5 Ways to Make Time for Language Learning

“Time is a created thing. To
say ‘I don’t have time,’ is like
saying, ‘I don’t want to.’”
- Laozi

Think that you
“don’t have time”
to learn a language?

You don’t need more time in the day.
You need to use your time wisely.
Image © anieto2k | flickr

So let’s take a time inventory and find
a place for language learning
in every single day.
Image © pure.sugar | flickr

“There’s never enough
time to do all the nothing
you want.”
- Bill Watterson

For one week, keep a very detailed account of your activities
from the time you wake up until you go to sleep.
Image © oatsy40 | flickr

Don’t let your precious time
end up in here!
Image © oatsy40 | flickr
For one week, keep a very detailed account of your activities
from the time you wake up until you go to sleep.

Now evaluate!
Do you spend a lot
more time in front of
the TV than you thought
because the couch is
just so comfy?
Image © kurafire | flickr

Identify your time wasters and
reallocate that time to
language study.
Start slowly! If you must
unwind in front of the TV, turn
on the subtitles, or set aside
commercial breaks for
studying.
Image © conskeptical | flickr

“Time you enjoy wasting
is not wasted time.”
- Marthe Troly-Curtin

Sometimes you waste time doing an activity, like
watching too much TV, but sometimes you waste
time doing nothing.
Image © Matthew Simantov

Instead of removing tasks from your
schedule, look for “dead time” where you
can simply add in a language.

Don’t cut your run short to study! Add a
few foreign language songs to your running
mix instead!
Image © timtak | flickr

Spending 30 minutes commuting every day?
Crack open a language book while you wait!
Image © Serge Melki

Don’t add in language learning as just another chore.
Add it in to spice up your existing daily routine!
Image © stu-spivack | flickr

Image © stu-spivack | flickr
Don’t add in language learning as just another chore.
Add it in to spice up your existing daily routine!

3 Plan ahead
(and not just for studying)

“You may delay, but time
will not.”
- Benjamin Franklin

Planning out language lessons is
great… but only if you have time to
do them! Try planning out other
aspects of your life. It will help you
save up precious minutes to put
towards studying!
Image © JacQuLyne | flickr

Image © ornello_pics | flickr
Plan out a week’s worth of meals and buy everything
you’ll need at once. It will save you a few trips to the
store, and those minutes add up.

Put everything in its right place. Keep
your study materials organized and easily
accessible. Lay out an outfit, pack your
gym bag, and prepare a lunch the night
before. This will save a few minutes of
scrambling in the morning.

Make a list before you run
an errand. Don’t stray from your
list and waste time wandering the
aisles. It’ll save you money too! Win-win.
Image © waitscm | flickr

Get organized and plan
ahead as much as possible,
even for little things. Saving 2-3
minutes here and there
throughout your day adds up!
Image © North Charleston | flickr

“Time is what we want most,
but what we use worst.”
- William Penn

DROP
YOUR
WEAPON
Image © NeilT|flickr

DROP
YOUR
WEAPON
Image © NeilT|flickr
We love our devices just as much as you
do. (We are a tech company, after all!)
But seriously, back away!

When was the last time you Googled one quick thing or checked
just one e-mail and didn’t end up spending 20 extra minutes
surfing the web for cat memes?

Addicted to web surfing? Use RescueTime.com
to monitor just how much time you’re wasting
online and impose time restrictions on yourself for
specific websites.
Image © barbourians | flickr

Glued to your e-mail? Turn off the alerts and
designate only 3-4 times throughout the day to
check it in bulk. You lose precious time and
productivity by abandoning your current task to
check every incoming message.
Image © John Snape

Totally absorbed by social media?
This may seem like an impossible habit
to break, but at the very least, make
a lesson out of it! Follow a few
celebrities who tweet in your
target language, or follow
language-learning pages!
Image © Jason A. Howie

Commit to 30-60 minutes of complete
“disconnectivity” each day. Even if you
don’t put it all to studying, you’ll be
more productive.
Image © pbalcer | flickr

“Time is what keeps
everything from
happening at once.”
- Ray Cummings

You may be sensing a theme here: taking the
time to plan and organize actually saves you
time in the long run. A great way to manage
your time? Schedule it in a calendar.

Blocking off meetings, errands, and
commitments helps you visualize
your time and stay on track. Why
not schedule time specifically for
language-learning?
Image © Alan Cleaver

Blocking off meetings, errands, and
commitments helps you visualize
your time and stay on track. Why
not schedule time specifically for
language-learning?
Image © Alan Cleaver
If you had a meeting with a language tutor,
you’d show up, right? Literally schedule a
meeting with yourself and treat it the same way.

Scheduling a short study session for the same time each day will
reinforce your commitment and turn it into a ritual, like going
to the gym straight from work or having a bowl of ice-cream
just before bed.
Image © ginnerobot | flickr

There’s time in each day
for a language if you look hard
for it and use it wisely. Start slow, get
organized, plan ahead, and commit to it!
Image © blue2likeyou | flickr

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5 Ways to Make Time for Language Learning

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