How To Create Language Learning Routine

Struggling to stay consistent with language learning is one of the main reasons why people take much longer to master their target language. In addition to consistency, solely relying on motivation and not making a plan further delays improvement. Creating a realistic and clear routine allows you to achieve your language-learning goals much more easily.

Routines, in general, allow us to organize, evaluate, improve, and stick to a specific goal, and studying a language is no exception. This blog will include some steps that help language learners to actually notice progress in their target language.

Learning a language should include both study sessions and passive immersion. You need to practice four skills during study sessions, which are reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Immersion is achieved when you surround yourself with the target language.

First, you should set clear daily goals. The intensity of a daily learning routine is different for each level. For example, an intermediate learner's routine might be something like this: learn 10 new words, listen to a podcast for an hour, read for 30 minutes, write ten sentences, and speak for 20 minutes. This way, you know exactly what you want to accomplish each day.

So how can you implement these habits into your daily routine?

Applicable Goals:

After setting clear goals, you can start practicing, but your study plan should fit your lifestyle. People with more free time can spend more of their day on language learning. Meanwhile, busy people might be able to spend only an hour. People with jobs can study throughout the day, like practicing words during breakfast and studying grammar in the afternoon. Language learning doesn't have to be in a single long session. A person who has more spare time and fewer responsibilities can usually study for a longer time.

Dead Time:

Immersion:

Consistency:

Flexibility:

Not everyone has three hours to dedicate to a study session, but we all have many moments of dead time. You can take advantage of these moments to practice the language. For example, any time you're doing a task that doesn't require concentration, like cleaning, cooking, working out, or commuting, you can listen to a podcast. During your lunch break, you can review vocabulary or grammar. If you use public transportation, you can practice speaking or read a book in your target language.

Sticking to your study routine is essential. However, exposing yourself to the language once a day is not enough for improvement. Surrounding yourself with your target language is important as it makes the sounds and structure of the language more natural and familiar to you. You can achieve that by switching your phone language to the target language, watching TV shows, and listening to podcasts in your target language. Following native speakers on social media exposes you to the language more often. As your speaking skills improve, you can start chatting with native speakers whether on social media or apps made for language exchange.

After creating your routine, your next step is to stay consistent. Remaining consistent is key to advancing in your target language. First, it's important to understand that building any habit requires time. So, the first couple of months might feel hard, but later on it becomes a natural and non-negotiable habit. In order to stay consistent, you need to set realistic goals and create a routine that fits your daily life.

To avoid burnout, it's essential to stay flexible with your study plan. On busy days, you can follow the same routine but maybe for a shorter period of time, or you can even create a separate routine for when you're busy, but don't want to neglect your language learning. Many learners quit due to burnout. That's why staying flexible is very important.

Track your progress:

After creating a routine that suits your lifestyle and the progress you want to make, you need to track your progress to ensure that this routine is actually working. A routine that works for you now may not always work. There are many ways to track your language learning progress, including bullet journals, Excel sheets, and tracking apps.

There isn't a single best learning routine because each person has different goals and lifestyles. The best routine you can create is one you can stick to for years and one that is flexible so you can adjust as your goals or lifestyle change.