When Language Learning Isn't as Fun Anymore

This study log combines two weeks of study, as I wasn't feeling well last week. I took it as a chance to take a break from my routine. This meant that there were a few days I didn't meet my minimum 1 hour of study time for the 75 Fluent Challenge.

It was a bit disappointing to lose my streak, and I did lose some motivation to continue studying. The break made me reconsider why I'm doing this challenge and putting pressure on myself to meet these goals.

I wonder if it’s the aspect of time-tracking that adds a layer of pressure. I not only have to do whatever study task I choose but also make sure I’m tracking and meeting the minimum time requirement.1

I find myself weighing everything I do and contemplating how much value it’s bringing me. I already do this normally, because it’s how my brain works, but I think after some time, tracking can cause more harm than good in those moments when I can’t meet my goals.

At this point, I’m contemplating whether I should continue with this challenge. It’s now been 6 weeks, which is the halfway point, and I think the joy is no longer there,

Here are my stats and charts, which cover the past two weeks. I didn’t study at all on Monday the 27th and only did a couple of minutes on Tuesday and Wednesday. My average is still an hour a day since there were days when I spent 2 hours or more.

Most of my time was spent with French (8H23M) and Japanese (6H15M). The “Other” languages were Mandarin (13M) and Icelandic (5M).

I completed the vocabulary workbook I’ve been working through. It feels good to be able to move on to the final workbook, which is the listening workbook. Since I’m focusing on speaking, I want to use some of the audio recordings as shadow practice.

About a week and a half ago, I picked up some early-reader books from the library. I plan to read them out loud to practice working on my pronunciation and intonation in French.

Speaking is one thing I’d like to improve, so I’ve also started taking lessons on Italki. I had a trial lesson a few days ago which went well. I liked the tutor I chose and have already booked my next few lessons with her.

I plan to have a post up soon about how I pick language teachers. Let me know if you have any specific questions regarding that!

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Migaku Stats

French Total Words Known: 3382 → 3521 words

L’Étranger Part 1 Deck: 119 → 138/445 cards reviewed

• The deck had 446 cards originally, but I deleted one since it wasn’t a word I felt I needed to spend time studying.

I’ve been watching Clannad with my partner, which has made up most of my Japanese study. There were a few episodes where I looked up some new words, and I’m quite happy to say that they’ve stuck with me without having to memorize them. One of those was ヒトデ / 海星 (Starfish).

I’m still finding it hard to get into Japanese. It feels like I have so much to learn, so more study or immersion has to be done before I can start enjoying what I do know. This feeling is what makes me want to step away from diligently tracking and go on to experiencing and finding the joy in the process.

• Had a language lesson in French which went well!

• Completed my French vocabulary workbook

• Attend French conversation lesson

Thanks for being here. See you next week!