A major barrier to many people learning languages is the time dedication. They might want to learn multiple languages, but they don’t have time on top of a full time job and home obligations. For most people, there is not enough time in a day to fit a consistent language learning in a busy schedule.
As much as I would love to live in a paradise where I have no responsibilities, and my mortal bodily functions don’t pull me away from language learning, that does not exist. Here in the real world, we have to balance our lives.
On top of that, language learning is not an actual job. Sure, your job might want you to learn a language, but they probably aren’t paying you for it. This reduces language to just a hobby. Languages have to compete with entertainment like Netflix for your free time. Understandably, languages lose that competition for a lot of people.
What if they don’t have to be a nuisance that take away from other things?
5 Senses
We have five senses, and we really should be using them. Most likely, a lot of your daily tasks do not require hands, eyes, and ears at the same time.
My motto is “if I have a free appendage, I could be learning a language.” Do you really need full attention when you brush your teeth? What about cooking? How about stuck in traffic?
If there is an open moment like those, you can play some language content. This could be foreign language podcasts, foreign music, or a foreign YouTube video.
This week, I was playing a game in German while listening to a German podcast. Then, as I was logging my time into my language spreadsheet, I noticed I did something strange. I input 20 minutes into the listening section and 20 minutes into the gaming section. 20 minutes in real world gave me 40 minutes of language learning.
One day really is more than 24 hours.
Of course, this only works for passive input. You can’t do this with grammar, which requires your full attention. Most of language learning isn’t grammar, though. A lot of language learning is the accumulation of hours and hours of content refactoring how your brain can communicate. That can be designated for the simple tasks of the day.
“Okay, I can listen to some foreign songs on my commute to work. What about grammar? I can’t take my eyes off the road.” I told you at the start that you can language learning in a busy schedule, didn’t I?
Chunking
There are parts of language learning that require full attention, both hands, both eyes, etc. However, those moments don’t need hours of dedication; they just need a few seconds at a time.
Languages are made up of hundreds of small grammar rules. Rarely do languages need 20 minutes to explain a concept.
Let’s use English for an example. I can tell you that “your” is for possession, and “you’re” is for situations where you want to say “you are.” I just gave you a bite-sized piece of grammar. That was one piece of information. You absolutely could have learned that on the toilet or when you are waiting in line at the store.
If you look at how a lot of language textbooks are written, they write very simply. They give one grammar point, a few examples that are totally independent of the others, and then another grammar point. History textbooks take an hour of uninterrupted reading. Grammar textbooks only need a few seconds of your times for many iterations.
This means you can fit the heavy lifting of language learning into those wasted moments of your day: waiting in line at the store, sitting on the toilet, waiting for your coffee to brew. All of those moments can include one grammar point or a couple of (digital) vocab flash cards.
In fact, I think this strategy can be more helpful for the dedicated learners because they have more time to think about grammar. Instead of setting aside one hour for nothing but grammar, which will make your head spin, you can drip-feed yourself language content so that you brain doesn’t get tired of this new information.
While you’re already at it…
Humans like to relax with mindless entertainment, whether that be music, games, or television. What if I told you that all of those things are enjoyed equally by natives of your target language? (audible gasp)
Over the last few months, I have been trying a new outlook on entertainment. If I am having fun, I could have been having fun in my target language. That’s not to say every show becomes like a mini-lesson. Rather, I want to do the things I already wanted to do for fun in my target language.
If I am playing a game, it just makes sense to change the language to my target language so that I can encounter some new words.
If I am looking for random YouTube videos for fun, why not look through videos in my target language? For many languages, your niche and favorite content probably exists in another language. You can find makeup videos in French. There’s plenty of political commentary in German. You could also look for the extensive list of ASMR mukbangs in Russian.
You’re killing two birds with one stone when you find entertainment in your target language. You are relieving your stress of the day that entertainment usually helps you with while simultaneously training your ear for the language you’re studying.
It will probably seem like more work at first, but it will get easier with time. You will train your ear for the language, and you will eventually discover content that only exists in your target language that you truly enjoy.
Language learning is an investment
Just like learning any skill, language learning is an investment in your time. Money is definitely not necessary to get good at a language. Time is the key element.
However, getting better at your language will encourage you to find more time, and it will make more language learning exciting rather than a chore.
Language learning in a busy schedule seems impossible at first, but it is simple when you take advantage of the resources you already have. Multitasking, chunking, and having fun in your target language are all ways to help you use those resources effectively.
If you want to read more about language learning and get more tips, you can check more on this website.
You can also see videos about language learning on my YouTube channel.
If you are trying to fit language learning in a busy schedule, I wish you good luck! Keep on learning! I promise it is worth it!
