How to Learn a Language by Yourself 5 Rockstar Tips for Success

How to Learn a Language by Yourself 5 Rockstar Tips for Success How to Learn a Language by Yourself: 5 Rockstar Tips for Success So youve decided that you want to learn a second language.Rock on! Good for you!But now what?  How are you going to do this on your own?Are you aiming too high? Can you really learn a language by yourself?Yes you can! So lets leave the doubts right here at the door and never look back.You  can  learn a language on your own, and to set you up for success Im sharing five awesome tips that are filled to the brim with actionable items you can start today! How to Learn a Language by Yourself: 5 Rockstar Tips for Success1. Work withâ€"Not Againstâ€"Your PsychologyIn language learning, it is  attitude, not aptitude, that determines success. -Steve KaufmannSet S.M.A.R.T. goalsIf you dont know where you are going, how are you ever going to get  there?  I know, it sounds like something that would be printed on one of those corny motivational posters from the 80s.  But its still a valid question to pose to oneself before embarking on a self-guided language learning mission.When most people th ink of goal setting, short-lived New Years resolutions probably come to mind. Many of us set out to conquer the world on January 1, vowing to learn a new language, drop ones spare tire, get out of debt, etc. Yet a few weeks later, we somehow find ourselves watching bad TV instead of studying, stuffing our face holes with pizza instead of broccoli and charging a new big screen on our Visa.But why does this happen? Is it simply a matter of laziness and weakness of character? Perhaps for some. But I think the  real  problem for most people is poorly defined goals. While  setting  goals is no guarantee that you will actually  achieve  them, it is an important step in the right direction.So whats the problem with most goals, especially the aforementioned resolutions? They are either vague, unmeasurable, unattainable, irrelevant to ones life, have no clear deadline or all of the above. To prevent such wimpy goals, try instead to employ the acronym S.M.A.R.T. to your language learning goal s. A smart goal is:Specific.Measurable.Attainable.Relevant.Time-bound.Instead of saying, I want to learn Spanish (What do you mean by learn? By when? For what purpose?), you can instead say, I am going to speak with my Spanish language partner every Wednesday for 15 minutes for the next 6 months. See the difference?Embrace the process over the destinationSetting goals is essential, but contrary to popular belief, picturing yourself attaining those goals is actually not as helpful as you might think. Positive thinking is great, but what ends up happening for many people is that they subconsciously think, I have already reached the goal, so why work so hard? I know, it sounds crazy, but its a real phenomenon. So set goals, yes, but instead of picturing  yourself crossing the finish line, visualize yourself actually running the race.View language learning as an adventure, not a choreInstead of telling yourself, I  have to  study a language today, use a little linguistic jujutsu and say instead, I  get  to study a language today. Yes, its a small change, but it can have a significant effect on your outlook and likelihood of staying the course day in and day out. Remember that languages are doorways into new lands, new cultures, new foods, new music and perhaps, new romances. The minutes and hours you spend today, could earn you years of joy down the road.Choose inherently enjoyable learning activitiesIf you wouldnt watch a soap opera in your native  language, why would you force yourself through one in your target tongue? (Well, all right, unless youre studying Spanishâ€"because Spanish soap operas are their own unique form of entertainment! But you see my point).  Part of making language learning fun is doing things in  the language that you would do anyway, activities that bring you joy and fulfillment.For me, its learning martial arts or other physical activities. The immediate physical context makes it much easier to figure out whats happening, helps make voca bulary stick (especially if someone  sticks  a punch because I did the drill wrong) and is inherently enjoyable in its own right. Do a quick survey of your personal passions and find some opportunities to do something with them using your target language.2. Design Your Environment to Maximize Language Input and OutputExcellence is never an accident. It is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, and intelligent execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives. Choice, not chance, determines your destiny. -AristotleReplace your media with target language equivalentsIts imperative to stop choosing to study throughout your day. When you make your target language the  only  option, you have no choice but to get valuable exposure each and every day. And one of the best ways to limit choices and maximize learning is to switch all your sources of media (TV, movies, magazines, blogs, podcasts, etc.) to your target language. Place foreign film DVDs by the DVD player. Replace the magazines in the bathroom. Put a stack of foreign language manga next to the bed. You get the idea.And if youre looking for an easier and natural way to learn from foreign language media, then you should check out FluentU. FluentU takes real-world videos like music videos, movie trailers, and TV shows and turns them into language learning experiences. Its a terrific way to quickly pick up natural vocabulary and to learn with context.With FluentU, you learn real languagesâ€"the same way that natives  speak them. FluentU has a wide variety of videos like movie trailers, funny commercials and web series, as you can see here:FluentU App Browse Screen.FluentU has interactive captions that let you tap on any word to see an image, definition, audio and useful examples. Now native language content is within reach with interactive transcripts.Didnt catch something? Go back and listen again. Missed a word? Hover your mouse over the subtitles to instantly view definitions.Interact ive transcript for Carlos Baute song.You can learn all the vocabulary in any video with FluentUs learn mode. Swipe left or right to see  more examples for the word you’re learning.FluentU Has Quizzes for Every VideoAnd FluentU always keeps track of vocabulary that you’re learning. It uses that vocab to give you a 100% personalized experience by recommending videos and examples.Start using FluentU on the website  with your computer or tablet  or, better yet,  download the FluentU app from  the  iTunes  or  Google Play  store.Change all your devices to your target languageThis one is a game changer. Given how many hours a day most of us spend with our eyeballs glued to our various screens, changing the device display language can significantly increase our target language exposure. Granted, this increases passive reading input, not active speaking output (the most important language activity), but hey, every little bit helps.Best of all, you can make lots of educated guesses about new vocabulary based on your previous experience using the user interface in English. For example, if you are new to Japanese, you probably dont know the word for Settings in the language yet, but once you change your iOS interface to Japanese, you will see that ?? (settei) is written below the Settings icon. Boom. Thats one more word in the bag.Label key items in your home and office in the target languageAn old idea, but a good one. Just as changing your device language increases exposure to contextual vocabulary throughout your day, labeling items around your home and office accomplishes much of the same goal. The difference of course is that these labels will be providing less tech-centric input, meaning youll learn lots of useful real-life vocabulary thats necessary if you ever travel or live abroad.To get started, use Vocabulary Stickers, durable and removable labels that teach you the names of the most important items around your home and office, for hassle-free language lea rning. For languages with grammatical genders, the stickers are  even conveniently  color-coded so you learn the gender of each word as you learn the word itself.Create visual study cues and When I, then I statements to promote new habitsCreating new habits (or quitting old ones) can be an extremely difficult task, but there are a few tricks to stack the behavior change deck in your favor:Create constant visual reminders in your environment. Place flashcards on your nightstand, put language apps on the home screen of your device and swap out your media as discussed above.Create some When I do X, then I do Y statements. For example, When I wake up, then I immediately review 15 flashcards. Make these statements tied to specific times of day, specific locations or other activities you do on a regular basis.3. Track Your ProgressWhat gets measured gets managed. -Peter DruckerMeasure progress in hours, not yearsMost people assume that it will take years to learn a foreign language. And s ure enough, it does seem to take most folks at least a few years to reach conversational fluency in a foreign language. But this is because most people only put in a few hours (if not a few  minutes!) each week.But if you made language learning your number one priority and put in at least an hour  every day, you would be able to reach your fluency goals far faster. Forget about years. Such measurements of time are too big and too intimidating to be of much good for our purposes.Instead, try to keep track of how many  hours  you spend actively learning the language each day. If you are not improving as fast as you want, the answer is very likely that you are not putting in enough hours each week. But unless you measure, you wont know. You will likely feel like you are putting in gobs of time, but may in fact be doing very little.Record yourself speaking at least once a monthWhile there are many ways to measure your progress, unscripted speaking is by far the best test of your actual level in a language. It doesnt matter what device you use (smartphone, tape recorder or phonograph), just make sure you do it at regular intervals. I recommend once a month so that there will be enough time to seeâ€"or rather  hearâ€"observable progress.Write a daily journal in your target languageWhile speaking ability is the main goal for most language learners, writing skills should not be underestimated. Keeping a daily journal in your foreign language is a great way to both improve your word smithing skills while also measuring your progress over time. The journal doesnt need to contain beautiful, flowing prose. The only requirement is that you get words down on paper (or on the screen) on a daily basis. Months later, you can then go back and review what youve previously written. You will be amazed how far youve come!4. Create a Tribe: Learning By Yourself Does Not Mean Learning AloneYes, I think its okay to abandon the big, established, stuck tribe. Its okay to say to them, Yo ure not going where I need to go, and theres no way Im going to persuade all of you to follow me. So rather than standing here watching the opportunities fade away, Im heading off. Im betting some of you, the best of you, will follow me.' -Seth GodinGet a tutor, language exchange partner or private teacherThough the title of this post is How to Learn a Language by Yourself, I am in no way encouraging you to learn in isolation. You must (I repeat, must) apply what you learn by interacting with native speakers. What I am saying is that you dont need to attend formal classes to do that. With the advent of Skype (and similar VOIP services), you can now interact with native speakers of nearly any language, just about everywhere. There are countless free (or at least affordable) language exchange sites, some of which even connect you with professional teachers. My favorite is iTalki, but you can Google around until you find something you like.Find or make friends learning the same languag eLearning alone is not only boring, its also a recipe for failure. Having at least one friend learning the same language as you means that you will have a trusted confidant to share with, whether its sharing resources or venting frustrations. It also allows for a little friendly competition.5. Consistency Trumps Quantity: Make at Least a Little Progress Every DayYou dont set out to build a wall. You dont say Im going to build the biggest, baddest, greatest wall thats ever been built. You dont start there. You say, Im going to lay this brick as perfectly as a brick can be laid. You do that every single day. And soon you have a wall. -Will SmithCommit to a small amount of study every day no matter whatIs it better to study five hours a day than five minutes? Sure. But its also way better to study five minutes a day than not at all. No matter how many curve balls, emergencies or defeats your day throws at you, do your very best to fit in at least a tiny bit of language study. Even if i t means just reviewing one single flashcard. When you completely miss a day, you are that much more likely to miss the next, and then the next, and so on.  Dont let yourself break the streak.Use hidden moments throughout the dayAs I mentioned in my last post, hidden moments are a great way to squeeze in language learning time even in the busiest schedule. Any time you find yourself waiting for something (may it be waiting in line or waiting for the elevator), whip out some flashcards or listen to a podcast. A few seconds here, a few minutes there, can all add up to a big chunk of time at the end of the day.Study first thing in the morningLiterally, put language learning first. Before you do anything else in your day, make sure that you spend a little bit of time listening, speaking, reading or writing. That way, no matter how many TPS reports you end up having to resubmit at the office, you will have already checked off language study from your list of daily commitments.Do you feel confident now? You should, because you  can learn a language by yourselfâ€"and feel like a rock star as you progress towards reaching your specific language goals.Just put these tips into action and youll be on the road to success.Good luck!John Fotheringham is a linguist, author, entrepreneur, pun aficionado, and full-time silly goose. As both learner and teacher, he has spent the last decade testing first hand what works, and perhaps more importantly, what doesn’t. He shares these results on his blog, Language Mastery, in his podcast, The Language Mastery Show, and in his comprehensive language learning guides, Master Japanese and Master Mandarin.