Japanese Online Lessons using SKYPE

Should I make a plan to study Japanese?

February 2, 2022

If you want to increase your chances of success as much as possible, I recommend that you create a study plan.

Learning a language is often compared to “sailing,” “mountain climbing,” or “running a marathon,” all of which have a clear goal and a plan to reach it. Learning a language is a longer term game than those, so I think it’s better to create one.

The specific advantage of creating a study plan is that it will increase your chances of entering the following spiral.

If you create an appropriate study plan, it will be easier to continue studying.
If you can keep studying, it will be easier to grow.
If you grow, studying becomes fun.
If it becomes fun, it becomes easier to continue studying.

However, some people are not very good at making plans or studying step by step.

There are two types of learners: the climber type and the surfer type. The climber type is the one who is good at following a plan step by step, while the surfer type is the one who wants to study while having fun(*).

For the surfer type, it is more fun to watch Japanese movies and dramas or talk with Japanese people than to follow a plan and study step by step. And if they don’t enjoy it, they won’t be motivated and are more likely to stop studying. Studying is meaningless if you don’t continue, so it is important to choose a learning method that makes it easy for you to continue studying.

*Please forgive me if I use this analogy for convenience. I do surf as a hobby, but my learning style is climber type, so I understand that this analogy is not appropriate for some people.