Motivation In Language Learning: How Can I Stay Motivated?

When it comes to motivation in language learning, you can feel unstoppable one week and like a failure the next.

You start off strong, commit to your routine, and then life interrupts. A busy schedule, unexpected stress, or simple burnout can derail your progress and leave you wondering how to start again.

In this post, you'll discover my hard-earned insights, practical strategies, and real-world encouragement to help you reconnect with your motivation in language learning—even after a tough week.

Whether you're just getting started or coming back from a break, this post will show you how to keep going and build long-term success.

If you prefer watching videos to reading, hit play on the video version of this post at the top of this page.

How Do You Get Back On The Horse?

This post is based on a question I got from a StoryLearning podcast listener. Here it is:

Hi Olly, it’s Adam from the United Kingdom and I’m learning Mandarin. My question is: How do you get back on the horse?

Your plans are great, you’re working through them and having a couple of great weeks — and then you have that week where it all goes wrong and you don’t make any progress.

How do you pick yourself up again without feeling like suddenly there’s a mountain to climb, or that you're behind where you started?

What Does “Falling Behind” Really Mean?

Thanks, Adam — what a great question.

This really gets to the heart of what it means to learn a language. Because you know, it’s keeping going and not stopping that ultimately determines whether you're successful or not.

So, what is this thing of “falling behind”?

It’s very easy to have this feeling — like we're not on track, or not as good as we were last week. Maybe we’re not studying as much as some YouTube polyglot, and we start comparing ourselves.

If you've got expectations of yourself — that you'll study a certain amount or in a certain way every week — and then you don’t meet them, it leads to negative thoughts and demotivation.

Long-Term Perspective: Think in Years, Not Weeks

When I start a new language, I don’t expect to be fluent in three or six months. I see it as a project that requires years of work. For a language like Arabic, I plan for two to three years of learning to reach fluency.

Life will get in the way and trip you up. There’s no avoiding it. So one off week? It's really not such a big deal in the grand scheme of things.

I know it can feel crappy, especially when you lose a motivational streak — but again, it’s not that serious.

Be Kind to Yourself: A Powerful Mindset Shift

Someone once said to me when I was stressed about my goals (including language learning ones) and putting pressure on myself:

“Olly, why don’t you just try to be kind to yourself?”

That idea really stuck with me. It's a mantra that I try to repeat to myself.

Give yourself permission to say: If I don’t study so much this week, it’s okay. That mindset removes self-imposed pressure and frees you up to focus on the task at hand – language learning.

Learning Isn’t Linear — And That’s Okay

Sometimes, what you study sticks immediately. You use it in conversation — and it feels amazing. Other times? You study hard, and nothing goes in. You forget it later. You mess up.

This is normal. The brain is mysterious. Learning can be hard to control, even if you do the same things day in, day out. It's not a linear process.

Some of my biggest improvements came after breaks. I once took a month off to go on holiday with friends and came back feeling more fluent than before. And that's happened to me more than once.

The explanation that I have for that is that, even when you’re not actively studying, your brain is processing things in the background — even during sleep.

All this is to say: not achieving what you want to achieve one week is not a failure.

But when it feels frustrating — as Adam mentioned — then your number one priority is to get rid of that frustration, because it’s not helping.

So don't panic if you fall off the wagon. But, if you're feeling that frustration, I do have a couple of tactics to help you regain your motivation in language learning.

Practical Tactics To Reclaim Motivation In Language Learning

1. Stick to a Routine with Non-Negotiables

When you have something planned in your routine, it can help you maintain motivation in language learning. For me, it’s speaking sessions.

I’ve scheduled lessons on three afternoons a week. Even if I get busy or fall off track, those sessions pull me back in. They happen because they're organised in my schedule.

A schedule or routine creates momentum and motivation in language learning — and that’s often all you need to restart.

2. Mix It Up When You’re Unmotivated

What if one week you feel totally unmotivated? In that case, try something different. Variety can be fantastic and it gives you a break from working through a textbook or course.

• Watch movies in your target language
• Read a book (I even have a whole range of short story books for language learners!)
• Have daily video calls
• Explore new content
• Take a break from the textbook

Variety can spark motivation in language learning in a way routine can’t.

Final Words & A Motivational Quote

I’ll leave you with a memorable quote from Winston Churchill that's relevant to the topic of motivation in language learning:

“Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm.”

Winston Churchill

I don't like using the word “failure” in language learning — I prefer to call them challenges or learning moments — but the quote still applies.

Language learning requires enthusiasm through setbacks.

Setbacks are a natural part of the journey, but they don’t have to derail your progress.

By shifting your mindset, building supportive routines, and allowing yourself flexibility, you can regain and sustain your motivation in language learning.

Remember: learning consistency beats perfection, and every small step keeps you moving forward. Keep going—you’ve got this.

Motivation In Language Learning FAQ

Olly Richards

Creator of the StoryLearning® Method

Olly Richards is a renowned polyglot and language learning expert with over 15 years of experience teaching millions through his innovative StoryLearning® method. He is the creator of StoryLearning, one of the world's largest language learning blogs with 500,000+ monthly readers.

Olly has authored 30+ language learning books and courses, including the bestselling "Short Stories" series published by Teach Yourself.

When not developing new teaching methods, Richards practices what he preaches—he speaks 8 languages fluently and continues learning new ones through his own methodology.