Language Learning and Social Engineering

[Carmody]

I have been putting in about 2-3 hours* per day in my language learning for the past 2 years and I am acutely aware that this commitment does impact the people around me.

How do you manage to put in the requisite hours for your language learning, day in and day out, year after year, and still balance it with time for friends and family?

*NB: I realize 2-3 hrs. is on the low end for many people here, but I am just a beginner.

[Atinkoriko]

I put in around the same hours daily but I just wake up much earlier than I normally would. For example, as a student I typically have lectures starting by 10 am. I wake up by 6 or so and put in work till 9 am. Then perhaps I can sneak in 2 more hours during the daytime in between lectures or so. I still have enough time to both do a part time job and maintain a somewhat healthy social life.

This will likely change as I get older and adopt more time bound responsibilities but I guess I’m making the best of my free time now.

[LinguaPony]

Friends? Here, locally, people I would like to call friends are very busy themselves, so, apart from an occasional text message or a brief Skype conversation, they don't come into it at all.

As for family, my daugher has separated from us, and my husband knows better than to stand between me and my languages. "I'm not a suicide", he says. And he has his computer games to keep him happy.

Even so, I can only make an hour a day at most for my reading. I compensate for that by listening to songs - that can be combined with anything else. The real problem is, whenever I talk with my colleagues, we end up talking about languages, even if I make an effort not to do it. I wonder how long they will be able to bear it.

[Ольга]

Time-management is the best thing which has ever been invented by a human being.
Before I could not find enough time because I always had guests, my brother always came to me with friends. But now I plan my time, I write down each task which I need and cross out after that has been done.

[IronMike]

Fit it in whenever you can. The idea of anything (besides sleep, inshahlah) for 2-3 hours straight is impossible in my life (but sounds so wonderful). I bought a shower speaker recently (thanks for the idea, @whatiftheblog) so there's 5-10 min of listening practice daily. I read books on the metro to/from work (20-30 min each way every work day). I listen to news when walking the dog on weekends (25-ish minutes once or twice each on Sat and Sun and any holiday). All of that adds up. Throw in some lectures every few months (E-o prelegoj) or walking around town doing normal people stuff (shopping по-русски) and I can at least maintain proficiency. If I get to attend a class in addition to all the above, that is bonus points (Russian twice weekly right now).

[aaleks]

I actually don't know how much hours I spend on my language learning per day. In the beginning I tried to read at least 10 pages per day that usually took an hour. Now I just use the spare time I have. Also instead of reading books or warching movies, etc. in my native tongue, I read and watch them in my TL. And since my TL right now is English I guess I could count writing comments here as a part of my language learning too .