2022 Year in ReviewWell, a picture is worth a thousand words. I went from my January high of 61 hours to my November low of 4 hours and 13 minutes. Even though 2022 wasn’t the easiest year, there were a lot of things that worked surprisingly well. I studied for 304 hours. This is the longest and the most consistently I’ve studied for years. Thank you, Language Learners Forum. Even though I didn’t reach any of my goals, the act of reaching for them provided a lot more progress than I expected.
1. The 30 minute a day challenge was an amazing motivator. I’m sending a big cyber bear hug from whoever started it. I kept my streak through thick and thin – through a bad break up, a move, an eye surgery, appliance fiascos - until one day, without even a reason, I just forgot. I wasn’t even that busy. Go figure.
2. I’ve had the same language exchange partner for 3.5 years now. We talk twice a week. I've realized that I enjoy language learning best when it's social.
3. Tiny goals helped me get through my "no mojo" periods. 30 minutes, for example, could seem like a pain, but it was never too hard to do. Keeping up my vocabulary streaks on Clozemaster or Speakly was also easy. Apps with reminders were my friends.
My goals into next year will most likely be similar. I’m going to try to keep the lessons I’ve learned in mind as I venture forth into 2023