop, or kitchen table. Of course, the perfect spot for learning differs from person to person, so try out different places before finding the right one.
Look for Smartphone Apps to Keep you Engaged
Thanks to the fact that everyone has a smartphone, there are dozens of cool apps that you can use to learn a language. Some of them are specifically designed for foreign language learning, while others act as productivity boosters. Download these apps before you start learning to motivate yourself into a more productive schedule:
- Duolingo
- Habitica
- Mem Rise
- Rosetta Stone
- Evernote
Learn a Foreign Language through Music and Movies
There’s no rule against having fun while studying when it comes to foreign languages. You can find plenty of great movies and TV shows online which can help you learn that language. Simply look for media in your favorite genre and turn on English subtitles to understand what people are talking about.
Likewise, you can listen to music and hear native pronunciations to understand better how to speak the language. This is great since you can sing along and repeat the same songs to learn. In addition, you can write down new words and look up their meaning later to slowly expand your vocabulary and get a better handle on the language.
Studying Foreign Languages One Step at a Time (Conclusion)
Unlike a college or Language Training school course, your learning process will never really end. You will always find interesting new words, phrases, and wordplay to learn and subsequently use as you go. You must give yourself time to adjust to how the foreign language sounds and looks like on paper before giving up.
It is indeed difficult to motivate yourself to learn constantly, but at some point, the process will become habitual. Once that happens, you won’t have to motivate yourself to study, and you will start to look forward to it each day.
Bio: Michael Carr started his career in writing as a copywriter and quickly grew into a professional content creator on his own. His expertise includes various types of writing, including academic research, blog-style articles, and case studies. In addition, Michael loves all things related to personal development, placing his passion into each writing project he takes on.
Featured Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels
