How do you study? Is it free and easy, when you feel like it or do you like some structure?

Do you plan out the topics that you want to study and when you will tackle them? Having a plan in advance will yield far more results if you are working towards a test or a specific goal.

I am much better if I have some discipline. I get easily distracted and so right from when I was at school I started to plan out my time in order to get my goals completed.

Even now, I like to have a visual plan of my days, with times and locations mapped out where possible. It makes me feel as though I am making the most of my time and not wasting any hours. I feel guilty if I waste time…I know I should relax more but that is another matter! 😉

Today I would like to share with you the idea of small commitments.

Small commitments are nonaggressive ways of coaxing yourself into making bigger commitments regarding actions that you find tiresome, are not comfortable taking or that you really dislike.

For example. If the idea of sitting down to read a book in Japanese makes you want to run away (as it does for me!) then you want to coax yourself into something smaller. How about a 15-minute reading session? These small commitments can be left as flexible do-them-or-don’t-do-them items, or you might want to include them in your timetable.

If you include them in your daily plan, you are more likely to carry out the activity instead of skipping over the task.

Here is my calendar as an example. I want to cover the four skills: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening. However, I also want at least one session per week with a focus on Kanji, Grammar and another on Vocabulary. It may sound like a lot, but these days we have apps that can be used quickly during the day.

As you can see below I look at kanji every day. This is not a huge amount of study, but rather, a little every day. The same goes for writing and then listening is 5 days out of 7. By having these three micro-commitments booked in every day (except listening) I get them done with little real effort and they become part of my everyday life. I can then spend a larger portion of time on my daily focus which changes every day between reading, speaking, grammar and vocabulary.

This is my preferred schedule because I know that I want to be able to speak to Japanese people and therefore listening is very important to me. It also suits my learning style. I pick up more language through hearing it. You will have your own unique style and preferred focus.

If you want to concentrate more on daily reading, you can switch the formula around. Here is the detail for what I am actually doing during those blocks:

Kanji is studied through Wanikani. This is an app which lets me know when I need to revisit lessons. I like this app because I can pop in and do the lessons very easily during the day. I have it at 08:00 in my schedule because that is the first time that I check it in the morning, but the app will remind me a few times a day to go in and review. The listening I do via Japanesepod101.com

I am a massive fan of this website, this is an affiliate link here because I really believe in their system. I will only promote what I believe works!

My evening study changes every evening and is put in the calendar for 20:00. That is when I aim to get it done. It is up to you how strict you are with the timings.

Finally, before I go to bed, I write my Japanese diary. This is just a bit of habit-forming. I get used to writing about my day at the end of the day and I do it in Japanese instead of English. If you already write a daily diary this may be the easiest switch to make. Plus, I believe it helps you remember better if you do things just before sleeping!

The final two columns give you a big pat on the back. It is very important to record what you do to see how far you have come. We forget the progress that we have made and it is good to remind yourself that you are doing well, that you are moving forwards. You can use the last column as you wish, you could even record how you feel about the resources.

So there you are! It is not that hard to introduce a wide-range of studying into your daily life. I have included the excel sheet here for you to download and make your own study timetable. Share it in the Facebook group and show us how you plan your days, you may give someone else some ideas and you may get ideas from others too!

Good luck!

Want to know how else to insert Japanese into your life? Check out my other blog posts:

Sign up for Online Japanese Conversation Club and other free resources here: