my ideal study routine

ever get stuck in the habit of studying whatever you feel like at the time, but then quickly losing motivation because you don't have any direction? that was definitely something i struggled with for the last 2 years. at the beginning of this year, i decided to set up a new study plan for myself to follow which accommodated my full-time job and my part time in-class schedule. although everyone is different and what works for me may not work for you, you're more than welcome to take what i have and adapt it to make it optimal for you! i usually study every day, at least a little bit, but i don't beat myself up if i'm unable to complete a day because life happens. so i've set aside 1 day for each section of learning: vocabulary, grammar, and practice.

*for all links to books i reference, please click here!*

monday: chinese practice
usually mondays are when i schedule most of my in-person classes, so i like to keep these days light. even if i don't have classes on this day, i maintain this schedule so it's consistent and to give myself a small rest day compared to the more heavy studying i do throughout the rest of the week. i usually use this day to practice either a grammar point that i've learned prior to this day for 30 min or i practice for 30 min on duolingo or memrise.
after practicing, i supplement my total language learning by completing at least 1 lesson per target language on duolingo daily. this helps me maintain exposure to each language (korean, chinese, french, spanish, greek, and japanese) throughout the entire week, no matter how small it seems, it makes a huge difference.

chinese practice - 30 min
1 lesson per language on duolingo

tuesday: korean vocabulary
on this day, i'll start off by reviewing last week's vocabulary for 30 min. i usually do this by writing the korean word, the translation, and then repeating the korean word until it reaches the end of the line. i'll do this for each vocabulary word from the prior week.

then, i learn a new set of vocabulary words for an hour. either from a chapter in my dynamic korean 3 text book or essential korean vocabulary book. the number of words i learn really depend, but i usually stick to around 20-25 words at a minimum. i usually write these down because it helps me remember them better, then i also add them into quizlet so they're easy to reference and study later on.
once i've entered these into quizlet, i then practice these words for 30 min in quizlet or until i've mastered them all.
once i've finished my korean, i then complete at least 1 lesson per target language on duolingo.

korean vocabulary review - 30 min
essential korean vocab/dynamic korean 3 vocab - 1 hr
practice in quizlet - 30 min
1 lesson per language on duolingo


wednesday: french practice
since wednesdays are usually days where i have classes, like mondays, i keep these days light as well. just like i did for chinese, i usually practice french for 30 min. this could either be duolingo, memrise, or i revisit a texercise to practice a grammar point (similar to this one that i completed this past wednesday).

after i've completed practice for 30 min, i then do 1 lesson per target language on duolingo.

french practice - 30 min
1 lesson per language on duolingo

thursday: chinese vocabulary
on thursdays, just like i did on tuesday, i review the prior week's vocabulary for chinese, then study a new set of vocabulary for 1 hour from mandarin chinese characters. although, this one is slightly different from korean because i have to pay extra attention to the strokes. so i'll initially get the hang of the stroke order in the mandarin chinese character book, then i'll add it to my tian ge ben practice book to get more practice on writing the character. after that, i'll write it down on my vocabulary list. it may seem excessive, but this seems to be the only way i can drill vocabulary into my head.
once i've finished putting these into quizlet, i'll then learn them there for another 30 min.

chinese vocabulary review - 30 min
mandarin chinese characters vocab - 1 hr
practice in quizlet - 30 min
1 lesson per language on duolingo

friday: french vocabulary
just like my last few vocabulary days, i'll do the same with french! 30 min of review, 1 hour of learning from either my français interactif textbook or my french frequency dictionary. afterwards, i'll complete 30 min of practice in quizlet and then my duolingo lessons!

french vocabulary review - 30 min
français interactif/french frequency dictionary vocab - 1 hr
practice in quizlet - 30 min
1 lesson per language on duolingo

now, i'm sure you've noticed that i don't seem to have a lot of heavy studying during the week. i usually, on average, study for 2 hours a day during the week. that's because i work a full time job, so i can't focus on the more time-consuming aspects of language learning on weekdays. so, weekends are where i spend a lot of my time studying. i usually tackle grammar and speaking on the weekend.

saturday: chinese grammar and korean grammar
i'll start off my chinese studying by reviewing my prior grammar lesson for 30 min. afterwards, i'll complete 1 chapter in hsk 1 (although, i haven't been a fan of the structure of this book, so i'm currently searching for another grammar resource) for an hour. afterwards, i'll practice a duolingo or memrise lesson for 30 min. usually for these practice sessions, i'll write down each sentence and their translations from the lesson i'm working on in duolingo. if i have a question about something in a lesson, i'll reference the 'tips' link on duolingo and write it down on a sticky note for quick reference later on. just like i've done here:

once i've finished with practicing duolingo for 30 min, i'll then go on to practice speaking. to do this, i use the chinese short stories for beginners book. i'll begin by listening to the full story, then i'll try my hand at imitating the words. i'll usually record myself and keep redoing a sentence if it doesn't sound completely right. i'll do this for 30 min. 
i love recording myself because it also gives me a way to track my progress!

after chinese, i then do the same for korean! 30 min practice, 1 hr grammar from dynamic korean 3, 30 min duolingo/memrise practice, 30 min speaking practice from korean stories for language learners.

once these are finished, i'll top it off with duolingo practice for the rest of my target languages and then i'm done for the day!

chinese grammar review - 30 min
hsk 1 grammar - 1 hr
practice duolingo/memrise - 30 min
speaking practice - 30 min
korean grammar review - 30 min
dynamic korean 3 grammar - 1 hr
practice duolingo/memrise - 30 min
speaking practice - 30 min
1 lesson per language on duolingo

sunday: french grammar and korean topik/sat practice
for sunday, i start french off the same way i did the prior day for chinese and korean! first, review for 30 min, grammar from français interactif for 1 hr, practice in duolingo/memrise for 30 min, and then 30 min of speaking practice!

then for korean, i'll review my prior week sat/topik practice and then i'll complete a new lesson either from the korean language coach grammar & usage I or a topik practice test for an hour. afterwards, i'll do another 30 min of speaking practice from korean stories for language learners because this is my main target language and i want to get extra speaking practice!

once these are finished, i'll then complete my duolingo lessons as well!


french grammar review - 30 min
français interactif grammar - 1 hr
practice duolingo/memrise - 30 min
speaking practice - 30 min
korean sat/topik review - 30 min
sat/topik practice - 1 hr
speaking practice - 30 min
1 lesson per language on duolingo

i hope, if anything, that this helps give you an idea of what sort of study plan you'd like to create for yourself! and if you have any questions at all or even if you need help on where to start, feel free to message me on instagram! i'd love to help out with anything that i can!