In a previous article, I talked about the first step in creating a strong study system for your language studies—clarifying your intentions, your ‘why’, your Guiding Principle.
Once you’ve done this, the next step in the process is to create a language study plan for yourself.
In this post, I will share:
- Why creating a study plan is essential to building a strong study system
- What NOT to do when creating a study plan
- What you SHOULD do when create a personalized study system.
Why is it essential to have a study plan?
I love analogies, so lets try this one as a example:
Let’s say you need to go grocery shopping because your fridge is completely EMPTY. There’s not a thing inside and so if you don’t go today, you won’t have anything but that open bag of chips still sitting on your counter.
Now you have your goal: to go to the store and pick up a few things so you can get home and EAT.
When you get to the story, you grab a cart and start browsing the aisles. You get to the cereal section, and notice your favorite—and your starving— so it goes in the cart. Then you pass the snacks and they have more of those chips on sale, so those go in too.
You grab some essentials you usually have in your fridge, maybe some fruit and veggies, and then you see the tortillas. Suddenly, you want tacos, so you have to grab that.
Basically, what’s happening here is you went to the store unprepared, you’re piling food into your cart, and by the time you get the register to pay for it all, you’re going to be shocked at how much you’re spending.
(And if for some reason this sounds like something you’d never do, you have the self control of a goddess and you need to share it with the rest of us!)
What Happens When You Don’t Have a Solid Study Plan?
Without a solid plan and completing the prep work (snacking before you went to get your groceries) your impulses will often lead your actions.
We don’t want our impulses to lead our language studies.
When this happens, our impulses often lead us to do things that work in the short term, that are fun in the short term, but ultimately don’t always support our Guiding Principle, our goals, or the habits we’re trying to build.
This could be the impulse to binge several hours of a new Netflix drama in your target language when you’re trying to build the habit of reading in your target language.
Was it fun? Probably.
Did it support the habits you wanted to have?
…Probably not.
What are some mistakes people make when creating a plan?
1. They follow someone else’s plan
I’ve said this before and I’ll continue to say this over and over again. No one else in the world is like you. This means that even if someone’s study plan worked for them, it doesn’t mean it’s going to work for you.
You cannot follow someone else’s plan with the expectation that you will get the same results as them. That kind of thinking will only lead to disappointment and frustration.
Does this mean, though, that you should just stop looking at other people’s strategies altogether?
Not at all!
If you’re trying to figure out your own system for your target language (whether this is your first time learning a second language, or a new language added to your list), it can be extremely helpful to see what others have tried that has helped them.
The difference is you’re not assuming it will absolutely get you the same results. Instead, you’re using this as data. What are you adopting into your study system that IS working for you? What isn’t working?
Once you have an idea of what is working for you, stick to it! Don’t try out a new routine, or a new resource. Avoid the shiny-object syndrome at all costs!
2. Try something once and give up when it doesn’t work.
The second mistake I see often in the language learning community is, when someone finds a resource or tool that is said to help with building a specific habit or achieving a specific goal, learners will often try it once, then give up when they don’t get the results.
Why is this a mistake?
Language learning is a journey. It takes repeated action to see results, and sometimes, the foundation you’re building isn’t always easily visible.
If you’ve decided to try something out, give yourself more than a day to see change. If after a few tries, you notice it’s not working, then evaluate that data you’ve gained, and refine your system.
Maybe the habit makes sense, but the tool or resource isn’t helping you.
Or, it could be that the tool is great, but it’s actually helping you develop a different habit you didn’t see at first, and you need to change that habit.
Whatever it may be, you won’t be able to see it until you’ve tried it a few times.
Give it a chance.
3. Establishing habits that are too broad or too large
If this is the first time you’re trying to incorporate this habit into your study system, you want to start small.
Why?
Your brain wants to achieve the desired result in the least amount of steps, or while using the smallest amount of energy.
If what you’re trying to achieve takes more time or energy than it feels like it’s worth, you’re less likely to DO the thing.
Think about it this way:
If the actions you’re trying to establish in your routine requires many micro steps to complete the task, what will you do when you don’t have the motivation? Will you still do it?
Most of us don’t, unless we’ve built up the discipline, which doesn’t happen overnight.
So, trying to set up broad habits is setting yourself up for failure, which is going to lead to more frustration and more disappointment.
4. Establishing too many habits
Similar to the mistake above, you don’t want to set yourself up to fail when you decide you want to read regularly, listen to podcasts, and journal in all three of your target languages.
Language learning isn’t a race.
It’s not a competition.
You go at your own pace and what works for YOU, not anyone else.
It will be especially difficult if you don’t do any of these things in your native language or other languages you speak, so again, figure out what works best for you, and what changes you’d have to make to your current habits to make these new ones happen.
You don’t need to do all-of-the-things at once. You just need to do SOMETHING that aligns with your Guiding Principle, SOMETHING that matches your learning style, and your lifestyle, and make it a habit.
What is the “right” way to create a plan for your language studies?
Honestly, there is no universal “right” way. The best way to create a plan is one that works for YOU.
Once you have clarity on your WHY, you can plan HOW—brainstorm the small changes you will make, the tiny routines you will establish that will help you take action and close the gap between where you are and where you want to be.
How can you do this?
You can follow the steps below:
1. Reflect on your vision for your language studies—what is your Guiding Principle, you reason for studying your target languages?
2. Brainstorm habits that align with your Guiding Principle —HOW can you close the gap between where you are and where you want to be?
3. Organize your resources in prep for your studies —What will you need to help you close the gap?
4. Develop your BETA system — Which habit do you want to focus on?
5. Tweak your system based on your needs and current habits
6. Outline the specific action steps you will take —WHAT will you do, specifically?
What’s your current language learning plan?
What are some of the action steps you take regularly to build up your habits?
Share your plans in the comments below!
PS. If you’re struggling to create your own study plan and need some support, or if you just have questions, DM me on Instagram so we can start a conversation.
— The Polyglot Fox