How did you consistently create a study habit?

6 comments

1. Reading novels is a pretty good way to do that…

   It’s much easier to consistently study (or at least practice) when there’s a book handy. Setting your phone and computer desktop to Japanese will force some regular practice too, and making playlists of music with Japanese lyrics should practically guarantee constant exposure (spotify has even started linking Japanese language lyrics for many songs, and many others are easily found on lyrics sites). Netflix is full of shows with Japanese subtitles and the ‘Language Learning with Netflix’ plugin can allegedly get you even more (I’ve never actually used it though). Many video games also can be switched to fully voiced & subtitled Japanese.

   If you’re having fun doing things in Japanese, that’s a lot easier to do every day than ‘making yourself study’. If you’ve got a good anki or memrise deck or whatever, then any time you have difficulty with the native material you’re trying to comprehend should be a pretty good motivator.

   I mean, even if not, if you’re spending time every day working with Japanese material that’s fine too. The reinforcement from drills can help, but in the long run you’ll get there eventually as long as you keep practicing.

2. I found that long running tasks such as siting and reading a book are not as effective as “reviewing by remembering” I have a consistent habit of looking up words on jisho.org in my daily life when I am doing something, then creating sentences in different tenses around that word. For example, if I am about to take a bath I look up the word for bathtub and bath and create different sentences with them. Sometimes, I forget the word after learning it but thats ok. I know that I will review them another time when performing that activity again. I found that Flash cards such as anki were good in the beginning of my learning, but when you get past.. say JLPT N4 level you have be more creative and fluid, otherwise you are not challenging yourself enough. I also use apps like Duolingo and memrise but I find I learn more outside of them.

3. Like others mentioned, consuming media in japanese that I enjoy. For example, I study wanikani everyday and it sends notifications. In addition to that, I read japanese manga and watch japanese tv shows. When there’s a word I don’t know I look it up, add it to my flashcard list, and study the list at the end of the day (and throughout the day if I have time).

   This way, I’m getting constant exposure while also indulging in activities I already enjoy. Sometimes If there is a show or a book chapter that I struggled with, I’ll reread or rewatch it over and over several times so it sinks in. I try to do this with the chapters and episodes that I enjoy so I don’t associate the repetition with negative feelings.

   It’s made rewatching and rereading things much more enjoyable because I feel like I’m able to understand more of what I’m consuming.

4. I study using apps and I get notifications on my phone to remind me to study. lol There are also apps that remind you to study. lol And sometimes I study even when I don’t want to, because if I don’t I might fail the class. Try the apps: Duolingo, LingoDeer, HeyJapan, and Drops to study Japanese. Also try sitting down at the same time every day and studying no matter what. Make studying fun. Maybe read some manga and watch anime. Or talk to people in Japanese. And finally, read a Japanese learning textbook on Kindle app or an actual textbook or take a class to learn Japanese. I can also take free lessons on Japanese using my webcam. I also ask my Asian friends to help me learn languages. I also try to write in Japanese. You can do it too! DM me for any more questions.

5. As far as flash cards, get an app that makes it super easy.
   Then just set a reminder on your phone that goes off every day and no matter what you’re doing you open up the app and get started.
   There will be days where you really don’t want to do it but if you just buckle down and do it every day eventually it’ll become second nature.

6. Schedule. Not a rigid one, but I usually do my Japanese study at the same time whenever I can. It involves cutting out a lot of entertainment time (and social media) but at least untranslated manga is good for studying.