Learning a language is like training a muscle – it’s a never-ending, back and forth process. The hard work required to progress in a language makes it a challenge to fit into day-to-day life, especially as a student or full-time working gal!
If you’re studying a degree in languages, this can seem even more tiresome.
You’re already sitting in classrooms day-in and day-out, nose in grammar books and filtering through centuries-old literature. Once home, there’s dinner, laundry, readings, and socialising to think about. By the time you stop and breathe, the idea of revising what you did in class seems like the last thing on earth you want to do. Especially when nothing seems to stick in your head!
I have personally struggled with the above. It’s affected my grades and ability to reach my potential in my degree. Finding engaging and effective study methods as a student with little time has been un défi.
The key is to make the habits tiny, to stay consistent, and to be creative.
A good starting point for building any routine is James Clear’s Atomic Habits. In his book he outlines four key steps to build habits using the habit loop: cue-craving-response-reward.
This could truly change the way you learn languages as a busy student. The main useful takeaways include:
- Make it obvious and prime your environment. For example, if you want to revise your flashcards before bed, create a prompt by placing the deck on your pillow and making it visible. Then you’ll remember to spend 10 minutes flicking through them.
- Use habit stacking. Identify your current habits that are part of your everyday, like your morning coffee, washing up, or brushing your teeth. Then combine them with a language-learning habit and “stack” these together. Use the formula “After [current habit], I will [new habit]”.
- Make it attractive. Pair an action you want to do with an action you need to do, surround yourself by a like-minded culture, have goals, and use inspiring tools.
- Make it easy. Reduce the number of steps between you and your good habits, use tools to facilitate these habits, and finally make them tiny using the 2-minute rule.
To find out more about James Clear’s Atomic Habits, click here.
Now you’re familiar with the above, here are five techniques you can use to implement a language-learning routine as a busy student.
1. Have a language-learning planner.
There are many facets to learning a language – grammar, vocab, colloquial words, and much more. Things can get all over the place quickly. A planner will help you organise and structure your learning, so that you can easily track your progress and keep record of your knowledge.
2. Listen to the language before and during sleep.
It may sound silly, but your brain is at its most receptive to new information as it gets ready to snooze. Plus, it’s probably the most effortless, busy bee-friendly language-learning method! There are plenty of podcasts, videos, and audiobooks to choose from to send you to sleep. Just let your subconscious do the magic…
3. Keep flashcards in your handbag.
Personally, I am trying to keep my eyes off my phone as much as possible, so hand-held flashcards are my preference. But whether you go old-school or digital, spaced repetition is a must for language-learning, so have these ready and on-the-go for when you’re travelling to uni, going to the supermarket, or even the pub…
4. Carry a notebook (a word jotter)
Having a plain, bog-standard (but pretty) notebook on me at all times has been a game changer. Again, you can just use your phone’s notes app. However I’m all for trying to spend less time on our phones! Whether you’re on holiday abroad or on your morning commute in rainy England listening to a German podcast, you need a place to record new words. How many times have you thought, I should probably remember that one, but got nowhere to jot it… Carry a notebook!
5. Cook, wash, tidy, and listen!!!
As a student you have many chores to do and this takes up time. But these are optimal opportunities for effortless language input. Slap on a podcast, YouTube video, news channel or TV show and get multi-tasking.
6. Work Out & Learn
If working-out forms part of your routine, try following an at-home Pilates sesh in French or joining a Spanish-speaking run club. You could even listen to music or a podcast if you fancy it. There are many ways of combining sport and language-learning, you just need to think outside the box!
7. Speak & Socialise
Build your circle of like-minded people and spend time with linguist-friends. As everyoneeee says: all you need to do is speak! Whether they’re course mates, people living in your city, or members of the tête-à-tête community, there is always a way to foster friendships that will enrich your language-learning journey and to make it fun.
And those are all the tips! Remember the four key points to form any habit: make it obvious, make it attractive, habit stack, and make it easy.
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