Time spent studying (Questions About Your Target Languages) Language Learning Forum

Time spent studying
Tags: Study Plan \| Time to learn
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Language Learning Forum : Questions About Your Target Languages

10 messages over 2 pages: 1 2

Bao
Diglot
Senior Member
Germany
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Speaks: German*, English
Studies: French, Spanish, Japanese, Mandarin

Message 9 of 10

21 June 2009 at 7:58pm | IP Logged

Dark_Sunshine: It should be a matter of habit. Once you have learnt that as soon as you're tired you'll get a break it will become easier to start again after the break.

Yukamina: At least in group situations, people tend to concentrate more once they know the end of the meeting is just ahead. It doesn't matter if your meeting lasts 30 minutes or 2 hours - in the last 10 to 15 minutes people will start for real and it is most likely to drag on the time that was set initially. The results are most likely to be the same no matter how much time wasted in the beginning. I heard that from a doctor, psychologist and psychiatrist. I wouldn't be surprised if the same were true for single activities (though probably not the ones that lead to a flow state.)
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irrationale
Tetraglot
Senior Member
China
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Studies: Ancient Greek, Japanese

Message 10 of 10

22 June 2009 at 7:09am | IP Logged

Splog wrote:

My own experience is that a single two hour stretch is indeed possible - but it leaves my brain unable to take further study that day.

Having experimented with this a great deal over the years, I have found that frequent distractions are essential to keeping going. Furthermore, the periods of study shorten and the rest periods lengthen throughout the day.

Here is my own daily schedule of language study that I have found to be optimal (and I use an alarm clock to ensure that I stick to it):

50 minutes of study
10 minutes of distraction
50 minutes of study
10 minutes of distraction
50 minutes of study
60 minutes of distraction
45 minutes of study
30 minutes of distraction
45 minutes of study
45 minutes of distraction
30 minutes of study
60 minutes of distraction
15 minutes of study

If I try to do more than this, unfortunately my brain blocks further absorption of material, and (even worse) this blockage will often leak over into the next day.

Hey, this is really great. I made that same obsevation, that distractions are essential to keep going, especially when SRSing. But the gradually increasing periods are something I hadn't considered. I am definitely going to try your routine.
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