This was a really good video, thank you! I like your approach of talking about systems and general self help and productivity rather than just discussing language learning techniques and timetables.
Hey Lindie! Thank you. Yeah, I want to do a lot more of this kind of stuff to keep helping the people who are like I was just two years ago: People with all the inspiration to learn languages but no idea where to actually find time or day to day motivation. BTW I'm not sure if you know that I've mentioned you in a few videos. Chiefly "Should you have goals" (or some such title). Thanks for the comment!
Another great video from you! I have a little story. I used to listen a lot of learning podcasts when I took a bus to my University. (It was very hard to start this new habit: delete all my music from my phone that was not easy decision for at that time) But when It became my habit It was amazing. I could close my eyes and listen 15-20 min without any interruption. It improved my language comprehension significantly. But after couple of years I graduated uni and I didn't have to take this bus anymore. It was devastating! I bought a lot of audiobooks and I wanted to listen them! It was almost imposible to listen at home. Too much meaningless distractions :( I tried but less than 5 min not every day was only what I managed to accomplish. I was sad. But after some time I came out with one idea. I knew that I have best concentrating when I am walking slowly to somewhere (I used to got of the bus couple of stops early and walk to my home) I needed this additional concentration because books were significantly harder than podcasts to which I was used to. My parents nagged me to go swimming. It was an idea. It was 50 min walk and 50 min back to the pool. Bingo! I decided to wake up 3 hours more early I go to the pool every other day. It was hard but I was so happy because I easily got 6-8 hours of listening every week. Amazing. I went to the pool every other day for 2-3 month (temperature -20 degrees and blizzard were not enough reason to skip my walk) but I quit when spring came. I hate cold rains! I would choose ice blizzard than above freezing temperature rain. I was contempt with this :) I listened several long audiobooks and several 6-8 hours books. I tried to continue my routine waking up 3 hours earlier and doing shadowing exercises but I finished after almost a month. That's a story how I woke up 5 o'clock and did my learning :) Some my friends called me crazy. But it what it takes to succeed in language learning. I made several such sacrifices when I was learning my second language. I've realized it only now when I look back. It's not typical for my. I am lazy. But for some reason I built so much desire to learn and improve my new language. That's why I did those thinks. Great video, mate!
I'm a healthcare worker, which means I work 12.5 hours shifts, and half of them are nights, and once you add the commutes in, that 14hrs minimum. Basically what im saying is, I can't spend time on work days studying a language without losing sleep that would make me a danger at work. However, I'm currently in lockdown, unable to leave the house (I'm a high covid risk), and these thoughts are really relevant to my current life! I spent the first few weeks just doing some vague stuff for my language when I felt like it. But now I'm into a routine, it's just what I do when I wake up, I grab some breakfast and get going. I don't know what my long term language learning goals are, I have no idea how long this routine will continue before I have to return to work! But for now I get to have a hobby like the muggle workers out there and it's really helping me keep my head in all this mayhem.
Update, back to work this week, language learning feels a distant memory, but I'm glad I had it there when I needed it. Just different priorities at different times.
When you say language learners should wake up early to learn languages, I'm not sure it will apply to everybody. I'm like a zombie in the morning. I can't focus, have trouble to find my words (even in my native language), and do stupid things. It takes me 1h to be woken up and efficient. The moment at which I get very productive, is in the evenings, or even at night for some reason. I always had the habit of going to bed very late, and I'm not tired at all (unlike during mornings and afternoons... yeah weird). Learning before going to bed is also very effective because while sleeping, your brain will have these new information ready to be stored in memory. If you learn new words at the beginning of the day, with all the other stuff going on during the day, you might've forgot some words already. I would say that the biggest issue with learning at night is that, using your brain a lot before sleeping will get you out of "sleep mode", and it might be more difficult to sleep. That's why I combine it with meditation, so that I can sleep almost instantly just after a nocturnal learning session. It consists in feeling every part of your body touching the bed, feeling the temperature differences, feeling your breath, focusing on it and let thoughts go away as if they were clouds passing by. In 15 minutes of doing this, you fall asleep.
I agree with you. Learning in the evening can be very productive. But maybe it's good to do some reading after that. Could be in your target language, to get to the sleeping mode. (I'm not a fan of meditation). But I've noticed too that if you learn something in the evening, it's like immediately stuck in the brain.
Not necessarily true about your brain forgetting stuff throughout the day. Learning is most effective right after waking up and a little bit before your usual bed time. Somewhere in the middle of that time window is when learning and understanding becomes a complete chore for the brain.
Unfortunately self-help books don’t work for me because of my ADHD but I completely agree with the main idea of this video. Since I’ve found ways to organise my day in the most productive way possible I’ve been able to not only get much more done in general but also I’m spending 1,5 - 2 hours a day learning Greek and about 1 - 1,5 hours a day improving my Spanish.
Hey Langret - just curious as to how self help isn't helpful because of ADHD? I mean it would depend on the severity of course but myself, I was diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 13 and I know that Roberto Blake was and is also ADHD and both he and I enjoy and find self-help extremely useful. Mine is extremely mild and in fact I would argue that the diagnosis was incorrect (in whatever way a diagnosis like that can be 'correct' or 'incorrect') but the point is I'm definitely not a "normal" student or learner of anything, and I find self-help to be the only thing that ever really got me going in life. I'm sorry that it took me until I was 32 to discover it rather than discovering it when I was 18. Anyway, I am glad that you are spending so much time on your languages! 3.5 hours a day is epic!
Days of French 'n' Swedish I’m glad to hear that self-help works for you. 🙂 My problem with self-help books is that they are usually written for neurotypical brains and as you know the ADHD brain is wired differently so most of the time the tips and techniques in this type of books wouldn’t work for me or if they did, I would get bored soon. I was diagnosed last year(at 27 years of age) and just a few months ago I managed to build a time management system that works for me. I wish I had been diagnosed earlier in life. Anyway, now that I understand how my brain works I’m doing better than ever and I’m focusing on learning no more than two languages at a time(instead of trying to learn every language and not getting even the basics).
Just wanted to say I followed the suggestion about looking up atomic habits and I’m listening to the podcast you said. It’s given me great impact on how to design my life around the things that are important. He was talking about environment design witch basically was like put more steps or “friction” between you and the things you DONT want to do and add less steps or “remove friction” beetween things you do want to do.
This is so true. It really works and although starting a productive routine and lifestyle might be hard in the beginning, it's worthy. I was planning to read a lot of books this year, and to study real hard for my exams in the end of the year (we call it "vestibular" in Brazil). So in order to get it done I had to push myself to a routine where I walked up early, study with concentration for several hours and read a book. About 2 months doing it every day it wasn't hard for me to put some other stuff in my daily routine and being disciplined with it. The more productive you get, the easier it is to put yourself into new things that requires discipline, such as learning a language. So, in resume, it's really true what you said in the video. ❤❤
Having a system is what Lydia Machova suggests. She's been a simultaneous interpreter and speaks multiple languages. I'm sure this advice carries weight. Keep the videos coming mate ! (PS: The bell notification is not available for your videos as it is marked for kids. Found this video in my feed)
Thanks. Ummm, that's really weird because I never mark my videos for kids and I have marked my channel as not for kids... and then when I read you saying that I went into studio and checked it and no, it's not marked for kids (it wasn't before and it isn't now) - so if you are seeing it as being marked for kids then... there's a RU-vid stuff up. But that's not really surprising because there are RU-vid stuff ups all the time. One example relevant to me is that they say around 1 month from crossing the relevant thresholds to monetisation... well, it's been 4 months tomorrow.
This is a very important lesson but I think we all need to remember to watch out for toxic productivity. For some people it might be very easy to get caught up in time tables that are too tight. That might cause a great deal of stress so if you're a perfectionist that likes very specific day structure (like me haha) then you should remember to add a few minutes here and there for slip ups which are a natural thing :}
One suggestion if I may for Days of French n Swedish. My suggestion is to make a video on the following topic: How to enjoy and have fun when learning a foreign language. - I like your videos. What you say reflects reality in a very simple and smart way so everybody can understand it. - I belive the best way and the most productive way to learn a language is to have fun. This is very big topic, a lot to discuss. In my opinion, everybody is different, everyone have a different method of learning but everyone should make it fun ...which is also different from one person to another. But most important that everyone should find out how to have fun. If a method is not producing fun ...my opinion is to forget about it. Choose only methods that you like. - For me ..my methods which produce fun are the following: I laugh a lot, I laugh when words sound funny for me ...I learn russian and the word "writing" in russian means "pee" in my language or word "going" in russian means "idiot" in my language ...so I laugh a lot ...other things wich produce fun is that I always drink one glass of good wine when learning ...so I relax. I watch movies. I watch documentaries about the culture of the country that I learn the language, finding out things about history, culture, food, places for vacation, new ideas, businesses ideas...it opens up a new world. I learn funny jokes. I learn a little "slang". I speak with girls on dating sites, I speak with many partners (about 10) and we laugh together. Recently I fell enlove with one of my partners a Russian girl ...I tell her to marry me ...so that's also a lot of fun as you can imagine 🤣
Considering you’re focus on language learning, I’d cast a guess you’re familiar with a method called ‘Sentence mining’. If you don’t, the rudimentary concept is using sentences to develop you’re knowledge, noting both structure, vocab and style. After doing this enough, you will become proficient. This is quite a debatable topic but I can testify that it most definitely does, and effictively. I have achieved advances proficiency in Irish(my 2nd lang.) using this. Now I’m learning German(in school) but am expedited my learning in a self-taught fashion(we all agree the typical school methods ate trash...let’s be honest here) but cannot find a resource for effective sentence mining in German. Any recommendations. Anyone feel free to reply if you have an input worthwhile. Thanks.
Chapter 6 and 7 of the four hour work week that is amazing by Tim Ferris. Read it please it is life changing. Also update is that I wanted to just stick to french and not pick up Russian until I reach B2. Mainly because I want to reach at least 1 language really well so I create a habit of learning my languages to a fairly high level.
Truth Serum It’s a book about time management and getting the most important things done. I haven’t read it yet but it’s also on my list. I love books about productivity, self-improvement, etc. 🤓
Honestly I didn't really find The 4-Hour Work Week that amazing. A lot of the books he cites in that book are better than his book haha. It wasn't useless but it definitely isn't as good as The One Thing is Atomic Habits. Also a lot of the stuff he recommends in that book are just plain weird, and I don't think his "discomfort" exercises work as well as just cold showers. Additionally, you won't get fired for cold showers but you will for saying no to every request haha.
Great job. I almost finished German in busuu. Do you have other recommended similar websites or apps? What about Rocket Languages? Have you tried the new Stories mode in Duolingo?
One you've finished Busuu I think you can engage in low level genuine material (that is, not made for language learners, just native speakers, even if it's kids). e.g. Kids' books, along with the audio book (Harry Potter is always good for this because it exists in every format under the sun). Otherwise, maybe GermanPod101 the 'advanced' bits that are like descriptions of German cities etc but entirely in German. Rocket is good but I think it'll be pretty basic for someone who has finished Busuu. I'd probably try speaking too. No I haven't tried the NEW stories in Duo, but Duo just annoys me so much these days, I'm not really keen.
Is that true? I can't remember where I heard it, so I don't know how truthful it is, but I heard that the first few hours after you wake up are TERRIBLE for learning things. I don't know if I DID learn it in grad school, but I went to school for education and we talked a lot about how the school systems are set up very ineffectively in terms of tests and how we educate so there's a chance I learned it there MAYBE. All in all though, you're right. Especially about looking outside language learning resources for finding ways to structure your life around learning a language. Often times our advice is "just find a way to fit it in" but no one explains how... That's not our area of expertise. Plus being a more well rounded person is just good in general and I think we shouldn't focus solely on learning a language as it leads to burnout faster. Learn about other things because they could loop back and help.
Sorry it took me so long. OK so very basically: Yeah there is this thing that says when you practice something right before bed then it's better cemented in your brain overnight as you sleep, whereas in the morning it has time to 'slip out' during the day before you get to kind of lock it in. The thing is, I think that this would make, at a maximum, 30% difference. Sounds like a lot (but that's a max remember). But there's no way I have the motivation or the energy to do more than 30 minutes at night. Even if I did 2 hours, I think the material I get through would be about 30% less anyway - so yes it will stick better, but I'll be doing it more slowly, and that's assuming I can even be bothered to do it... which I can't. You show me someone who can stick at a difficult task for 2 hours before bed and I'll show you a champion in the making. Those people become Kobe Bryants and concert pianists. The average person is better off doing it when there is nothing to stop them, e.g. in the morning. (You kinda hinted at this yourself.) However, I have noticed that if I do my 1-2 hours in the morning and then more in the afternoon and then maybe even a bit more at night, I often "wake up in French" at 2, 3 or 4am or so, just thinking of random French sentences. This doesn't happen if I only do the morning session. So I might look at getting a morning session and a night session in to keep my brain in the space as it "formats" overnight. That's kinda Matt vs Japan level committment though haha; I am not that hardcore yet. Thanks for your comment!
Also, I don't know if you have a video about this topic, but do you have some tips about learning a language without having a book exactly? All the languages that I learned, I learned in that system "English book with grammar rules and some texts", so since I'm enable to buy any material because of coronavirus, I'm wondering how can I study my targed languages effectively without any book or so. I'm not a big fan of Duolingo too, so I don't think that app could help me learning at all hahaha I'm sorry if this comment was too confusing, but I think you got the point hahaha :) Greetings from Brazil, love your channel ❤🇧🇷
You don't have to be a spartan to learn a new language. The word productive is deadly. We are not machines. Playful and imaginative engagement of your target language is key. Also, this whole thing you call 'productivity' is not about being efficient but doing the things you really love instead of things that drag you down. I know its the same outcome but subtle changes in formulating can make a chore turn into an opportunity.
Hey! Thanks for your concern. Yeah I posted about this in the community tab. I filmed 3 videos for this channel and 4 for the other channel on Monday, one for this channel came out this morning (my time, about 15 hours ago) and there should be another in 2 days or so. The one from today is probably my favourite video of the ones I've made ever, even though it mightn't appeal to everyone.
I'm amazed this comment didn't get automatically flagged. I know you are joking but calling someone Hitler because they think that the majority of people could be a bit more productive and they're encouraging others to do this is pretty offensive to people who were actually affected by Hitler.
If you present something as fact that isn't common knowledge, you should include a reference. I've never heard that human beings have the highest capacity for productivity in the hours after they wake up. How do you know? Good video, though. I've also noticed that your number of subcribers has jumped up quite a bit over the past few days. Congrats!
There seems to be quite a bit of literature categorising people based on their natural sleeping rhythm, which means their most creative/productive/etc. point during the day will be different between them. I personally find myself being most motivated to do things in the evening.
I love and sincerely appreciate the advice you give, but I feel like engagement is touched too little in this video. 'Language Learning with Netflix' is something I would recommend for those who want to stay engaged while simultatenously learning a language. They show dual subtitles and have features like 'auto-pause' and in-line analysis that helps you find the meaning of the world. Getting bored and feeling lazy is a contagious feeling that plagues language learning (at least for me). So, i think finding tools like this that solves both issues (boredom and learning) def goes a LONG WAY to being productive as well.
Sorry, my videos are always kind of assuming that one knows my other stuff. This video isn't about engagement because to me, they are the same thing. If I watch a series in French, that IS studying French. So in my eyes that should happen naturally, and I count everything towards my French learning time and that's how I fit in 2 hours a day.
@@daysandwords Ah...ok. I can see where you're coming from. I guess some aspects of the process come intuitively to others. As long as the process works, it's fine. C'est la vie!
Thank you. I made a post about this on Instagram... basically I had SO much stuff on the go that I couldn't get much done. I've been back at work (until coronavirus came and shut us down haha) but yeah I wanna start some bigger projects (like, bigger videos) and I'm doing a bunch of other stuff as well, so that's why I haven't been uploading. A just wrote a LL program review that I should be filming early next week, along with some other videos, so, the answer is... soon! Thanks for your support though, it's really encouraging!
I also have Atomic Habits on hold at my local library. I will check to see if they have that book by Gary Keller. I also highly recommend John C. Maxwell’s books called Today Matters and Self-Improvement 101. 🤓
Mainly SwedishPod101. You can sign up for a month for $1 and just get all the material in that time. Also, I came here to let you know that some of my favourite Swedish learning books, LasseMajas Deteivbyrå are on special at Bokus. I was trying to create an affiliate link through this Swedish affiliate site but then I found out I need to be specifically registered to link to Bokus... So the short story is: this ISN'T an affiliate link. Anyway these books are only 24kr (about $2.80 US) and they are great for learning Swedish. www.bokus.com/cgi-bin/product_search.cgi?search_word=lassemaja&binding_normalized=ebok&rank_order=price_asc
I got about half way through it before c-19 hit and some stuff changed round here. Hm, I wouldn't go that far. So far I have thought it was OK, but I do think the the guy knows his stuff.
