๐๐ How to set up a study plan ๐๐
Step-by-step guide to meet your study goals + free template that I personally use!
Hello again,
This post was originally uploaded to my Instagram on Christmas 2022 but, since the method it describes is basically the key that enables me to meet my goals, I have decided to upload it to this blog too so it is easier to read and find.
Enjoy! ๐
With the coming end of 2022, it is time to reflect on new year resolutions and what your objectives for 2023 will be.
For this reason, I decided to make this guide and template to empower you to meet your 2023 language-learning goals by developing a study plan that works for you ๐Without further ado, let's begin! โจ๐ก Introduction ๐ก
As you know, goals need to be SMART. As such, when I am making a new study plan, I always make sure it is as concrete as possible so I know every day what I should be doing. This is why I mostly work with daily objectives when I study, even though there are some exceptions to this rule since certain textbooks (ๆฐๅฎๅ
จใในใฟใผ่ชๅฝ, A course in contemporary Chinese) have longer chapters that cannot be completed in a normal week day.
โ๏ธ Workflow โ๏ธ
Having said this, here is the workflow I follow to establish a new study plan:
Choose the resources you want to complete for this study cycle. These can be all the resources you want to use to prepare for a certain language level or just all the resources that you would like to finish this year.
Count the total number of chapters in each textbook and write it down.
Browse each textbook to estimate how long it would take you to complete one of these units. If you feel like you could do one or more daily, perfect! If not, estimate how many days it would take you to complete it. To effectively estimate this, you need to know yourself and your resources really well, so do not be afraid to start slow and to reevaluate how long it takes you to complete an unit until it works perfectly for your schedule. This will keep you from feeling frustrated about not meeting your daily goals.
Next, write in a calendar (I use Google Sheets) the time period within which you will be going through each resource. Doing this enables you to see if you can have several daily objectives (see๐๏ธ), and it helps you to better estimate your daily workload. Plus, it gives you an overall vision of your study plan which is great for accountability and motivation. It also enables you to see how long it will take you all the resources you will be using for this study cycle, which is perfect for establishing when you will be ready to take a certain level from a language certification exam.
๐๏ธSetting multiple daily objectives๐๏ธ I think it's a good idea to use two to three resources everyday since it makes you feel less saturated than sticking to the same resource and doing multiple units of it per day. However, do not use too many, since it might lead to you losing focus and feeling overwhelmed. If you are new to studying languages, it might be better to stick to just one or two in the beginning.
โ ๏ธ Warnings โ ๏ธ
โ๏ธAccept that no study plan is perfect and that life happens, so if i.e. you are preparing for the JLPT or the HSK, plan two or three extra "cushion" weeks to make up for any eventual setbacks. If everything has gone fine, you can just use this extra time for reviewing errors you have made while studying or for doing extra immersion.
โผ๏ธ Make sure your study plan is not too ambitious and that it leaves you enough time everyday to immerse a bit. It will help you to maintain your motivation and to better retain what you are studying!
๐ Template ๐
It's exactly the same one I use myself ๐ Click here to download it.
And that's it!
Do not hesitate to ask me any questions about how to implement this method or about how to use the template. I am here to help you โค๏ธ๐
Also, if you set up a study plan using the template please share it with me, I'd love to see it! ๐คฉ
See you soon with more meaningful content,
~๐ฝ๐๐๐๐