Tracking spreadsheets?

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Tracking spreadsheets?

Postby zenmonkey » Sun May 14, 2017 4:46 pm

Do you use a tracking spreadsheet to follow the number of hours your work on different language learning related activity?

if you do, I'd appreciate if you would share a sample or image of it here. I'm just starting a new one and I'm curious about how others go about it, I don't want to overdo mine and render it too complicated.

Thanks in advance.
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Re: Tracking spreadsheets?

Postby jeff_lindqvist » Sun May 14, 2017 5:27 pm

I've stuck to the one which Professor Arguelles uploaded many years ago:
Sample study chart (xls)

Every row is a language with columns for the activities:
  • scriptorium
  • narrative (which I split into listening and reading separately)
  • analysis (any kind of work which doesn't fit the other categories, but typically grammar exercises, regular "lessons" etc.)
  • shadowing

Use one tab/sheet per year if you want to compare stats. The spreadsheet calculates average minutes per day etc. according to activity and language family.
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Re: Tracking spreadsheets?

Postby Stefan » Sun May 14, 2017 6:46 pm

I've tried to use Toggl in the past but found it difficult to measure time because I jump between tasks. Now I only keep track of minutes watched and LWT automatically keeps track of new words translated when reading.

Image

date/title/minutes/language/subtitles
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Re: Tracking spreadsheets?

Postby SophiaMerlin_II » Sun May 14, 2017 9:11 pm

I do my spreadsheets by hand :oops:

One is for a long TV series I'm watching (366 episodes)
Date - Comments - Start ep # - End ep # - Today's hours - Total Hours

The other is just a simple reading log -- it's doesn't actually track time spent, but rather extensive style reading.
Date - Title - Start page - End page - Pages read
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Re: Tracking spreadsheets?

Postby Xenops » Sun May 14, 2017 9:45 pm

Image

The entire purpose of keeping them was for bragging purposes. ;) I've dropped the use of them because then I would give myself unnecessary stress: "Oh no! I've only done 30 minutes today! Oh no, I didn't look at the clock when I started/finished the activity! Oh noes!"
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Re: Tracking spreadsheets?

Postby zenmonkey » Sun May 14, 2017 10:19 pm

Xenops wrote:
The entire purpose of keeping them was for bragging purposes. ;) I've dropped the use of them because then I would give myself unnecessary stress: "Oh no! I've only done 30 minutes today! Oh no, I didn't look at the clock when I started/finished the activity! Oh noes!"


Definitely one of my concerns - or doing it just for time but not quality.
But I think I want to identify a little what tools I'm using and why and I'm going to give it a run. If I find myself stressing from it, I'll drop it again.
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Re: Tracking spreadsheets?

Postby Ani » Mon May 15, 2017 12:19 am

I really like the xp navi from Japanese A Level Up. You can use it for any language. It might be different from what you are looking for because it is a fully programed sheet that calculates your language level as you go along. I haven't used it in a while but it is super fun. I can't post pictures from my phone, but I can later if there is interest and I am pretty sure there are good pictures on the JALUP site.
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Re: Tracking spreadsheets?

Postby mjfleck2000 » Mon May 15, 2017 3:33 pm

Last year I read a comment by Cavesa here in the Language Forum... she stated somthing about how many hours it took her to reach C2 level in French and how you almost couldn't help but reach C2 after one to two Super Challenges... or words to that effect. I decided to start a spreadsheet to track my hours of study.

I have a "Total" tab that is a summary of each individual tab that records specific tasks.

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Re: Tracking spreadsheets?

Postby Carmody » Mon May 15, 2017 5:03 pm

Yes! I "use a tracking spreadsheet to follow the number of hours." I think Spreadsheets are fantastic! They help me to quantify what time I have spent and not spent in studying my French.

So, in addition to quantifying hours spent and how they were spent, I also have in my Excel file separate spread sheet tabs for:

Advbs, Preps, Conjuncs
Books: Title, Date Read, No. of Pages
Farvorite Words
Faux Amis
Phrases
Methodology: (Tracking how I change my learning methods over time. It slowly evolves over time.)
Milestones!: (Obviously Very Important)
Salutations:
Synonyms
Timing
Weather
Vocab: (General Catch all.)

For me it is all about being able to call up what I need when I need it. It is also very important for me to track what it is I have actually done vs. what I think I might have done. Of course, honesty is absolutely necessary for the build'g blocks for the hours spent. But each hour helps. Like waiting for my wife in the MD office today, I was able to log One Hour reading my French book; so that will go on the spreadsheet in the Timing Tab that will show how much time and how it was spent.

I find for me that it is tremendously gratifying to be able to look back and see what I have accomplished over time.

Each person has their own methodology for language learning and for me this really works!
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Postby coldrainwater » Sat May 20, 2017 2:10 am

When I track, I keep it simple. Two columns. One for the activity and another for the minutes spent.

I'll have the date auto-populate in a third column (that I might not even make visible). If using a spreadsheet application, when I wish to visual the data, I might make something like mjfleck2000 posted. Static metrics might just as well stay in a separate tab recorded once. It is trivial to shore up the data into major categories (Noticias Oír, Libros, Amigo, etc), and slap a pivot on it anytime visualization is needed. That also gives high flexibility should visualization needs change and high portability in case you want to move the data to and fro.

The critical part for me is that I typically only need to track a few weeks or a month at a time. Once I note the patterns developing, I often stop if further data recording isn't yielding new insight.
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