Keeping Your Language Learning Motivation

Keeping your motivation during a new language learning journey can be an uphill battle. You may think to yourself at times, “I’d have a lot more free time if I just gave this up.” Here are four ways you can keep your language learning motivation boosted. We hope you can use one or all of these language learning tips to benefit your learning journey.

Switch Up Your Study Routine: Try doing the same thing 50 times in a row. Is it still fun? Well, maybe for some people, but repetition can get boring fast for most ordinary folk. Learning is best done when the material is kept fresh and sufficient variation of activities. Changing the flow of your study routine can add a shock value to your language learning journey while keeping your mind fresh.

Ask for Accountability: It’s easy to say that you’ll hold yourself accountable for certain circumstances, but you know what’s hard? Holding yourself accountable. Ask a friend, family member, or even a stranger to hold you accountable to keep up your language learning progress. And to add gas to the fire, add a consequence or two for when you fail your accountability tests. For instance, every day you forget to record a new word in your notebook, pay your accountability partner $40. That might seem like a lot for missing ONE word, but the consequences have to hurt, or it won’t work.

Change Your Scenery: Sometimes, when we’re low on motivation, all we need is a change of scenery. Studying in the same place all the time can make your life seem like a still painting. That means you get so used to the setting that you become part of it rather than using it to your advantage. For example, I used to study Japanese in my university’s library every day. But eventually, I’d just go to the library and blend in, doing anything ELSE other than studying Japanese. So I started to study outside in front of the school’s garden and that one small change greatly improved my motivation to continue studying Japanese.

Try Learning Another Language: Okay, I know what you’re thinking. “Why would I try learning a new language when I’m already low on motivation for this one?” This language learning tip is a temporary one. Being introduced to new concepts in language learning can inspire you to learn even more new concepts in your target language. When I studied Japanese in college, I hit a roadblock in my junior year. I knew I wanted to keep studying Japanese but was slightly bored. So I started to learn Esperanto for about three months. Eventually, my mindset returned to a state where I wanted to continue learning Japanese. I found that Esperanto expanded my understanding of comprehension in general and its easy nature helped me appreciate the problematic elements of the Japanese language.

Let us know some ways you keep up your language learning motivation. Language learning can be challenging at times but the payoffs are always worth the cause. Connecting to a larger community that would’ve been impossible otherwise is a huge accomplishment. Keep learning your target language(s), making connections and, achieving your goals.