Have you ever done something and gave up on it just because it was too difficult? We all did….it’s human! The same applies to language learning. The amount of time and the learning obstacles might be responsible for your decision to pause for a day or two, maybe a week, which soon will turn into months and all of a sudden you are ready to quit the game. Demotivation sinks in and procrastination is your new best friend. Fortunately, there are ways to overcome these days with some effective accountability resources that I am excited to share with you. 

  • State your goals and write them down on a piece of paper.

Having a written breakdown of how and why you want to learn a language, as well as the process to reach each learning stage, will help you visualize your goals and keep your motivation going.

  • Use a habit tracker App.

Habit tracking applications like HabitBull and Habitica have daily reminder features, detailed statistics of your progress and community settings that allow you to share it with others. These will be your motivation to keep going.

  • Get an accountability partner.

This can be a friend, a family member, or even another language learner. You can find an accountability partner on Facebook through our Facebook page (@thelanguagescorner). Please don’t hesitate to post a message!

  • Sign up for a language course at our virtual school. We offer public group classes for several languages in September and January, as well as private language lessons for friends and family. This is a great opportunity to study with someone else and keep yourself on schedule. Don’t want to wait for a group course or don’t have anyone to share your learning journey with? No worries and take solo lessons! The teacher will be your accountability partner through weekly meetings, homework correction and of course your lessons.

How to work with an accountability partner (AP)

1_Define the rules of the game and ask the partner to check on you: daily or every few days. This will keep you on track. Both you and your AP need to commit to meet periodically to build the rhythm and cadence. Consistently monitoring your progress will help you build the right mindset and provide the AP opportunities to coach you.

2_Establish your style: do you prefer coaching style or only questions to be answered?

3_ Decide the means you want to use with your AP to communicate: text message, Facebook messenger, WhatsApp, e-mail, etc.

4_ Give your new AP a couple of weeks; then revaluate if this relationship is working for you or if you need a new AP.

5_Revisit your goals: every three months or so reflect on your progress. What has changed? What have you learned? What needs to be adjusted?

I hope these tips will help you with your language learning goals and keep you strong. The road to success should not be a lonely one. Many of us have an accountability partner who acts like a safety net when our willpower fails. Give it a try and you won’t be disappointed!