Embracing Flexibility 🌱

Navigating Language Learning Through Energy Levels

Earlier this week, I read in Japanese for a little over four hours in one sitting. This was a first for me, and I was incredibly excited about this new achievement. However, the next day, mental fatigue set in, leaving me unable to concentrate on even just my anki cards. Interestingly enough, Lindie Botes also posted a video about her language learning routine for those low energy days.

I took it as a sign to be more sociable and chat with my colleagues, opening myself to yet another form of language interaction. This change was not detrimental; instead, it highlighted the potential in varying my learning methods based on daily circumstances. It’s this organic flexibility that made me think more about the importance of adaptability in language studies.

Flexibility in language studies 📝

While I admire those who can maintain a rigid, SMART goal-driven language study schedule despite balancing work and school, I’ve found that this approach doesn’t satisfy my long-term learning needs. Instead of berating myself for not reading a certain number of pages or learning a specified amount of new words each day, I’ve chosen to adapt a more open-minded approach by focusing on what I can do. In my experience, maintaining a flexible study schedule is essential when learning a language for several reasons:

Considers Energy Fluctuations: Energy levels can vary each day. A flexible study schedule allows us to adjust how intensively we study during low, medium and high energy periods which can improve efficiency and productivity.

Balances Other Commitments: Sometimes, it can be challenging to balance language learning with other commitments like work, school, or family responsibilities. A flexible schedule allows us to adjust our learning routine according to these commitments.

Reduces Stress: Rigidity can lead to stress, self-criticism, and even burnout if we’re unable to meet our expectations due to unforeseen circumstances. A flexible schedule helps us to be more forgiving to ourselves as it allows for adjustments while still working towards our goals.

Facilitates Better Learning: Different aspects of language learning may require different mindsets and cognitive processes (like memorizing vocabulary vs creating output through writing). Being flexible with when and how we approach various tasks can help optimize our learning experience.

Encourages Self-regulation: A flexible schedule promotes autonomous learning where we learn to organize our time effectively based on personal strengths and weaknesses, leading to better self-discipline.

Promotes Consistency: A strict timetable could discourage consistent studying if it feels overwhelming or unmanageable. In contrast, a flexible one encourages regular practice as it’s more adaptable.

Low, Medium and High Energy Day Ideas 🔋

Low Energy Days 🌱

• Listen to music or a podcast in your target language. This helps improve your listening skills without requiring much energy. Victoria has a lovely post on how to learn languages with music.

• Watch movies or TV shows in your target language. It’s a relaxing activity that still keeps our brain engaged with the language. We can even use double subtitles - a fantastic tip I learned from Lou.

• Fiddle with learning apps that require less mental effort. Sometimes, vocabulary games can be the more entertaining alternative to an intimidating anki review pile.

Medium Energy Days 🪴

• Practice speaking and pronunciation. Communicate with native speakers or non-native proficient speakers and ask for feedback or record yourself doing shadowing exercises.

• Engage in different kinds of reading activities. Do a bit of extensive reading from a book and intensive reading from a news or textbook article.

• Do grammar and vocabulary exercises. This could be in the form of sentence mining, textbook reviews, online drills, etc.

High Energy Days 🌳

• Commit to an intensive study session. This could involve working through a textbook chapter, mastering new grammar topics, or learning a more than the usual amount of vocabulary words in a day.

• Write target language journal entries. This practices one’s output and challenges both grammar and vocabulary skills.

• Take online courses or attend a class if available. A structured course will provide comprehensive learning.

❓🤔 How do you usually tackle low, medium and high energy level study days?

Overall, understanding our energy levels and adjusting our language learning activities accordingly can lead to a more sustainable, stress-free, and enjoyable journey. This doesn’t imply abandoning structured goals, but rather incorporating a degree of flexibility that allows us to adapt based on our personal circumstances and daily energy fluctuations. By doing this, we’re not only enhancing our language skills but also fostering the lifelong skill of self-regulation, which is useful in any endeavor. I remind myself that it’s not about speed or meeting fixed targets daily; it’s about consistency and enjoying the process. Happy studying!