Why Most People FAIL at Language Learning: No Consistency

You`ve probably heard that it`s better to study 30 minutes a day than it is to study for 3.5 hours once a week. Here are a couple new ways to think about that. And learn HOW to be consistent, since the execution is where most people fall short.

[BanValsimot]

Learning a language is a suffer. That is what my language teacher have said after a couple of months of my learning. And she was damn right. Nobody has time for it but it has to be learned constantly...no pauses, no excuses...

Respect man for Japanese and honesty about learning process. I am tired of "6 months be fluent shit" on the internet.

[konstantinzwissler]

Consistency is King.

Thank you for the two examples for visualizing the concept.

The leaking bucket analogy, as well as the compound interest analogy even hold true for your mother tongue.
Failing to engage with my mother tongue for extended periods, leaves me using less exact vocabulary and noticeably impoverishes the quality with which I am able to verbalize my thoughts.

[ItFeelsLikeSorrow]

Definitely one of my favourite videos so far! I really do agree with everything you mentioned. I also find that consistency is the key to learning a language successfully. Even when I have little time and feel down and really don't want to study, I make sure I at least revise some vocab lists. Also, when I feel I lose motivation I remind myself why I wanted to learn arabic in the first place (which is for my future life, to read the Qur'an in the original language (even though I'm not a Muslim) AND because I just find this language so beautiful. Just the idea to be able to speak it fluently in a few years makes me happy and makes me want to study even harder)
Great work again!

[hengzhang]

Your are damn right, and this can also apply to a lot of other things

[rodneymbal]

I agree. Consistency really IS king. Learning a language is a marathon, not a sprint.
Then again, I disagree about one point. In my experience having a big goal in mind is only a small help to overcome the hurdles of daily stress, procrastination, and all the competing demands of daily life.
Sure. A lofty goal and sincere passion gets me started. But there are three big things that REALLY keep me on track and consistent: achievable expectations, built-in solutions, and enjoying the journey.
It sounds almost trivial, but I sincerely believe in studying 15 minutes per day. What's 15 minutes? It almost seems like nothing. But even on the busiest, weirdest days, I can find 15 minutes to check off my commitment to myself.
Second, I build time and options and scheduling into my routine. This way, I know when I can fulfill that minimal commitment and how.
Last, you also have to enjoy the journey. Someone has to sincerely get a kick out of vocab drills, listening to the language even when you only understand a fraction of the content, and fumbling words badly with a conversation partner. You also need to appreciate every small accomplishment too.
Well. These 3 things have worked for me, so far

[nohandlebarmtb]

I just finished a beginner's A1 german course....i find this video encouraging to keep up my progress

[simito]

Wow, this video really motivated me for which i sincerely thank you ! I am bulgarian and i am first year in college, studying english and portuguese(european one) and at the start of the process i wasn't wasn't very pleasant with my results and i also didn't have any goal to strive, but little by little i started to put more effort in my language learning and i can already see the results, we are 8 people in our class and only 3 of us passed the 2 day portuguese exame

[Elflamencojuan]

Sound advice once again. In my experience, this is the number one thing to get right. It applies to acquisition of almost any worthwhile skill. I applied it to learning to play flamenco guitar. I embedded the practice habit so deeply that I felt utterly compelled to practice daily. People used to say that I must be talented. I was not. I simply applied myself through discipline and hard work. This diligence paid off and I got pretty good in what was a difficult guitar style. I am now intending to apply it to learning a language.

On the "how you feel" thing, the key is not to identify with negative feelings. We are not our feelings which are after all, transient and impermanent. Once one develops sufficient emotional intelligence, one learns to recognise states of mind as and when they arise (through meditation). This awareness helps you to discard such noise. The teaching of Siddhartha Gautama (some 2000+ years ago) recognised this and he claimed that he extinguished the effects of this, known to many as enlightenment/nirvana. That teacher is commonly referred to today as the Buddha.

[saeidehrad]

definitely, language learning is a lifestyle

[LovedayK]

Great video Paul, I really agree with the idea of studying regardless of how one feels on a certain day because feelings really are fleeting and out of our control! I just wanted to say thank you for all your great videos, I'm a new subscriber and your videos have really inspired me :)

[gengotaku]

Selamat pagi!!Nama saya Júlio and I have been inspired by your channel and really gotta learn Indonesian someday...
Consistency is what differentiates the bored from the inspired to keep on learning!! I will keep on working on my Korean, Mandarin, Dutch, Spanish and Cantonese!!!
תודה!

[Escviitash]

This hole in the bucket also applies to your native language though the hole is much smaller.
But then the "dust effect" applies too.
Several times I have communicated very little in my native language some times up to 2 weeks, and then when finally came to speak my native language it felt like I had forgotten it. Then I had to remove the layers of dust before I could actually speak my native language fluently again.

[Diego-ystv]

It's always important to have a strong and meaningful answer to "why do I want this" because often times our goals tend to be superficial or depends on many factors. So, if for example, you want to learn Frech because you want to live in Paris, ask yourself why? Let's say the answer is because your current city isn't very exciting, and you've always dreamed about living in a cosmopolitan European city. Once you have your answer, keep it always in mind, and when you're not feeling like studying that day, don't only think about your goal of living in Paris, but think about your dream instead. It usually helps to focus on something bigger than a goal.
Great video!

[howabunga]

I think of it like going to a gym. The first month is tiring but you're motivated. Then if you take time off your fitness level drops and it's difficult to get back into it because once again it feels much more tiring than if you were consistent.

[junior.santana]

Great thoughts. I have been studying English for about 2 years now, but before that my progress was really slow. For me, the key difference was a mindset changing and commitment, because then I used to say "*If I* become fluent I will do this and that..." and now, even being in a (kinda) intermediate level (mostly comprehension) I say "*When I* become fluent..."

[ceicli]

I had to take a break after a year of trying to learn Spanish. I think my brain needed that, now it's easier for me to construct meanings (even if I forgot some words).

[leisum]

You are the best, Paul! Thank you for your advices 🌈

[rodneymbal]

Hello from Canada, Paul.
I love your channel, I love your language videos, and I particularly liked this series of Edge videos.
Here's a suggestion. These were good topics. But you've come a long way since. I bet updating these would get more views and more subs. A little TLC would go a long way.

[fernandotriana]

I agree with you, it happens the same to me I'm learning English, I'm from Colombia I study a lot from myself by watching youtube videos and podcasts in English but I don't have the fluency, so I have to do what you say attempt to speak with native speakers in order to achieve my goal, from now on I'm going to connect with natives trhough italki to see what's going on. thanks a lot for your advice.

[beach_lion]

Superb analogies! Wow! I had never considered the idea of compound interest on language learning :) awesome