25x365= 9125
So if I can learn 25 words a day, I can learn that many words in a year.
As mentioned last post, my goal is to learn 10k words by the end of 2027, but looking at that math, I feel like I could probably bring my goalpost forward to the end of 2026. I won't because I can't commit to not taking breaks when I have other priorities, but let's see how many I can learn in a year anyway!
Do the math, sometimes you'll find your goals aren't as far out there as they seem. If I say 10,000 words, that sounds ridiculous. But if I say 25 words a day, that may sound ridiculous to someone who isn't in a habit of studying, but to anyone who has studied a language seriously, it's not unreasonable.
Add to that review of 50-75 words a day, so when I say "study" I mean learning the word to the point where I can recognize and recall it, if not use it in a sentence.
Imagine how much better you can get at an instrument? Imagine how much you could learn about your business to help you level up?
Learning isn't everything, just knowing more won't automatically lead you anywhere, but it's a start. It also kind of turns school on it's head. Think about how many words or dates you memorized for school... I think I learned 25 words in Spanish per week.
Of course we had a bunch of classes we were balancing, but maybe we shouldn't have. Maybe we should have focused on one thing at a time. I imagine 2 or 3 is the sweet spot, not 5, not 7, and definitely not 10 or 12.
Maybe studying for the test prevented us from actually learning. We didn't review after the final exam. We went through everything once before the test and once before the final. That's it. We did it all on a unit based schedule.
We didn't have to analyze our week points and focus on strengthening them. We just had to pass the test.
This is one of the few hills I'd be willing to die on, self study is exponentially more effective, at least when it's done with interest and you can generate interest out of nothing if you try.
Learn the surrounding context. Ask why. Focus on the point that's most interesting for you and let that motivate you. Gamify.
I don't think Duolingo is the best tool in the world, but if the gamification can motivate you, you can find a way to make it useful. Take notes. Review them. Seriously, review is everything. The sentences are somewhat randomly generated, but if you use them as prompts to find what YOU need to improve, you'll learn fast even from Duolingo.
If I were to use it seriously now, I'd do 1-3 rounds a day and write down 2-3 sentences with grammar I needed to practice. Then I'd copy the sentence structure and make my own sentences with words I wasn't familiar with, using a dictionary to figure it out. Maybe I'd check with a native to make sure they are correct.
Plus I'd make some word lists. Every word you learn on duolingo belongs on a flashcard. Review them for 5 minutes a day.
So maybe 10 minutes of making sentences, 15 minutes of playing duolingo, and 5 minutes reviewing vocabulary.
So by turning your 15 minute habit in a 30 minute habit with some strategy involved, you'll likely learn 10x faster.
Duolingo is like school. School doesn't prioritize you're learning, only you can do that.
And you don't need to use duolingo or an app, I have never stuck with any of them. Whatever motivates you to learn and can be worked into a routine that is actually practical to help you learn as much useful information as possible.
Not all subjects are the same but you can apply this to anything.
History can be learned contextually. You'll find that when you watch a movie about a certain time period (and check online to see which parts were fact and which parts were fiction), suddenly the information in a history book are much easier to recall. A memoir about that time period helps make everything less like information and more like real events.
Take your learning into your own hands.
My music and video experiments:
Posted Using INLEO
What language will you learn?
But you are right, you need to study alot, not just use the app x)
I tried this with a Chinese App and it was very good and I learned a few words and such, but I would really need to sit down, write out the Chinese Charaters and notes, in order for me to be able to actually learn the language and Chinese is so far from what I normally speak, so it was very hard xD
I’m studying Japanese now. Even if I wanted to use Duolingo it wouldn’t be much help, I’m learning university entrance exam level words after 10 years.
I lived in China for 5 years so if you ever want to practice with me feel free 😝
为什么想学中文？
Ohh fair enough haha xD
Nah bro, I know nothing. I did it for a few months and I don't remember any charatars, I was better at listening to it xD
I've been doing French on Duolingo for a few years and we have a paid package now so I can do as much as I want. I didn't learn too much of the language at school, but I am picking up a fair bit now. I treat it as a mental challenge and maybe I can get by in the language now, but I really need to speak it more to people. I also treat music as a mental exercise. I find drumming challenging when it comes to coordinating my limbs and figuring out the rhythms. It is very satisfying when it comes together.
!BEER
Yeah, for some people the goals are different, I can easily imagine using Duolingo every day just to keep a habit going. It is good as a mental exercise if you aren't doing enough of that. My brain is too hyperactive though, so I think the less work it has the better hahaha
As for drumming, I haven't used drum sticks before, but on djembe my friend taught me a cool trick that made drums make sense to me. He told me to just keep a very steady simple beat and then choose some beats to skip and experiment with which beats I skip and the tempo. It doesn't help with specific beats but it gave me a muuuuuuch better sense of rhythm and groove and I feel like I could probably figure out drums way quicker now. Living with a sound engineer who could play everything kinda changed my life! I should tell him
There's lots of aspects to drumming, but consistency is key, especially if playing with others. I used to play djembe and enjoyed that too.
I started to learn Japanese since I got curiosity about it!! And it is good because while you are doing the basic missions learning about how to say This is Sushi, i can start learning kana as a side question!
What made you curious about Japanese?
Well i love Japanese culture in general… so i decided to take this step and get into this part 🤣. Well i still didn’t visit Japan yet, maybe that’s the next step! But sorry Chinese , I prefer the Sencha green tea! 😬
Always welcome! It’s a great place to visit