Keeping an organized schedule

[Metamorphosis]

Hello!

So I have been thinking about making this post for a while now, since I feel that my motivation is slowly dropping again. Not in the case that I don’t study Japanese every day, or that I find it boring (I still have a blast when studying).

It’s more of a thing that I tend to focus on specific aspects of learning the language instead of putting my time into studying different things. By studying one thing much more than anything else, it feels like you easily get burned out by puting so much focus on it (WK is on this list since I put a lot of time into it, but recently it feels like I have lost some of the energy that I had when I started out).

So, I feel It’s time for me to get a bit more organized and actually spread out my study in a much better way. As it is now, I tend to study around 2 hours a day, and WK takes a lot of that time (And recently I tend to do a lot of reviews at once since I don’t space it out over the day anymore).

So, I would like to get some input on how I should space my resources out during the week, and your opinions on what I should focus on the most.

Like I said, my usual time is around 2 hours every day, and these are the resources I use:
(Please note that I use these for specifc aspects of learning Japanese at the moment, and some of them could be listed in more than once place.)

Listening Comprehension:
Jpod101

Grammar:
Youtube
Genki1
Japanese from Zero.

Kanji/Vocabulary:
Memrise
Wani Kani
Anki

Speaking/Reading:
Hinative
HelloTalk

So my idea is to spend around equal time with each of the aspects every week, so I always mix up my study (Except for Anki and Memrise that I will probably study for a set amount every day).

So my question would be, what would you priotize when it comes to all of the above resources, or do you think I should try and put equal efforts on everything?

I plan to make a schedule from Monday-Sunday and have each category represented throughout the week. This way I know excatly what to study on each day, and will not end up falling behind (Grammar is still the thing I tend to focus too little on, and I really need to change that.)

So I just wanted to see people’s input before I get to work on the daunting task of pulling this schedule together.
Maybe It’s not really needed, and it works fine as long as I study a little bit every day. But I feel like I would have a lot more motivation this way, and never have to feel like I’m not learning anything in a specific category (Main point being grammar at the moment, and It’s so important).

Thanks for reading my rambling, and sorry for possible weird English. Getting a bit tired

[Wantitled]

The way I’m studying at the moment is to spend the same amount of time studying each day. Since I’m learning multiple languages, I tend to have a pretty standard study routine of Duolingo->Memrise->Anki->WaniKani->Textbooks/Writing practice->Other studying

But because of this, I’ve ended up neglecting other aspects, as I’m just too tired when I finish all that. What I want to do in the future is have days where I avoid all English media and just use Japanese stuff, although I’m yet to do this.

My main problem is procrastinating and studying too late in the day, so after I’ve finished I don’t want to do anything. And the way I am, I have to finish all my studying for the day, so if that means finishing at 1am, then that’ll happen.

Sorry, what was the question again? I just went on a rant about myself…

[NathaLire]

Ooooh I have somewhat similar issues. I find it easy to spend lots of time on wanikani, but a balanced schedule…?

Looking forward to many responses and tips in this thread lol

[Saruko]

If you say that grammar is what you focus too little on, then maybe working on it a little bit everyday would be helpful. What does it actually look like when you work with Youtube, Genki, or Japanese from Zero for your grammar? Do you sit down and take notes, try writing your own example sentences for the grammar point, do workbook exercises, etc? I don’t what your overall level is, but if doing a lot of writing on your own sounds daunting, you could also try collecting examples of specific grammar points that you are working on (example: if you are learning past form of い adjectives in Genki, and you hear it used in a chat on HelloTalk, write it down.)

Personally, I find it difficult to integrate learning from a lot of different sources, and so I appreciate structured courses like Genki, which provide ways to learn and practice grammar, listening, reading, (and speaking, if you have people you are studying with).

However, it’s a bit hard to give advice without knowing what your specific motivation/goals for learning Japanese are.

[Metamorphosis]

@Saruko

If you say that grammar is what you focus too little on, then maybe working on it a little bit everyday would be helpful. What does it actually look like when you work with Youtube, Genki, or Japanese from Zero for your grammar? Do you sit down and take notes, try writing your own example sentences for the grammar point, do workbook exercises, etc? I don’t what your overall level is, but if doing a lot of writing on your own sounds daunting, you could also try collecting examples of specific grammar points that you are working on (example: if you are learning past form of い adjectives in Genki, and you hear it used in a chat on HelloTalk, write it down.)

Personally, I find it difficult to integrate learning from a lot of different sources, and so I appreciate structured courses like Genki, which provide ways to learn and practice grammar, listening, reading, (and speaking, if you have people you are studying with).

However, it’s a bit hard to give advice without knowing what your specific motivation/goals for learning Japanese are.

Well that’s my main problem I think. I don’t really have a specific goal to learn Japanese, more than being able to read/watch Japanese and be able to talk to Japanese people. I think that a goal is more or less needed in some measure, but I’m just really interested in Japan and have a strong passion for the culture, and the language. So, in that case it seems like I’m trying to focus on everything at once, instead of going a specific path for my needs.

I just feel like my current study structure is demotivating me a bit, since I feel like I am not using all my study time, and applications to Its full potential. In my situation, I feel like having a bit of a mix in study, instead of focusing so much on just one or two would be a lot more motivational for me, and actually keep me studying for the set amount of time that I have planned, and also have more variety in my practice schedule.

[jprspereira]

Here’s how I do it:

=> Write in a piece of paper what’s moving you to learn Japanese. It doesn’t have to be the best thing ever. Only your feelings matter in here. It’s your own wish. Feel free to accept and protect it. Also, writing it in a piece of paper makes it more personal. This whole process helps you to be more honest with yourself. A lot of times, life distracts us from our dreams and goals. That’s not good.

=> Taking point 1 into consideration, think about a goal for the next x amount of time. It could be something like “I want to pass the N4 JLPT in December.” / “I want to start reading simple manga in the next 8 months.” It doesn’t have to be something great. You don’t need to be insecure about it either. What do you feel like doing? What do you think you’re capable of achieving? That’s the right answer.

Make sure you keep the x equal or under 1 year. Making sure your goal is close enough to you keeps you focused. It also boosts your motivation. No one wants to work hard for something programmed in 2020. I personally prefer 5 to 6 months.

=> Divide Japanese into categories and think about your level in each. This helps you align your Japanese study with your goal(s). Personally I have 2 different ways of doing this:

Categories based on practice

*Reading;
*Writing (no need to be by hand obv);
*Listening;
*Speaking;

Categories based on actual studying !

*Kanji
*Vocabulary
*Grammar

Knowing where you stand is important. What do you know right now? Which area do you suck? Where do you want to improve?

Also, which tools (apps, textbooks, etc) do you have available for each of these categories in the next x amount of time? Put them into the respective category.

=> Divide your big goal into smaller ones. I personally like to make 1 month goals. Which means that if my x time = 6 months, I’ll have 6 different levels, each one giving me motivation to continue. You feel great leveling up on WaniKani because you defined that your goal was to reach the next level. You know you probably want to get to lvl 60 but that’s not even in your mind right now. The system makes you think this way. You should use that same thinking in your Japanese study and in whatever goal you have in life. If you’re cool with making it public, post your 1 month goals in this thread.

=> Get a piece of paper and literally divide it by days. That will be your schedule. Plan it however you want. Again, writing it by hand makes it more personal because it’s not something we do every day (at least most of us don’t). I did it like this:

Did this help? Not sure. I hope it did I’m still a beginner in Japanese but I tried to apply my best knowledge I have on goal setting/execution.