Learning a new language while working from home? It’s not as hard – or as stressful – as it sounds. Honest!
Sure, working a job can be difficult in itself. And learning a new language while juggling everyday work tasks does look like a lot to ask. But it’s just a case of juggling your schedule a little bit. Move things around so that you’ve actually got more free time than you realised. With more of us than ever working from home during the COVID lockdown, there’s never been a better chance to learn a language!
There’s no need to ‘squeeze’ language learning into your day so that you feel the pressure. This is because you only need to put aside 15 minutes or so each day towards learning a language. That might not sound a lot. The key is to commit to learning a little bit more each day so that, over time, you’ll be rewarded.
You won’t be burned out and you’ll have learned a whole new language!
In this article, we’re going to take a look at ways you can develop your remote working schedule. There are plenty of tips, both long and short, elsewhere on thus site. You can adapt it to your language learning aims – as opposed to the other way around. Learning a new language while working remotely will be a breeze!
Language-Learning Schedule
To that end, we’ve put together what we like to call opportunity windows. These are those 15-minute segments in your day where nothing really seems to happen. Maybe you sit down for a few minutes and casually flick through your social media newsfeed. Perhaps you take 15 minutes to make and drink a cup of coffee.
Wouldn’t it be better to use those 15 minute periods more productively?
We’re also going to take a look at ways you can maximise your day by. For example, why not engage with the language you’re learning in creative ways, such as while eating your meals? It’s our hope that our template encourages you to work smartly. You’ll be able to get more juice out of your day and feel a real sense of achievement by the time bedtime swings around.
Morning
Who likes mornings? Very few of us, probably!
The thing with mornings is that we’re not always at our absolute best straight off the bat. Sometimes it takes a bit of time for us to wake up.
That’s totally cool, but there are small things you can do if you’re not up to the challenge of taking a whole lesson right away.
For example, you could switch on a podcast episode in the language you’re currently learning while you make breakfast. Not sure where to find podcasts? We’ve got our own available in Italian, French and Spanish.
You could also read some news in the language you’re learning while you drink your morning coffee. Or you could add a few notes to your journal in your language. This can also be done in the morning while you’re kicking back with a cup of coffee.
And if you feel like it, you could dedicate 15 minutes of your morning to taking a lesson. This can be fitted in after you’ve fired off a few emails, showered and completed other morning tasks. This will help you prime your body and mind for a bit of language learning. Learning a new language while working remotely has never seemed so easy!
Afternoon
We’re not sure about you, but many studies have agreed that the afternoon is the optimal time to learn something new. We’re not completely sure why this is. It may have something to do with the fact that your metabolism is moving and grooving. You’ve already completed a number of daily tasks and your mind is active and ready for something a bit more challenging.
That said, it’s also been noted that midday is the best time to learn something new. Later on in the afternoon your mind and body starts to slump a bit after you’ve eaten lunch).
However, there’s also nothing wrong with taking a quick 20 minute power nap in the afternoon to hit the reset button on your mind. Lots of people find that this helps them attack the afternoon.
Otherwise, here are some tips for learning a language in the afternoon:
Complete a lesson while eating lunch. If you usually flick through social media during lunch, why not mix things up by taking a lesson instead? You could also take a lesson while stretching, or during your early afternoon walk.
Alternatively, you could try working whilst listening to foreign-language music. Whatever language you’re studying, find a band that plays a style of music you like, and see if they’ve got some music available on streaming sites.
Or, how about talking to yourself while you have lunch? We’re aware that sounds a tad strange but, hey, it’s really great for practice! If you usually have lunch alone, picture someone sitting with you and chat to them about the things you’d chat to a friend.
Post-Afternoon
We decided against creating an “evening” section because studies have shown that late-night studying is actually counter-productive.
In fact, there have been studies that have shown that, the more sleep you get, the better your memory will be. This is because our memories tighten together during sleep. It follows that if you don’t get enough sleep, your memory won’t be as strong as you need it to be while you learn a new language.
Whilst it’s very tempting for those with busy ‘work from home’ schedules to cram some late-night learning into their lives, we really advise against it.
So what’s the alternative? What should you do with your time ‘post-afternoon’ so that you don’t waste it? Here are some ideas:
Take a lesson while you’re chilling on the sofa.
Study you language while you’re waiting for your food to cook (maybe pasta or rice is on the boil?).
Take a lesson before you get trapped by Netflix for the night! Or, you could relax with a film or TV show and switch to foreign language subtitles? This is always a great idea.
Watch a foreign language movie – and don’t switch the subtitles on. If you’re not quite at that level yet, you could keep the subtitles on while trying to take in as much of the language as possible.
Call a foreign friend via Skype or Zoom. In fact, this is a great thing to do whenever you can. If you have a foreign friend who speaks the language you’re learning, call them up as often as you can. Try to have conversations in their language. This is not only great practice, it’s also a lot of fun and it’s a great way to stay in touch with people. Learning a new language while working remotely will suddenly be much for fun!
If you’ve tried learning a language while working remotely, why not let us know? Leave a comment in the box below.
