Learning a new language is definitely an exciting adventure, but it’s not always easy. Learning your favorite language might take a long time, and we are facing distractions daily. Staying motivated can and will be challenging on your language learning journey, and you may even consider giving up on the way. But you should always remember, every language learner has been there! What’s important is getting back on track and realizing that there’s no rush to reach fluency your target language. You’re doing this for yourself. In this article, I’ll explore some tips to help you stay motivated on your language learning journey.
1. Setting Goals and Rewards
The power of setting goals and rewards is undeniable—it can boost your motivation to achieve anything you desire. The key is to break your larger goal (e.g., becoming fluent in Korean) into smaller, achievable steps and reward yourself for each step of the way. Make sure your rewards are personally motivating, and it’s even better if they relate to your target language. Here’s an example:
- 1-month goal: Learn 300 new vocabulary words.
- Reward: Treat yourself to a new notebook.
- 3-month goal: Complete the first book.
- Reward: Finally watch that series you’ve been longing to see for months.
Setting up these rewards should definitely help you stay motivated in the long run, and they don’t necessarily have to involve spending money. Rely on your willpower! (resisting the temptation to watch that TV show you’ve been meaning to can be tough but extremely rewarding when you finally do).
2. Build Habits
Building the habit of daily language study, even if just for a short time, can help you maintain consistency. With time, it can become a routine, just like taking a shower or brushing your teeth. Staying consistent in language learning is key for long-term improvement, and it’s better to stay consistent and study for a short time each day rather than a long time once every two months.
To build this habit, try dedicating a short, fixed period of time each day to studying. For example, you can study vocabulary for 10 minutes during your daily subway commute to and from school. At first, it might seem complicated but with time you will just do it naturally.
3. Switch Methods and Resources
There may come a point when you feel like you’re not improving and it might lead you to frustration and eventually loss of motivation. Don’t feel bad about it, it’s a step of every learning journey, and especially in a language, everyone experiences it.
To restore motivation, taking a short break or changing your learning resource/method could help. If you’ve been using textbooks consistently, try diversifying your methods. For example, you can start by listening to podcasts more or practicing your speaking skills, even if it’s just by talking to yourself. Varying resources to learn and finding fun ways to learn will definitely help you. If you find yourself stuck and think your current method is not efficient, don’t hesitate to switch. Language learning materials are numerous and various, you will, for sure, find something that suits you and that will make learning fun.
4. The Power of Passive Learning
Sometimes you might feel motivated, some other times not at all. But even when you’re not motivated and don’t want to open your books, you can still learn passively. What I’d suggest is that, if you’re really not feeling motivated, just start by listening to your target language passively: listen to a podcast, watch a YouTube video, or watch a tv show. Doing that will expose you to your target language, and immersing yourself in the language is important. And as you’re listening to your podcast, tv show movie, or even music, you might want to write some new vocabulary words down or some expressions you’ve spotted. Without realizing it, you will end up in a more active study session.
To find out some useful resources in your target language, YouTube is your best friend! And if you are studying Korean, you can head up to “Korean Learning Resources“, on which I listed some listening resources you can use for your learning journey.
Conclusion
Learning a language is challenging for sure. You’ll need a lot of dedication, time, and most importantly, power of will. It will take time to reach the level you want to reach, but you can do it. Always remember: learning a language is not a race, you don’t have to compare yourself to others or feel bad about your progress. Take it step by step and stay focused.
