#motivation tips

LIVE

I decided which language I want to learn next! :)

So the last few weeks (or even months) I thought about which language could be the most useful, most beautiful and most logical language choice for me. Which language feels “right” for me?

I wanted to decide between:

  • Japanese
  • Russian
  • Korean
  • Spanish

Today was the day. Yes ladies and gentlemen I’m talking about THE DAY I finally decided which language I want to learn next.

It’s going to be Italian.

What?

That’s not even on the list?

Yeah because I’m a mess and suck at making decisions. 

To be honest I never wanted to learn Italian. I found it to be boring (because not much difference to the languages I know), no real cultural difference and where I make vacations (every year since I was 3 years old) they speak German anyway. I’m not into pasta, I’m not into pizza, I’m not into wine (I actually hate wine). There was nothing I was interested in when it came to Italian. And no this is not a story about how something special happened and then it got me like “Italian it is!”. Actually, it didn’t happen anything. Today I just thought “it’s going to be Italian” and now I’m excited about it for seriously no reason at all. Nothing happened. I didn’t even get in touch with the language today!

I always wanted my next language to be as different as possible and now it’s going to be Italian. For no reason. Funny how life goes. So ladies and gentlemen, I’m glad to present you my next language which I never thought I would even look at it. I’m super excited and for some reason the language suddenly sounds beautiful to me! 

I’m hoping for a funny journey. And I’m going to be in Italy in two months again so let’s see how it goes. :)

I did it! Yesterday I convinced my boyfriend to learn a new language (thanks to endless talks about why learning a language is the best thing on earth haha). Actually I gave up on this but out of nowhere he was like “I’m thinking about learning French”. Hell yeah!!! So he took French. Well not my favourite language but probably useful when visiting France and I’m not going to complain about it because I’m happy af that he’s going to learn a new language. We’re living in Germany so France is not that far away, even though we’re usually in Italy for vacation (I guess things will change lol). 

Learning languages as a couple, sounds like much fun but we’re not learning the same language, so it’s going to be a little bit different and also harder to help each other and study together. That’s why I’m writing this, how can we support each other the best way even if we’re not learning the same language and what are the advantages of learning two different langauges? Let’s do this!

  • Challenge each other. We both use Memrise as a tool to challenge each other. There’s a high score list and I’m very competitive and he has 2 hours of boredom every day because he’s traveling by train. Today I couldn’t believe how high his high score was after getting up. It was already a little bit hard to keep up with him.
  • Test each other. The thing with testing our vocabulary knowledge is… that he can’t read my vocab because of a different alphabet. The solution is easy: In my case he’s just asking the German words, I translate them and then he shows me the word. I can ask French and German words.
  • Play games. There are many multiplayer games where you can play together and just switch the language of the interface to the language you learn.
  • Be creative. You have so many options how to learn a language (just like my Tumblr post about “different ways to learn a language”), if you’re creative. For example: acting like you two do only speak your target languages but it’s important for the survival of humankind that you two talk to each other (about whatever). Just use Google Translate and type in what you want to say and show it your partner. You may think this is pointless but it’s not about learning what the other person says, it’s about learning how to make sentences on your own. No matter if they are correct, you should just try and think about what you want to say and how you could do that. Many language learners have the problem that they can understand a lot but are not able to make their own sentences because they rarely do that compared to studying their passiv vocab.
  • Rewards. You probably know about rewarding yourself when reaching a goal, but now you can make a deal with your partner. For example the person who has a higher high score on Memrise can make a wish. Maybe there’s just a difference for very competitive people to “normal” rewards you give yourself but for me, this is so much more fun because I WANT TO WIN THIS SHIT! Also, there are way more option for your price because you’re not alone anymore (hello massage, I’m coming for you).
  • More support. I know you can get support from friends (if you can get them to learning a language lol, I gave up there) or your language exchange partner but it’ll never be like getting through this with your partner. Also, if you’re living together your partner is always there for you, if you feel like giving up or want to celebrate (even very small) goals you reached your partner is just around the corner.
  • It’s hot. Let’s be honest, speaking another language makes people more attractive (proven fact) and seeing the person you already love speaking another language (which you don’t understand, so it’s a skill you don’t have) makes him/her even more attractive.
  • More opportunities. Because both partner learn a different language, there are double as much opportunities for vacation and where to travel, away from these tourism places.
  • More cultural diversity. If you learn a new language you (mostly) also learn about their culture. So with a partner who’s learning another language you don’t just have one new culture around you but also another one.
image

Here are 20 reasons why you should learn a foreign language. (You can find even more if you look up advantages of your target language.) :)

  1. Makes you more attractive. Seriously. You don’t even have to speak it all the time. It’s enough if people know you CAN speak it.
  2. Increased concentration.
  3. Increased multi-tasking-skill.
  4. Increased intelligence / IQ.
  5. More open and tolerant.
  6. Increased self-esteem.
  7. Lowe chances of diseases. For example like Alzheimer (4x).
  8. Better memory.
  9. You make decisions faster and better.
  10. You make decisions (only in your target language) more logical.
  11. Less “limited” mind because of more views.
  12. Better in separating important from unimportant information.
  13. Better in discovering false information (lies).
  14. You won’t get into tourism traps.
  15. Art, literature, books, etc. in original language.
  16. You’re more positive.
  17. It’s easier to solve complex problems (for example in mathematics).
  18. Advantage because of globalization. The world gets “smaller” because of the internet.
  19. Increased creativity.
  20. Helps you get better in your native language.
image

Do you know these times when you’re sitting in front of your textbook, trying to learn these boring af vocabs you’ve seen 1000 times but still can’t remember and just wish to do something different (or hoping that the world explodes so you can at least stop)?

Well, there are more ways to learn a language and I think because we just learned how we “should” learn a language at school, we’re limited in creativity. Thanks to school it’s hard to think outside of this “textbook, vocab lists, tests, etc.” stuff but there are ENDLESS things you can do to learn a language.

Remember: everything you do in your native language, you can try to do in your target language!

This is for all the people who are tired and exhausted, who are thinking about quitting or don’t have fun with their target language anymore.

DON’T YOU DARE TO GIVE UP! YOU’VE COME SO FAR!

_____________________________________________

Examples for different ways of learning a language:

  • write a diary
  • summarise an article about a topic you like (cooking, fitness, etc.)
  • listen to a podcast/radio
  • listen to music (while reading the lyrics)
  • try to sing along with music
  • read out loud while reading a book/magazine/blog/etc.
  • watch movies/series/videos
  • record videos in your target language or about how studying is going (progress, problems, etc.)
  • write a blog (well hello there :))
  • use apps that make it more fun (duolingo, memrise, lingodeer)
  • chat with native speakers
  • actually talk to native speakers ( I know what a crazy idea)
  • read websites about things you’re interested in
  • use social media only available in your target language
  • change the language of your smartphone
  • change the language of your pc
  • change the language of your life
  • play games in your target language (like not necessarily for learning it, I mean just playing a normal game IN your target language)  
  • take online lessons with teachers that make you forget you’re learning
  • do a challenge! (I love this one so much)
  • find a learning group
  • be active in forums (no matter about language learning or a forum in your target language)
  • find a language exchange partner. (You should, seriously.)
  • watch lessons on youtube
  • read a (children-)book (with audio)
  • talk to yourself 
  • think in your target language (a fun way is to tell a story about your life while it’s happening like “I went down the road with a stranger always behind me, who could it be? What does he want? It got quiet… too quiet. I tried to keep calm but was it really a coincidence? All in the middle of nowhere?” I know I’m bad at this but I hope you get what I mean, think of it like reading a book.)
  • learn vocabs with pictures, type in the word you want to know and ONLY look for pictures, try to feel the word. If you google for “strawberry” (in your target language and don’t know what it means) look at the pictures, the colours, how could it smell? Make a sentence with the new word. When was the last time you ate it? How was it?
  • Write a story/book online or just for yourself.
  • Make a mindmap
  • Use a topic jar (a jar where you put in notes with different topics on it, you take one every day and write/talk about it)
  • use social media to find groups interested in learning a new language or your target language
  • translate texts and act like you’re a famous translator who’s the only person on earth who can translate your target language (for example if you’re reading articles about historical stuff, act like you’re the only one who can find out what happened back then and the whole world is counting on you!)
  • try to solve random online tests
  • listen to a song/audiobook/whatever and write down what you hear
  • search for words you want to learn and build up (funny!) sentences with them or even whole stories
  • read comics/mangas/etc.
  • search for receipts  in your target language and pray to god you’re doing it right… if not, well you won’t forget the vocab again. Win-win situation. :p
  • search for language learning groups near your living place and actually meet them (stay safe and check everything before)
  • listen to children songs (I still remember the first children song I learned in English lessons… like… 11 years ago in 5th grade) these songs are supposed to stick… *cough* head shoulders knees and toes knees and toes *cough* sorry where was I?
  • connect with language learners over Skype (useful groups of course like German trying to learn French, Frenchman trying to learn Turkish, Turk trying to learn German)
  • write a list (you know… like I do right know so I don’t forget English)
  • describe things you see (more fun with a partner)
  • teach your target language to others
  • listen to audio while sleeping
  • take notes in your target language (I don’t mean for grammar rules or something like that, I mean notes you would take in your native language anyway)
  • write a letter (so much better than an e-mail)
  • write an e-mail (who has time for letters)
  • learn rimes 
  • learn jokes (it’s also useful for social interaction)
  • talk to your pets (at least if they listen to you, if I start to talk to my cat she starts yelling into my face)
  • translate songs and learn the vocab of it so you have more fun listening to it later
  • think about a topic and write down every word you can think of and then translate them into your target language

Before I begin: sorry for my long break. I’m back and changed my profile picture (in case you have no idea who on earth you are following here) and my template… and also my header for my posts so… you know… everything.
But now let’s start. :)

This time I want to make it short, so here are 26 study tips for learning a foreign language.

  1. Study every day. Even if you just study 5 minutes, that’s important for your progress. 17 minutes every day is FAR BETTER than two hours on one day of the week.
  2. Learn the most important 100-300 words.
  3. Use good apps/websites for your target language. Take the time to find out which apps and websites work best for you.
  4. Watch movies, series and videos in your target language. If needed turn on subtitles.
  5. Write a little text every day. For example a diary entry.
  6. IMPORTANT: Practice speaking right from the BEGINNING!
  7. Try to live your language as much as you can. You should do everything you can in your target language. Think about what you do in your native language and then try to do it in the language you want to learn.
  8. Change the language on your social media websites.
  9. Change the language on your smartphone.
  10. Read books for children if normal books are too difficult for you.
  11. Study vocabs you just can’t keep in mind with apps extra for this problem.
  12. Find a chat group in your target language. More people, more fun.
  13. Try to think in your target language, even if you’re quite new to it. For example learn the numbers and use your target language for counting.
  14. Make a plan for learning. (Yeah that came a little bit late lol)
  15. Find out which learning type you are. Seriously don’t skip this. You really, really, really should know that! It will make things so much easier!
  16. Use new words as soon as you can. For example when chatting with your language exchange partner: replace every word you can with your new vocab.
  17. Write a list with big and (IMPORTANT) small goals (!!!)
  18. Listen to music while reading the lyrics, even if you don’t understand it.
  19. Read a book and listen to the audio version of it.
  20. Write a diary in your target language.
  21. Talk to yourself. Who could be more interesting? :p
  22. Write a list with rewards for reaching your goals.
  23. TRACK YOUR PROGRESS! You will need this when hitting a plateau.
  24. Search for apps/websites that are only available in your target language and use them.
  25. Use a calendar with your goals and progress on it.
  26. Use image search for hard vocabs. Try to get a connection to this word.

    Done. I hope some of these tips help you. :)
    PS: Sorry for mistakes but my new notebook marks every English word as wrong.
Day 4 / 365 days of productivity and language learning. ☕ 20. Nov. 2017 I had trouble with my internDay 4 / 365 days of productivity and language learning. ☕ 20. Nov. 2017 I had trouble with my internDay 4 / 365 days of productivity and language learning. ☕ 20. Nov. 2017 I had trouble with my internDay 4 / 365 days of productivity and language learning. ☕ 20. Nov. 2017 I had trouble with my intern

Day 4 / 365 days of productivity and language learning. ☕

20. Nov. 2017

I had trouble with my internet the past days and don’t know which productivity day I have now… so I’m using a date on my post from now on haha.
I’m not the best Studyblr or Langblr so far.^^
This is a Bujo entry I made yesterday. It’s a to do list for this week. Like studying Korean, making a Tumblr post, new vocabs, meditation and stuff like that.
Sorry for the chaos but… you know… I’m a chaotic person. ^^
I hope everyone is having a productive day while studying or language learning or whatever. :)


Post link

doinglanguagestuff:

image

Do you know these times when you’re sitting in front of your textbook, trying to learn these boring af vocabs you’ve seen 1000 times but still can’t remember and just wish to do something different (or hoping that the world explodes so you can at least stop)?

Well, there are more ways to learn a language and I think because we just learned how we “should” learn a language at school, we’re limited in creativity. Thanks to school it’s hard to think outside of this “textbook, vocab lists, tests, etc.” stuff but there are ENDLESS things you can do to learn a language.
Remember: everything you do in your native language, you can try to do in your target language!

This is for all the people who are tired and exhausted, who are thinking about quitting or don’t have fun with their target language anymore.
DON’T YOU DARE TO GIVE UP! YOU’VE COME SO FAR!

_____________________________________________

Examples for different ways of learning a language:

  • write a diary
  • summarise an article about a topic you like (cooking, fitness, etc.)
  • listen to a podcast/radio
  • listen to music (while reading the lyrics)
  • try to sing along with music
  • read out loud while reading a book/magazine/blog/etc.
  • watch movies/series/videos
  • record videos in your target language or about how studying is going (progress, problems, etc.)
  • write a blog (well hello there :))
  • use apps that make it more fun (duolingo, memrise, lingodeer)
  • chat with native speakers
  • actually talk to native speakers ( I know what a crazy idea)
  • read websites about things you’re interested in
  • use social media only available in your target language
  • change the language of your smartphone
  • change the language of your pc
  • change the language of your life
  • play games in your target language (like not necessarily for learning it, I mean just playing a normal game IN your target language)  
  • take online lessons with teachers that make you forget you’re learning
  • do a challenge! (I love this one so much)
  • find a learning group
  • be active in forums (no matter about language learning or a forum in your target language)
  • find a language exchange partner. (You should, seriously.)
  • watch lessons on youtube
  • read a (children-)book (with audio)
  • talk to yourself 
  • think in your target language (a fun way is to tell a story about your life while it’s happening like “I went down the road with a stranger always behind me, who could it be? What does he want? It got quite… too quite. I tried to keep calm but was it really a coincidence? All in the middle of nowhere?” I know I’m bad at this but I hope you get what I mean, think of it like reading a book.)
  • learn vocabs with pictures, type in the word you want to know and ONLY look for pictures, try to feel the word. If you google for “strawberry” (in your target language and don’t know what it means) look at the pictures, the colours, how could it smell? Make a sentence with the new word. When was the last time you ate it? How was it?
  • Write a story/book online or just for yourself.
  • Make a mindmap
  • Use a topic jar (a jar where you put in notes with different topics on it, you take one every day and write/talk about it)
  • use social media to find groups interested in learning a new language or your target language
  • translate texts and act like you’re a famous translator who’s the only person on earth who can translate your target language (for example if you’re reading articles about historical stuff, act like you’re the only one who can find out what happened back then and the whole world is counting on you!)
  • try to solve random online tests
  • listen to a song/audiobook/whatever and write down what you hear
  • search for words you want to learn and build up (funny!) sentences with them or even whole stories
  • read comics/mangas/etc.
  • search for receipts  in your target language and pray to god you’re doing it right… if not, well you won’t forget the vocab again. Win-win situation. :p
  • search for language learning groups near your living place and actually meet them (stay safe and check everything before)
  • listen to children songs (I still remember the first children song I learned in English lessons… like… 11 years ago in 5th grade) these songs are supposed to stick… *cough* head shoulders knees and toes knees and toes *cough* sorry where was I?
  • connect with language learners over Skype (useful groups of course like German trying to learn French, Frenchman trying to learn Turkish, Turk trying to learn German)
  • write a list (you know… like I do right know so I don’t forget English)
  • describe things you see (more fun with a partner)
  • teach your target language to others
  • listen to audio while sleeping
  • take notes in your target language (I don’t mean for grammar rules or something like that, I mean notes you would take in your native language anyway)
  • write a letter (so much better than an e-mail)
  • write an e-mail (who has time for letters)
  • learn rimes 
  • learn jokes (it’s also useful for social interaction)
  • talk to your pets (at least if they listen to you, if I start to talk to my cat she starts yelling into my face)
  • translate songs and learn the vocab of it so you have more fun listening to it later
  • think about a topic and write down every word you can think of and then translate them into your target language

An old post I often use recently.

Use the polite form in German to be rude.

So a friend wanted to practice German with me and started to speak in the polite form.

I told him that it’s not necessary to use it with me because 1. we’re about the same age and 2. we’re talking over the internet.

He asked me what the second thing has to do with it. I told him that I would use the polite form to speak with a 50 years old in real-life but not if he is messaging me over the internet.

Then he asked what I’m talking about, because I once sent him a screenshot of a weird old men. And I used the polite form while talking to him.

The thing is, this 50 years old man tried to hit on me and I was using the polite form to make clear (for him), how much older he is. So he would stop with this bullshit. But he was like all the other old men who try to hit on me and said “oh you don’t need to use the polite form with me, we’re basically around the same age”. Sorry b*tch, we’re what? I’m 22. Even if you double my age I’m still younger!

I kept using the polite form, which makes them angry every single time because it basically means “You’re so much older, don’t even dream of sleeping with me. It’s disgusting.”

And I think it’s really funny how you can use a polite form to be rude af and make people angry by using it with them.

Languages. Weird little things.

doinglanguagestuff:

So I found myself struggling these days because of a loss of motivation. Of course that’s normal, especially while learning a new language. First you’re like “I can learn this language in one night!” motivated but that can change into “How the f*ck could anyone remember all this sh*t?? Why am I doing this…”. I already saw that coming because it was the same with the language I learned before. That’s why I made a list for my future-me to look at when I feel like giving up. Now it’s time for it and I thought I could share it with you. Hopefully it helps some of you! :)

1. Drink water or juice. Yes I know, this is something people like to skip, because they want to get to the “real” tips, but please don’t do that! If you’re feeling tired, exhausted, down or even depressiv this can help you! 

2. Clean your desk. If it looks like world war 3 just passed your table, it’s too messy and you will feel like it.

3. Read the list. Yes I mean THE list. Oh wait… you don’t know what I’m talking about? I mean the list you wrote down with reasons why you want to have good grades, why you started this new language, why you have to study the stuff you have to study right now. What do you mean you don’t have a list like that? Write one and then read it!

4. Look at your goals. What do you mean you don’t have a list with small goals that will keep you motivated? What are you doing the whole day? Write one! And be sure you write down small goals you can reach in like a few days or weeks. Everything else will be too far away.

5. Look at the list with rewards you will get/do/buy yourself if you reach a goal. Yes… I’m sure you have a list like that. I’m sure because you know you need one. Who doesn’t like rewards?… Of course you have one. Of course.

6. Anything is better than nothing. Watch a movie in your target language, listen to music the guy you have to learn about composed or watch a Youtube video of this stupid maths stuff you don’t get. Also if you sit down and just study 5 minutes it’s better than nothing. 

7. Start a challenge. There are challenges for everything everywhere on the internet. Find one you like, set your goals, choose your rewards and start. This coffee you want to drink at this cool new Coffee shop won’t drink itself!

8. Teleport yourself into the future and skip studying. Of course that doesn’t work! Do I look like a wizard? No. But just close your eyes for a little bit, relax and imagine how you feel after reaching your goal. For example if you are studying a new language, imagine how you visit the country where your target language is spoken. You wake up and go outside for breakfast. You order what you want in your target language, while people look at you, impressed on how good you speak their language. You sit down and drink your coffee/tea, while a cute young man asks if he can sit next to you, because all other seats are taken. He starts a conversation and you have no problem to speak in your target language. He tells you how cute your accent is and asks you for a date. Oh, that won’t happen? Of course not if you don’t study.

9. Go for a walk. I know, just like “drink water” you probably want to skip that, but just don’t. If you really don’t want to go for a walk open all windows. Breath.

10. Meditate. Maybe you’re just too stressed. Calm yourself down for a moment.

11. Exercise. Your body will produce happy hormones. Yes I said happy hormones and yes they exist. Probably not with this name but who cares. The chance is higher to feel motivated to study after a workout.

12. Write a To Do List. Yes I like lists because they work. Write down what you HAVE TO DO today. If nothings helps you should at least do these things and just take a nap. The world is brighter after a nap.

13. There is no thirteen.

image

If you know which type of learner you are, you are able to learn much faster! Everyone learns in another way. Just because something works good for person A, doesn’t mean it will work good for person B. Many years ago I found a blog written by a guy who learns languages really fast. So I tried to use the same methods but for some reason it didn’t work AT ALL. I just moved on trying to find “the best learning method ever”. Of course I didn’t find it, because there is non that works for all. If I think about it now, all his methods were for people who learn through listening. And I’m to 90% a visual learner. No way it could have worked for me. But there are still people trying to use the newest, best and most trending language hack. In the end most of them will be disappointed.

Let’s look at it like it’s a superpower. If you can remember stuff someone told you months ago, then your superpower is your listening skill, because many people couldn’t even remember it, if their life depends on it. And if you saw a photo as a child, and still know how it looked like, then congratulations, your superpower is your visual learning skill.

So to learn as fast as you can and especially to remember it later, it’s important for you to find out which superpower you have and USE IT!

________________________________

Time to find out which superpower you have! There are several tests on the internet but they will more or less all tell you the same.

Here’s a test I chose with 20 questions you have to answer. You will find out if you learn best through listening, seeing or doing. There are other tests that even divide it into 7 learning types or more, but in the end it’s still one of these 3.

________________________________

Here are learning methods you should try, depending on your result.

Visual (learning through seeing):

  • Use colors.
  • Take photos
  • Look at pictures.
  • Use well organized layouts.
  • Make mindmaps.
  • Use/Make diagrams.
  • Make a visual journey in front of your inner eye.
  • Use flashcards
  • Draw pictures
  • Visualize things you hear
  • Try to make everything look pleasant to your eyes
  • If you learn a new word picture the situation. When could you use it?
  • Write with native speakers.
  • Watch movies.


Auditory (learning through hearing and speaking):

  • Listen to music while reading the lyrics.
  • Podcasts
  • Radio
  • Try rhymes.
  • Use the right sounds/music playing in the background while studying.
  • Record yourself and listen to it.
  • Change the lyrics of your favorite song and sing along of a karaoke version.
  • Talk to yourself.
  • Talk to native speakers.
  • Read everything out loud.
  • Speak out loud what you are writing.


Tactile (learning through doing):

  • Use your touch sense.
  • Walk around while studying.
  • Imagine how it would feel like to do the things you learn. For example the word pizza, imagine how you make one.
  • Describe things. For example if you learn the German word “Kaffee” (coffee), describe the warmth, how the cup feels, were you put it, etc.
  • Use physical objects as much as you can (flashcards, etc.)
  • Draw pictures.
  • Build things with your hands.
  • Write stuff down.
  • Use role playing while you act like you’re in a specific situation.
  • Pay attention to your breathing.
  • Chew a gum.
  • Trace words with your fingers.

There are many more things you can do, depending on your superpower. You just have to be a little bit creative (or google what learning methods work best for [insert your superpower here] lol). ^_^

Me: Okay, today I will get shit done. I will study at least 2 hours after work.

Brain: Or you could just take a nap.

Me: What? No. Yesterday you told me you are motivated and we will do this today.

Brain: Just think about it. You worked 9 hours and now you want to study? That seems stupid to me. Think about pizza, watching a movie, eating chocolate and taking a nap.

Me: Why are you like this to me??

Brain: Nap… What? Nap. What? Nap! I can’t hear you. TAKE A NAP!

Me:But…

Brain:Nap.

Me: You make me angry.

Brain: You know what would help you to relax? A nap.

Me every single day.

This time I want to talk about “How to live your target language”. While learning a language through textbooks, grammar rules and vocab lists we often forget what a language actually is for: using it as a social tool to live! Learning a language is like exploring the world a second time (or third, forth, fifth… I guess you know where this is going lol). 

I know many people (mostly introverts) have a problem with actually speaking their target language (I know it’s embarrassing if you don’t know what’s going on and feel like an idiot, especially when you knew how to say things before starting the conversation, I feel the same!).

But it doesn’t matter if you make tiny mistakes (I mean if you learn the language because you want to use it for what a language is for and not because your school forces you to get through a stupid test) because a language has only one purpose: communication. And if you can communicate in your target language, who cares about switching up articles or stuff like that?

It’s time to live your language, that’s the best way to learn it. Usually I would make a list, but it’s nonsense if I do that now. Everyone lives a different life so you have to try this the most suitable way for you. I will just give you an example how a day COULD look like if you try to live your target language.

Ps: this does NOT require to live in the country your target language is spoken. This is all about pretending, to live in your target country.

____________________________________

My example on how a day could look like (based on what I did when I was in school):

It’s Friday, 6 am and your alarm goes on. You hear music but have no idea what on earth they are singing, until you realize you set a radio in your target language as your alarm clock. You sit up and grab your phone. First you are irritated because everything seems to be in another language… oh right… you started your “live your language” journey yesterday and changed the language of your phone and PC to your target language. It’s time for breakfast so you eat while keep listening to the radio, where people are talking about a topic… but you only understand every third word. You’re late for the bus (like seriously that happened every day to me) and run. The bus ride is 35 minutes long, so you start listening to your favourite music in your target language.

At school you find out that the second lesson will be free because the teacher is sick. So you use this time to read a comic in your target language, because last time you tried a book, it was a little bit too hard to understand. In your last lesson you have to research a topic and give a short presentation but you are allowed to use your phone so you search for the things you want to know in your target language.

After school you walk to the bus station while a drunken person bumps into you and tells you to f*cking go out of the way. You think about all the insults you know in your target language while keep walking to get the bus. Sitting in the bus you tell your language exchange partner about this idiot (of course in your target language) and start listening to music (YES in your target language!). You’re feeling good.

Back at home you throw your bag into the corner and yourself on the bed. You think about what to do next. Homework? No, you do that before school because you’re always an hour too early thanks to the stupid bus plan. You grab your phone and watch your favourite [insert target language here] youtubers. After eating you use your PC to play Sims 4. You remember why you chose this game… an easy game about everyday life to learn simple words like “work, food, shower, table, etc.”. After playing you read some blogs about how life in your target country is like and what the most beautiful places are. In your target language. I know I probably don’t have to keep mentioning it but I just want to be clear. Everything IN YOUR TARGET LANGUAGE (I will stop mentioning it now but everything I talk about is in your target language). After playing Sims you watch the new episode of your favourite series. There was a really interesting plot twist so you go online and find a discussion about it and you join it. While exchanging about it you get a Skype call from your language exchange partner. You two talk about how your day was and try to get him to watch this new series. After the call you read about a new social media site, only available in your target language and sign up. Many native speakers message you, asking why you learn their target language and offering you help. You record your progress with a camera and upload it on youtube.

The day comes to an end and you write everything that happened into your diary. You get ready for bed, lay down and start listening to an audio book. You fall asleep while listening to it and the people in your dream are talking the things you still hear from the audio book. Good thing you are listening to a romantic story, so you meet a handsome guy in your dreams. Sleep tight. :)

The best way to keep your motivation is to reward yourself for reaching your goals (even the small ones!). :)
But first you need to set goals… if you have no idea what you could do on your language learning journey you can check out this postfrom@lovelybluepanda.
It’s a really cool post about “100 Goals you can have as a language learner”. There are daily, weekly, monthly and yearly goals.
So, if you’re done choosing the goals you want to reach, it’s time to choose the reward you want to get after completing it.
__________________________________

Here are examples for rewards you can give yourself. :)

  • go to a café with your friends
  • watch a movie at the cinema
  • make a trip to another city
  • buy stickers, pencils, markers, washi tapes, etc. everything you’re using for your language learning entries
  • buy yourself something big for reaching big goals ( like even a car, yes I’m talking about REALLY big goals)
  • new shoes
  • an app
  • a monthly subscription for a language learning app/website like Busuu,  Babbel or Memrise
  • food from your target country
  • beauty stuff from your target country (yes I’m looking at you Korean and Japanese learners, there is much you can buy)
  • order food to your house
  • nail polish, lipstick, beauty masks, etc. (just small things you can buy at the next drugstore)
  • massage
  • new hairstyle
  • eyelashes extensions
  • take a day off
  • visit a museum
  • buy yourself a new book (maybe even one for language learning)
  • make a Netflix day
  • candy from the next grocery store
  • buy something that’s trending in your target country
  • a trip to your target country
  • go to a restaurant with friends or your family
  • a new outfit
  • get a pedicure/manicure
  • buy yourself flowers
  • take a course (like cooking, drawing, etc.)
  • visit a comedy club
  • tickets for a festival/band/singer you want to see
  • go golfing with friends
  • paintball (like seriously… try it with friends it’s fun haha :))
  • spa day
  • join a sport club
  • gym membership
  • go camping
  • a new laptop bag
  • look online for something you want and take the first thing you see (that’s especially for people like me who usually need days to decide if they want something or not)
  • visit a bookstore or library
  • make a picnic
  • take a hot bubble bath
  • buy a magazine or even subscribe to one
  • buy a plant for the room you’re usually studying
  • new headphones to have a better quality while listening to songs in your target language
  • piercing
  • tattoo
  • jewellery
  • buy a few online lessons in italki
  • yoga / meditation
  • buy candy from your target language
  • buy a bag with candy from all over the world
  • a mixer for smoothies
  • new workout clothes
  • go to a party/club
  • a new journal (or your first one)
  • a fancy waterbottle
  • search for new songs in your target language
  • a colouring book to relax
  • put money into a jar every time you reach a goal (for a bigger reward)
  • search for events near your city
  • go on a road trip with your best friend or partner
  • take language classes
  • buy a new videogame
  • try a new hobby

Done. I hope you find some of my ideas helpful. :)

loading