Make no mistake – language learning can be challenging. As language lovers, this effort is usually fun and rewarding, but now and again, it can all seem like very hard work. Keeping up this level of mental exertion without respite can be a sure-fire way to hit burnout.
However, the savvy student can plan to be kind to the mind. Managing mental fatigue is as important as organising your learning material, and easy to fit into your routine. With that in mind, here are some top strategies for avoiding burnout.
Being mentally switched on all the time is a recipe for fatigue. You can use a variety of free tools for organising yourself to ensure some downtime. You could, for example, try Evernote to pace yourself with weekly goals. Or you could try calendar blocking your learning to avoid doubling / tripling / quadrupling up on your learning material.
Importantly, try to be realistic when planning in your goals. There are some ways to routinise your language learning to include some every day. But perhaps give yourself a day or two a week when you only do your Anki flashcards, and leave your books alone.
The Twelve Week Year (below) is one approach I’ve found really helpful in organising my language goals into manageable, spaced chunks.
Communicate and socialise
Slogging it out on your own can be a lonely business. There’s nothing quite like the support of others in a common goal, and seeking out company can be a fantastic way to get some breathing space when study gets heavy.
Find a study buddy, or seek out a language café in your area. If you don’t have the opportunity to meet others in person, try finding a language partner on a site like iTalki. Knowing that there is someone on the journey with you can lighten the heaviest load.
You’ve given your brain a workout – so why not shift the effort to your body, instead? There is lots of research that suggests the mental and emotional benefits of exercise. Making physical activity a regular habit helps you to adopt a holistic mind-body approach that can balance, rather than overload you.
It doesn’t have to stand in isolation, either. You can even combine exercise with language learning, training your linguist brain and body at the same time!
Get some Headspace
As surprising as it might sound, many of us may not know instinctively how to switch off and manage stress. Rather, it is a skill that we need to learn. To this end, mindfulness and meditation can be invaluable additions to your mental toolbox.
A superb place to start is the excellent Headspace . This life-saver app offers a gentle, graded and handheld way into these powerful techniques, including a completely free ‘essentials’ course. If you find that useful, there is a whole library of situation-specific guided meditations to enjoy with a paid subscription. Amongst these, some of the handiest for linguists include study support and productivity packs, as well as anxiety management – absolute gold for a naturally shy linguist like me.
Allow for exploration
Sometimes we can be too strict on ourselves. For many linguaphiles, I suspect, part of our passion derives from the exploration of language. And, occasionally, we lose sight of that when we are in formal learning mode, demanding progress towards a very specific language goal.
Deviate a little now and then from the planned route. Spend some time learning a brand new language. And don’t feel guilty for doing so! Learning related languages, for example, can be a great way to get a bird’s eye view of your main language and its place in the world. Keep alive the spirit of exploration as a space to be curious rather than purely industrious. Side projects remind us of this.
Letting off steam, and self-kindness in study, are highly individual. Are there any methods you swear by for keeping a fresh head? Please share them in the comments, and help us all to keep the flame burning brightly!