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Learn a new language today with this simple guide
Among the most common problems faced by people wishing to learn a foreign language, lack of time occupies a prominent place. But regardless of your busy schedule here are 4 practical tips to help you manage your time better so you can learn a new language in no time!
Do you often say: "I don't have the time"?
Quite often this question of time is an excuse not to learn a language. It's true, it's easier to make that excuse than to take the bull by the horns! Your busy day might actually not leave you much time but there is always some time. Time flies, so focus on not wasting it and use it in the most intelligent and useful way possible.
Cut out things you waste time on.
There is no shame in recognising we waste a lot of time doing activities that are time-consuming but are not allowing us to achieve much. Scrolling through Facebook and Instagram, watching an entire series on Netflix, the list goes on...
To overcome these small losses of time, first you need to identify them. Start by writing them all down on a sheet. Now, start cutting out things you can do without or give yourself a time limit on them. Don't fall into the extreme opposite of having every minute of your free time assigned to a 'useful' task. Moments of relaxation are important for your wellbeing, just find the right balance between recharging your batteries and using your time to its fullest.
Reclaim those lost hours
For those of you who are true workaholics, why not work an extra half an hour a day to be really effective. Take this half an hour to perform several small tasks which will significantly reduce your workload once you have returned home and leave you with more time to do the things you want. You could even use your commute as a chance to catch up on the last tasks for the day.
Create your own schedule
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Write down your ideal day on a sheet of paper, from morning to evening. There is a good chance that your schedule will be easier to describe because it's more predictable than your weekends so you'll have more flexibility on Saturdays and Sundays.
As you write down your day to day tasks, try to determine the duration of each activity. This will help to give you an idea of what is important and what isn't, giving you room to create a schedule perfect for you to learn a new language.
Once you have done all of this here are few more steps you can start right now to get you started on your languages journey:
- Grab a sticky note, write one word for every week and put it on a wall you regularly pass by
- Once you are comfortable with a certain amount of words, repeat a sentence weekly to help you with pronunciation
- Review memory cards in your spare time
- Make a short session on a languages application and say a few sentences to one of your friends to get you practising
- Listen to music, watch films or read a newspaper in the language you are learning, you will pick up more than you think!
If you only learn one lesson from this guide it is that you probably have a lot more free time than you think and now it's time to use that time properly. It's like sitting on a diamond mine and now you have the tools to extract them.
