Language learning can be an exciting and fulfilling journey, but it’s not always without it’s challenges.
Many language learners begin with tons of motivation and enthusiasm (especially the Curious Language Learners), only to quickly lose momentum and eventually give up altogether.
If this sounds familiar, don’t worry! You’re are definitely not alone.
To be completely honest, losing momentum is such a common experience for language learners. The good news, though is that there are ways to avoid losing your momentum or restarting without burning yourself out.
In this blog post, I want to share 10 different strategies you can use to help you get back out track, rebuild your momentum, and help you make progress in your language studies.
10 Tips for Restarting Your Language Studies After Losing Momentum
- Reflect on What Made You Lose Momentum In The First Place
- Get Clarity on your Guiding Principles and What Works Best For You
- Create a Clear Plan for your Language Studies To Avoid Loss of Momentum
- Focus on Tiny Steps Forward to Prevent Loss of Momentum
- Use Motivation-Building Strategies To Keep You Going
- Celebrate Your Wins To Make Your Progress More Satisfying
- Strategically Choose Resources That Will Actually Work For You
- Choose Strategies That Align With Your Guiding Principle & Boost Your Momentum
- Manage Your Energy To Prevent Burnout
- Prioritize Consistent Progress Over Perfection
Tip #1: Reflect on What Made You Lose Momentum In The First Place
One way you can prevent any future momentum loss is by taking some time to reflect on what caused you to lose it in the first place. This could mean asking yourself questions like:
- What were you hoping to achieve?
- What did you try to reach that goal or expectation?
- What prevented you from getting there?
And so on.
You can think carefully about what made you feel closer to burnout, what made you bored, or what did you dread doing or avoid doing, if any.
Because once you’ve identified the cause of your loss of momentum, you can take strategic steps to address it, and prevent it from happening again in the future.
Example Reasons Why You Might Be Losing Momentum
For example, if you find that you’re easily bored by doing the same activity for several days or even weeks in a row, you might need more variety in your study routine and to incorporate more freedom and choice into what you complete. You may even need to try different resources or supplement your plan with different strategies that are more fun and engaging for you so you can manage setbacks and plateau
And remember that this:
- Setbacks are signs that something isn’t working, and is completely normal.
- Plateaus or stagnant progress are signs that you need to find more challenges resources or strategies, or even to prioritize USING what you’re learning more and more.
If you’re experiencing frequent burnouts, it might be helpful to pace yourself and shift your expectations for your study sessions and goals. You might be pushing yourself beyond the level of frustration you can handle, meaning it’s no longer a productive struggle or your “learning zone, and it’s just plane frustrating.
All the time.
Don’t be to hard on yourself when you experience setbacks or plateaus, or you feel like you’re not making progress as quickly as you’d hoped. Instead, create a plan for how you will overcome it, and move forward so you don’t lose your momentum and you can continue making progress.
Tip #2: Get Clarity on your Guiding Principles and What Works Best For You
One of the biggest reasons language learners lose momentum is because they don’t have a clear vision for how they expect to use the languages they’re learning, or that vision isn’t specific enough.
In a video response I posted over on Tiktok, I shared that there’s a difference between saying:
“I want to learn Spanish because it’s sounds cool and interesting”
and
“I want to learn Spanish because I want to be able to speak with my friends”
The first statement has a clear motivation (you like the sound of it) but is missing a specific outcome. Without this, you’ll end up doing what I like to call “routine wandering” where you’re studying but not sticking to one thing and not making any of the progress you had hoped or anticipated.
The second statement has both a clear motivation and outcome. Knowing that you want to speak with your friends means that you now know to focus on:
→ Speaking skills
→ Listening skills
→ Sentence Building
→ Pronunciation
→ Vocabulary related to topics you’d talk about with friends
→ Grammar that helps you communicate and share ideas with your friends
And then you can create a plan around this.
So get some clarity, figure out your WHY for learning languages, you’re own Guiding Principles, and keep it somewhere visible as a reminder of what you’re working towards so you can stay on track.
Tip #3: Create a Clear Plan for your Language Studies To Avoid Losing your Momentum
One way you can avoid losing momentum entirely is by creating clear and well-defined plans for tour language studies.
Without a plan, it can be super easy to get sidetracked and lose focus, which often leads to feeling frustrated with the entire process and giving up.
A plan should never be created once and then never touched again.
A plan should be adjusted and refined as your needs change, your life changes, and your experiences change.
Think about what steps you need to take to get from where you are right now to where you want to be in your language studies. Then break those steps into even smaller, micro steps. This is how you can start building out your schedule for your studies and your overall study routine.
Here’s What I Recommend For Creating Your Plans And Schedules
I always recommend that everyone create a plan and a schedule, and that it will look different for each learner. Because without a plan, you’ll easily get lost in the sea of what every other language learner is telling you that you should and shouldn’t be doing, and, similar to not getting clarity, will often end up “routine wandering” to try out different things.
Or worse, because you’ve failed to make up your mind and choose something to stick to.
The important part here is to focus and prioritize what works best for YOU. When you’re not sure if something will work for you, test it out for a couple of weeks, then decide if you want to keep it, modify it, or get rid of it entirely.
The only way you’ll find your balance between tasks that are challenging enough to learn from and simple enough to not overwhelm you is by taking action. So if you want to do it, go for it. Then make a decision based on your own experiences rather than someone else’s.
Create a clear plan for yourself, make sure you know exactly what you expect to achieve with each step you’re taking, and get STUDYING.
And most importantly, adjust your plan as needed to avoid any loss of momentum.
This is what will give you focus, help you stay motivated, and hold you accountable. And this is what will make it easier to see the progress you’re making, and motivate you to continue your study journey with ease.
Tip #4: Focus on Tiny Steps Forward to Prevent Losing Your Momentum
My motto when it comes to learning languages is 1% is better than zero. Too often, language learners (including myself years ago) want to make progress fast. And this desire to rush and race is the number 1 thing that leads to burnout, taking extended “breaks” and ultimately losing momentum in your language studies.
Consistency is KEY when it comes to learning languages. And building your language skill, like any other skill, requires you to build up sustainable study HABITS.
Habits aren’t built in a day, or even a week.
It takes time.
So rather than letting your excitement and motivation lead your study sessions and studying for hours and hours from day 1, pace yourself.
Decide how much time you need to spend to make progress and make a commitment to stick to that plan. Because on the days when you aren’t particularly motivated to study, or you don’t have as much time as you expected, you will:
- Still be able to make progress, because you’re using your time strategically
- build a sustainable routine that you can rely on even when your energy is low or your time is sparse.
- prevent any loss of momentum or burnout in your language learning journey.
An Example of What This Can Look Like For Your Own Language Studies
Something that I help all of my students in TPP identify is their minimum for making progress. This is the level that they can commit to, no matter what.
Even when they’ve had a rough day at work, when they have several things planned in their week, and so on.
It’s your “bare-minimum”.
Then you can decide what to do on days when you are motivated and have tons of time.
Those are your bonuses days.
So figure out what your 1% is, what will take the least amount of effort but still get you results? Then decide what your ‘bonus’ days will look like for you?
THAT’s what it takes to build consistency beyond the first 30 days of learning languages. And what will make your language learning less stressful, less overwhelming, and more manageable and enjoyable.
Tip #5: Use Motivation-Building Strategies To Keep You Going
Staying motivated can be a challenge, especially when you are learning a new language or trying to build long-term consistency.
This is where motivation building strategies can come in handy.
If you’re struggling to find and stay motivated, try using different motivation-building strategies that work for you.
For example:
→ Finding a language learning partner or study buddy who can help to keep you accountable and motivated.
→ Setting up accountability anchors to keep you on track.
→ Creating a reward system for yourself as you reach your study milestones.
And even better, find ways to incorporate more fun into your language learning plan.
Studying doesn’t have to be a constant stream of formal studying from textbooks and classes, and taking notes, or completing flashcards.
It can also be watching movies, listening to music, and playing video games, all in the languages you’re learning.
The key is to find ways that connect to your Guiding Principles, that resonate with you, and that you personally enjoy.
Because when you’re motivated and engaged, it becomes so much easier to avoid losing your momentum, and to stay on track and make progress in your language studies.
Tip #6: Celebrate Your Wins To Make Your Progress More Satisfying
Celebrating your wins is another great way to avoid loss of momentum and build your motivation.
Honestly, it’s less important to “celebrate” your wins, and more important to acknowledge them and recognize that they exist in the first place.
So often, language learners are hyper focused on BIG wins like successful conversations with little to no mistakes, or reaching big milestones like moving from beginner to intermediate, that the smaller wins are left forgotten.
Tiny wins like:
- Sitting down to study when you have been avoiding it for several days
- Recognizing a single word in a song or video that you’ve been studying for weeks and thought you didn’t remember
- Trying something different and learning that it doesn’t work for you
- Making a mistake and realizing it’s a mistake on your own vs someone else telling you
- Feeling more confident to practice with another person
And when you also CELEBRATE those wins, it can make your entirely journey more satisfying and enjoyable.
Why?
Because when you’re seeing and having more positive experiences in your studies, when you feel good about the work you’re doing, you’re more likely to keep it up and continue making progress in the future.
Tip #7: Strategically Choose Resources That Will Actually Work For You
Choosing the “right” resources for you is all about prioritizing what works best for you. There are literally so many resources out there available for many of the languages that people set out to learn, from textbooks and courses, to apps and online communities like on Facebook or discord.
However, not all resources will work for every learner.
Some resources people swear by will actually lead to more frustration and overwhelm for others.
And some resources that people constantly tell others to avoid might just be the thing that helps you to make more progress than you’ve ever experienced before.
If you’re someone who struggling to try new things but is looking for resources, first narrow down exactly what you need the resources to help you to achieve. Then, find one or two, and test them out for yourself.
If you’re someone who loves trying new things but struggles to stick to one, choose the first one that helps you to make the progress you want to see and test it out before moving on to something else. Give it a chance.
Your learning style ratios, for example, will also dictate what kinds of resources will work well for you and which ones you’ll need the support of other supplemental resources or strategies to reap the benefits.
The goal here is to be strategic.
Don’t feel like you need to newest textbook or the list of apps that someone shared on their IG. Too many options can easily lead to overwhelm, which is how many language learners lose their momentum.
Instead, focus on how the resource is going to support your needs and what you plan to be able to do AFTER using it.
Tip #8: Choose Strategies That Align With Your Guiding Principle & Boost Your Momentum
Similar to choosing resources that work for you, you want to choose strategies that align with your Guiding Principles and will help you boost your momentum. Again, prioritize what works best for YOU.
One way you can find strategies that work for you is by asking yourself how you plan to use the languages you want to learn.
This tells you the specific skills you need to build, and will then help you choose the best strategies for YOU and the job at hand.
Decide exactly how you want to use the language you want to learn, such as:
- to speak with your family and learn your families native language
- to communicate effectively at your job or in business
- to travel and explore another country
- to read books in other languages
- to watch dramas and movies without subtitles
- to listen to and understand music in other languages
- to play video games in other languages
- to cook using recipes in other languages.
Basically, the possibilities are endless.
And you can return to tip #2 to see an example of how having a clear Guiding Principle can help you choose strategies.
Because when your efforts are in alignment with your “why” for learning languages, you’re Guiding Principles, you’re more likely to not just make more progress, but SEE the progress you’re trying to make. And this means you’re more likely to stick to it and keep going.
Tip #9: Manage Your Energy To Prevent Burnout
Managing your Energy is one the lesson I share with students in The Polyglot Project, because while we as language learners focus heavily on making progress, tracking progress, and adjusting our plans, we rarely thing about how are energy impacts our language learning.
And when you don’t pay attention how you’re using your energy, you’ll quickly lose your momentum and burnout.
How can you manage your energy?
Simple!
Figure out things like:
- How you are currently using your energy in your language learning routine.
- What it making you lose tons of energy vs what re-energizes you
- What leaves you feeling mentally exhausted
- What you can focus on for hours
- And what you can only do for a short amount of time before you need a break.
When you pay close attention to your energy and manage your energy levels, you can not only prevent burnout and losing your momentum, you can regain your motivation and start making progress in your language studies. All without taking extended breaks and forgetting what you’ve learned.
Tip #10: Prioritize Consistent Progress Over Perfection
The final tip I have for you when it comes to preventing momentum loss is this:
Prioritize making consistent progress over trying to be perfect.
If you’re a perfectionist like me, we can easily fall into the trap of trying to make a few mistakes as possible, which is completely impossible.
No one is perfect.
Mistakes are how we learn.
Consistent progress gives you the space to learn from those mistakes and adjust your plans and approach as needed so you can stay on track and start USING the languages you’re learning.
Striving for perfection is only going to hold you back, chip away at your confidence, and prevent you from actually learning and using what you’ve learned.
But I get it.
The language learning community is constantly telling us to strive for a native like pronunciation, and flawless speaking and writing skills, to know all of the words, all of the time, and never struggle to make sentences.
But when we think about our own experiences with out native languages, is that also the case?
Examples Of Non-Perfection We Experience In Out Native Languages
Have you NEVER made a mistake in a sentence you’ve written or said out loud?
Have you NEVER struggled to understand someone who’s speaking the same language as you, simply a different dialect or with slang you’ve never heard before?
Have you NEVER forgotten a word you wanted to say and tried to substitute it for something else?
Or struggled to answer a question because you didn’t know how to put your thoughts in to words?
Or misunderstood lyrics to a song because you heard one thing but they actually said something entirely different?
Trying to avoid all of these experiences is exactly what will lead to more frustration and overwhelm.
And focusing on avoiding these experiences, when we still have them in our native languages, is putting TONS of unnecessary pressure on ourselves.
So, instead of prioritizing perfection, focus on consistent progress and adjusting your plan as needed.
Remember that 1% of progress is better than zero, and give yourself the space and grace to learn from those mistakes, improve your skills, and build momentum without the constant pressure to be “perfect”.
And use Tip #6 to help you celebrate your wins so you are more likely to stick to your plans and keep up your momentum.
Building Momentum Is A Process. Take Your Time And Start From Where You Are.
Restarting your language studies after losing momentum is absolutely possible.
If you’re short on time, choose one of the tips above and apply that to your current routine to help you prevent loss of momentum.
If you want a complete overhaul, go through each tip one at a time.
And remember that learning languages is a journey, not a race. We all experience the ups and downs along the way, and it’s not always about avoid all of those setbacks, but finding ways to recover AFTER we’ve experienced them and make them less impactful to our overall journey.
With the right mindset and systems to support you, you can always get back on track and start using the languages you’re learning.
And when you’re ready to make more progress in your language studies, get consistent, and start using the languages you’re learning, click here to take a closer look at The Polyglot Project.