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<\/a><\/p>\nAnyone who’s ever taken a trip knows that planning how<\/i> to do something can be more work than actually doing the thing itself<\/strong>. In the case of learning a language from scratch, you have to figure out how you’re going to build up all your language skills (writing, listening, speaking, etc.) simultaneously using materials that are challenging but not too challenging.<\/p>\n Having to constantly worry about organizing how you’re going to learn can get tiring and boring fast. So to get this potential motivation killer out of the way, try doing as much planning in advance as possible. Draw up a language learning plan<\/a> that includes a schedule, a list of what materials you’re going to use and a rough timeline.<\/p>\n The idea is that whenever you sit down to learn a\u00a0language, you should be able to go straight to the meat of your language learning and not have to worry about deciding what to work on. Being able to follow a preexisting plan is especially helpful on days when motivation for language learning is lagging.<\/p>\n When you get through your plan, draw up a new language learning plan. Note that having a plan doesn’t mean you have to get stuck in a rut\u2014having a creative, interesting plan with lots of variety<\/strong> will help keep things fresh and get you through the times when you’re feeling less inspired.<\/p>\n If you’re having a hard time getting excited about language learning, sometimes a little peer pressure is just what the doctor ordered. Having activities where you have to talk to other people in your target language\u00a0<\/strong>as a regular part of your language learning schedule can make a big difference.<\/p>\n There are a couple reasons these activities are helpful for maintaining language learning motivation:<\/p>\n Face-to-face group settings are ideal for maintaining language learning motivation. Some of the activities you can try include study groups, meetups and reading groups. But if you can’t find something in your area, online language exchanges<\/a> can also add an entire new dimension to the language learning experience.<\/p>\n Academic researchers who study language learning methods have coined a term for this motivational strategy: integrative motivation<\/strong>. That’s right\u2014it’s been scientifically proven that talking to people provides you with a very uniquely effective form of motivation for language learning<\/a>.<\/p>\n But it goes a little further. Integrative motivation is extra powerful when you\u00a0care\u00a0<\/em>about the people you’re speaking with, so practicing with friends<\/strong>, family<\/strong> and significant others<\/strong> gives you an additional motivational boost. If you need to meet new people to practice with, take a strong interest in their lives and try to build a real relationship.<\/p>\n When you’re learning a new language, it can be tempting to try to learn as much new material as possible as quickly as possible. However, if you focus exclusively on learning new material, you run the risk of burning out.<\/p>\n More important than learning as much as you can as fast as you can is making sure you have fun with the stuff you’ve already learned<\/strong>. Keep a journal, compose a song or write a poem if that’s your thing. Talk to people. Even treat yourself to a meal at an ethnic restaurant, or try cooking one at home by following a recipe in your target language.<\/p>\n When you’re writing up your language learning plan, keep an eye out for courses or software that give you opportunities to review material you’ve learned in interesting ways<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Using what you’ve already learned is essential to staying motivated because learning a language isn’t a black-and-white situation where either you’ve learned the language or you haven’t. Rather, you’re gradually getting to know the language better over time<\/strong>, and it’s important to give yourself credit for what\u00a0you’ve already accomplished.<\/p>\n Besides, you’re learning a language for a particular reason, so once you’ve learned any amount of your language, use it!<\/p>\n No matter how many language learning goals you set and how organized you are, it’s hard to stay motivated if you don’t enjoy the actual process of language learning itself<\/strong>. The best antidote for the language learning blahs is to make sure you’re learning language in a way that makes you constantly curious about what you’re going to do next.<\/p>\n One way to add this spark to your language learning life is to switch out rote studying in favor of interactive learning and games whenever possible<\/a>.<\/p>\n Another way is to use\u00a0the language for things you enjoy by reading books, watching movies, etc. By using the language for things you enjoy, you’re adding more intrinsically rewarding activities to the language learning process as opposed to just learning a language to meet an external goal.<\/p>\n You can also choose long-term projects to help sustain your motivation for language learning over time. For example, if you pick a book to read that’s a page turner, but that will take you a while to get through, it’ll be that much harder to give up on language learning before finding out how things end!<\/p>\n If you’re just starting out, you can still use this strategy to motivate yourself by challenging yourself to get to the point where it is<\/i> an option to use your target language to do things you enjoy<\/strong>. That way you’re working towards a shorter-term goal instead of the way too broad goal of\u00a0becoming fluent in the language.<\/p>\n For instance, try picking a simple book you want to read, then commit to reaching a level of basic reading comprehension where you can work through that book with the help of a dictionary. Once you arrive at that point, you’ll get a big motivation boost by successfully meeting a shorter-term goal and by adding a new intrinsically rewarding activity to your language learning regime.<\/p>\n An exciting aspect of learning a language is gaining access to an entire new culture<\/strong> (magazines, TV shows, podcasts<\/a>, blogs, Twitter feeds, etc.)\u00a0that you can’t get in your native language.<\/p>\n So if you’re looking to add a motivation boost, try consuming media only available in the language you’re learning. Besides providing a way for you to work on your language through an activity you enjoy, you’re literally using what you’ve learned to do something you would never be able to do otherwise with this technique.<\/p>\n It can take a little searching to find media not available in your native language. One way to do this is to look for newly released media that’s so fresh it hasn’t been translated to other languages yet. If you’re looking for books, try Googling something along the lines of “new books in [target language].” For example, the website New Books in German<\/a> keeps a running list of yet-to-be-translated German books hot off the press. For best\u00a0results, type the search terms\u00a0in your target language.<\/p>\n Another way you can find such media is through an immersive language learning program that uses material made by and for speakers, such as FluentU<\/a>. FluentU<\/strong> takes authentic videos\u2014like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks\u2014and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.<\/p>\r\n <\/p>\r\n You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Check out the website or download the iOS app<\/a> or Android app.<\/a><\/p>\r\n2. Make Talking to People Part of Your Learning Schedule<\/h2>\n
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3. Use What You’ve Already Learned<\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n4. Do Things You Enjoy<\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n5. Find Media Not Available in Your Native Language<\/h2>\n
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