🎬 Start learning - and actually stick to it
How I kick off my learning to enjoy new routines
Dear readers,
I haven't been able to write as much lately as I have been very busy at work. Since I work in the education field, a lot of things have to be ready by September, and with the summer holiday coming up, deadlines are approaching. I like to think of it as an opportunity to work on myself and learn to better disconnect from work to focus on what makes me happy.
I managed to keep learning Chinese, although I didn't finish the 15 lessons in two weeks like I did for HSK1. I have three lessons left in HSK2, so I am bound to finish very soon. Last time I thought it would take about 3 weeks, and it took 4, which makes sense since I had to adjust my schedule. I still think I can complete my overall planning, although I’ll probably still be working on HSK4 by the end of the year.
HSK 1 → 2 weeks (150 words, finished in May)HSK 2 → 3 weeks (+150 words, finished in June)HSK 3 → 2 months (+300 words, finished in August)
HSK 4 → 4 months (+600 words, finished in December)
What makes starting to hard?
For the past month, I tried learning new things. I sometimes get addicted and build up a lot of momentum right away. But other times, I get immediately bored and lose interest. I wondered what made a difference.
The one thing I noticed that let me know if I'm going to stick to learning something, is whether I enjoy the journey. It sounds obvious, but it can be hard to guess that in advance.
This is likely one of the reason why language learning is so hard to pick up for new learners. Once you learn one or two languages, it becomes a lot easier and more enjoyable. It's really hard to go from 0 to 1.
I failed at learning Mandarin before
I tried picking up Mandarin Chinese like a year ago, but I took a wrong approach. I was really trying to find logic and make sense out of every radical1 that I saw. I didn't realise I was a bit of an outdated method. Now that I definitely started learning Mandarin, I found how I want to learn. I'm having fun deciphering characters and practising pronunciation.
I used to really struggle with tones, since I couldn’t hear them when I started. I thought this was a priority, and I should have perfect pronunciation before actually starting learning the language. I realised this was a bit too optimistic.
Even now, my pronunciation isn’t good. But I am improving fast now that I learn to let it go. I just listen more. Repeat more. Speak. Practice. In French, I would say I found my “cruise speed”. The beginning wasn't easy, but I let go of perfectionism and had fun with it.
Now I can enjoy the journey, even though I’m busy at work. I'm still having fun going through textbooks a couple of times a week, and reviewing my characters and my sentences with flashcards every day. I’m confident I can stick to learning Chinese for a long time.
Applying this to more hobbies
I connected the dots as I tried to start dancing a while ago. Even after watching a few tutorials, it felt so foreign to me, I wasn't sure how to get started. I didn’t enjoy the process. I would just burn myself out or get really bored right away.
Taking a step back and looking at my other learning journeys, I realised this is completely normal. I should try different things for a few weeks, maybe a few months, until I feel comfortable. If I don't find a routine that I enjoy, maybe I’ll just stop. If I don’t enjoy the process, it might not be a hobby for me, and it’s fine! But I’m willing to give it a chance.
Have you noticed something similar in your learning journey? Let us know if you can relate, or if learning something new looks different for you.
I hope you have a lovely week, and I'll do my best and write to you soon.
Lou
✍️ Dear language learner
Learn your target language with useful phrases! Here are a few to translate to test yourself. If they’re relevant to you, you can add them to your notes or spaced-repetition system.
🌱 Beginner
I want to learn dancing.
🌿 Intermediate
I have no idea how to get started.
🌳 Advanced
I’ll try different methods to see what I want to stick with.
📚 Learn more
My first thoughts and learning plan
How I started learning Mandarin Chinese.
How I’m doing more while taking more breaks.
Thank you for reading “I heard from Lou”. It can be hard to find people who share your passion for learning. If you have friends who might like this letter, let them know.
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Radicals are smaller symbols that composes a Chinese character