coldrainwater wrote:When I started my log this year, I set X = 1 year and focus = reading. Five months later, I am still very happy with the choice, seeking and accepting an imbalanced skillset. It has led my life in directions that I did not initially expect. An equal mix of habit, obsession, and momentum seem to go hand in hand with sustainability (perhaps even in lieu of sprinting). Divided attention, in contrast, either wrecks my progress entirely or leads to very weak results.
This is exactly the sort of thing I am looking to do, I am not sure I would want to commit to a year...
coldrainwater wrote:...At some point, my grammar weaknesses will reach a critical mass and I will go full-on nevermore. At some different point, I will fall into an L2 forum and live there for a few months to improve my writing (an introvert’s landing). The timeframe is undecided, but I definitely want to devote some months to vocabulary building and dictionaries. Those are a few of my areas of interest and they each provide positive anticipation for a sustained intense focus. Id est, I know I won’t be reading literature as a sole focus forever and there is an end in sight, even if the road is long, albeit incredibly interesting. Boredom doesn’t rule the day.
...the anticipation sounds like bliss to me, hearing this kind of strategy is perfectly sustainable is music to my ears. I have had months of trying to read a bit, then write a bit, then listen, speak...a bit of everything everyday….it is driving me insane. I am constantly plodding, not enjoying (and so changing tact constantly) and feeling that I am going nowhere with any of it.
Anyway...thanks to all, all of the comments have been extremely useful. I still need to work out exactly how I’m going to tackle this but it’s given me much to think about. Maybe I just need to stop trying to be adopt the “perfect” method and just do what I actually WANT to do for a change...