Create a Language Learning Study Plan That Actually Works

Learning a new language is a difficult, but rewarding, process. At first, you might not know where exactly to start or what to do. Having a study plan is essential for your success. It can keep you on the right track and help motivate you to continue learning. In this article, I’ll walk you through nine simple steps to help you develop an efficient and easy-to-follow study plan for learning a new language. You’ll learn how to manage your time effectively, set realistic goals, and keep up your motivation. By completing the steps below, you’ll have a concrete way to move forward and see real progress in whatever language you want to learn.

Why Using a Study Plan is a Good Idea

Language learning is a marathon, not a sprint. It takes months or even years to reach a comfortable level. Using a study plan can guide you throughout the process and help you keep up your motivation. It also ensures you get the most out of your study time by breaking down the large goal of language learning into manageable tasks. Let’s look at how a carefully considered study plan can help you.

1. Promotes Accountability for Consistent Progress

With a thoughtful study plan that takes into account your goals and availability, you’ll know exactly when to study and for how much time. This makes it easier to schedule that time in your calendar. Rather than saying, “I’ll study German this week” and never actually following through, having scheduled study sessions will hold you accountable. Since consistency is the only way to see progress, by studying on a regular schedule your level will improve much quicker.

2. Organizes Strategies and Resources to Align With Goals

As you see below, one of the first steps is to identify why you want to study a language. Once you establish this, it will be easier to plan the activities you will do during your study sessions and what resources can help you achieve it. With a study planner, you can layout exactly what skills you want to focus on and what tools you need to achieve the specific goal you are working towards.

3. Make The Most of Your Study Time

We’re all busy, and having a plan guarantees that every minute you spend learning is useful. Rather than wasting time searching for resources or wondering what to study next, you’ll have everything you need right at your fingertips. This way, the only thing you have to focus on is learning the language itself, making your study sessions more productive. 

Try our fluency calculator below to get an idea of how much time you need to study to reach your language goals:

9 Easy Steps to a Personalized Study Plan

1. Find Your Motivation

Consider why you want to study a new language. Do you want to move abroad? Do you have family members that speak a different language? Are you trying to advance your career? Maybe you want to learn about another country’s culture or take a trip someday. Remembering your main motivation and focusing on the long-term benefits can help drive you.

2. Set Goals and Milestones

Once you have your overall motivation, set some smaller, attainable goals. Some examples include learning 100 new words in your target language, passing a level test, or completing a course. Having frequent milestones will give you a sense of accomplishment when you reach them and will help you track your progress.

3. Set a Time

In this step, it’s important to be realistic and really consider how much time you can dedicate to studying. It also needs to be sustainable. If you set too much time, there’s the potential for burnout. But if you don’t set enough time, you won’t see progress, which causes frustration. In general, it’s better to study frequently, even if it’s for a short amount of time than to have long study sessions sporadically. Below are some examples of how you can structure your time:

4. Identify Your Priorities

Now we’ll start getting technical. Language learning is typically divided into four skills: reading, writing, listening, and speaking. To have an all-around grasp of the language, it’s necessary to practice all four. But you can consider your goals and prioritize your time to focus on specific skills. If you need to pass a test, reading and writing are important. But if you want to talk with friends and family, listening and speaking are where you should focus your time.

5. Find the Best Way(s) to Study

There’s not one correct way to study a language, and the best way for you to learn may not be the same as somebody else. Ask yourself some questions to determine what works for you. Do you like to be immersed in the language, or learn with translations? Do you want to use your phone, or is a physical book more satisfying? Will you study in the car, on a lunch break, or from home?

6. Find the Resources

This is the most important, but also the trickiest, step on the list. It’s easy to spend hours doing research and reading reviews, but it’s not necessary to spend too long on this step. On our website, you can find honest reviews for all of the major language apps, as well as specific language resources that show many different ways to learn. 

It is important to do some research to find the best options available, but time spent researching is time not spent studying. Look around for a bit and compile a list of a few options that you like. Most language learning resources offer a free trial or free content so you can test-drive it to see if you like it before buying anything. 

The most complete language learning routine will use more than one way to study. For example, using a textbook or a language app can help you learn grammar and vocabulary, but to practice speaking, you might want to join a language class or take online lessons with a live teacher.

7. Use Authentic Materials

One of the most effective, but often forgotten, steps is to include authentic material in your studies. Once you have a base level in your new language, you can start looking for authentic material from a country where your target language is spoken. For example, if you are learning Spanish, you can look for a podcast from Peru or a news website from Mexico. Using authentic material is incredibly beneficial because it often uses colloquial language so you’ll learn how the language is truly spoken, and it’s generally available for free. 

Think about your interests and hobbies. This will help guide you to authentic material that is interesting and useful to you. If you like fashion, you can find a fashion blog in your target language. Or if you like cooking, try out a recipe written in another language. YouTube has become so global that you’re sure to find a popular YouTuber who speaks your target language.

8. Write Out Your Study Plan

By now you know why you want to study and how you’re going to study. Now it’s time to answer the question of what and when you’re going to study. Making a detailed weekly plan will hold you accountable and establish concrete times that you’ll dedicate to studying. 

Make your plan specific. Include exactly what you are going to study and how long you plan to study each day. There’s a template below that will help you create your own personalized study plan. Making it specific with your own goals, study time, and methods will help you be much more effective

9. Schedule Study Sessions and Set Reminders

Life can get busy so it’s important to carve out time focused on studying. Block out your time in your calendar and set reminders so you know when it’s time to study. Try to limit distractions by turning off your phone, TV, etc. Language learning is difficult so help your brain out by allowing it to focus on the job at hand. 

Just like any other task, language learning is a commitment, and you won’t see improvement if you don’t stick with your plan. On the other hand, it’s important not to beat yourself up if you miss a study session or two. We all have busy lives and unexpected events come up. But if you’re committed to learning and stick with it, you’ll see improvement in no time!

Reach Your Goals With Langoly’s Customizable Study Planner

Now that you know the steps, it’s time to create your own plan! To help you succeed, we created a downloadable study planner that you can customize to fit your goals. Fill in the form below to download the planner. It’s completely customizable so you can adjust the study plan to suit your unique learning style. After that, it’s time to put the plan into action. It may be difficult in the beginning, but once you’ve established a routine, language study will become second nature! Best of luck!