Sample Language Learning Routine

8:30am: Commute. As I contend with rush-hour traffic, I listen to an episode of Japanese with Michel Thomas or Pimsleur, making sure to speak aloud when prompted. This works great since I am alone in my car, but I would probably opt for listening to a podcast or reading manga if I were on the bus or train.

9:10 am: Morning Meeting. Yay, meetings! Everyone’s favorite. Instead of doodling, checking email, or just zoning out, I instead use the opportunity to discreetly study. My colleagues think I am looking at the same boring PowerPoint on my laptop that they are, when I am in fact going through my Japanese Core 2000 deck in Anki.

12:30 pm: Lunch. I read 5 pages from hodou no owaru tokoro (歩道の終るところ・ほどうのおわ るとこと, the Japanese translation of Where the Sidewalk Ends). I read first for understanding, quickly highlighting—but not yet looking up—any unknown words or structures. After I’ve given a page a once through, I then go back and look up any unknown words in the Midori app on my iPhone or using Tangorin.com if my laptop is handy (the latter is preferable because you can directly export saved words to Anki). If I want to look up any new structures, I first use Tatoeba.org to see if I can figure the patterns out on my own, and then consult A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar if I’m still unsure.

1:30 pm: Tutor Session. I go back to my car, fire up the Skype app on my iPhone, and have a 15- minute chat with my tutor. I ask him questions about particular words, phrases, and constructions that came up in that day’s listening and reading activities. I find this type of tutoring to be far more effective for me since the entire session is focused only on what I don’t yet understand, and far easier for the tutor since they then don’t have to prepare a “lesson” in advance.

1:45 pm: Anki Session. I go back to my desk and finish up my lunch break with a quick 10-minute Anki session. I am pleased to hit the green button on some cards that proved more troublesome this morning.

4:30 pm: Afternoon Meeting. Oh boy, more meetings! Since the afternoon meeting is even more worthless than its morning counterpart, I discretely look up some new words that came up during my lunch-time tutor session.

5:30 pm: Commute. I listen to the rest of the Michel Thomas CD from this morning. Again, I make sure to actually speak aloud when prompted as passive understanding is far less important than active recall.

6:30 pm: Gym. I re-listen to this morning’s podcast episode as I warm up on the treadmill, and then listen to some high-octane Japanese music as I hit the weights.

7:00 pm: Dinner. I wind down from the day with another episode of Cowboy Bebop or re-watch this morning’s episode if I’m feeling extra motivated. The wonderful music gets my toes tapping and head bobbing as I cook.

7:30 pm: Nightly Entertainment. I stream a Japanese movie on Netflix. To help prevent the blue light from screwing with my circadian rhythm and making it hard to fall asleep later, I don my geeky orange glasses, dim the lights, and turn the brightness down on my device.

9:30 pm: Before Bed. I listen to another Newbie level episode from JapanesePod101.com as I brush my teeth and get ready for bed.

9:45 pm: In Bed. I crack open hodou no owaru tokoro (歩道の終るところ・ほどうのおわるとこと) and re-read the pages I went through during lunch, and read another 5 pages.

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So there you have it! Thanks, John!

I have a tough time myself when I'm not living in an environment where my target language is being spoken all the time. I struggle to stay motivated at times, and here in Qatar it's especially difficult! Tinkering with my day and proactively looking for those Cantonese resources which actually fit in and around my work has been really important for me.

I thought I was doing quite well, but seeing this schedule really made me think about just how many hours in the day can be made available for language learning if we want it badly enough!

How badly do you want it?

What I want you to do before you move on with your day is this:

• Grab a bit of paper and write down 5 points in your day where you could fit in some language work
• Gather the resources you need to do this
• Start today!

Did you do it? Good.

If you found this sample routine useful, there are a mammoth 537 more pages of awesomeness in the guide itself. Click here to check it out!

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