🎯 Goal Setting & Putting Resources on Hold

When to move on to different resources

📝 Goal Setting and Making Plans

We are about halfway through the year. At this point, you’re either still going strong with your goals or have already given up on them.

Setting goals can make us motivated to be productive. I know that having a monthly plan for my languages keeps me on track. However, goals and plans can get overwhelming when we start to fall behind due to time constraints or lack of interest.

❗ When to Put Resources on Hold

There are a few reasons you may decide to put resources or your goals on hold:

1. Lack of interest

2. Lack of time

3. Increased pressure from arbitrary deadlines

🥱 Lack of interest

When you set a goal to complete a resource that may take a few months, it’s hard to imagine how you may feel using that resource months down the line.

At the start of the year, I made a plan to complete both HSK 5 textbooks and the Chinese Zero to Hero course this summer. I was making good progress toward that goal but I realized I didn’t enjoy using the textbook. Even though I lost interest and wanted to try new resources, I felt that I had to continue using the resource to make progress. Eventually, I moved on to another resource once I completed the first textbook.

🕐 Lack of time

Sometimes using too many resources at once can reduce the time you have available for each resource. At one point I was using over 3 resources for French at the same time. There isn’t anything wrong with this except for the fact that I was expecting to progress with each resource as if they were the only resource I was using. Although I did make progress, it wasn’t to the amount I wanted because I was splitting my time among multiple resources. When I decided to put the apps on hold and focus on completing my French textbook, I found I made more progress.

📣 Increased pressure from arbitrary deadlines

Unless you have a tutor or are taking a language course, the deadlines you set for your goals are arbitrary. The benefit is that you can easily shift deadlines. Sometimes, though, we focus too much on completing a resource within a deadline that we rush through just to complete it.

I experienced this when I was completing my French textbook, Liberté. The textbook was exciting at first but halfway through I started to lose interest. I should’ve put the resource on hold but I instead chose to complete it because I had a deadline. I wanted to feel a sense of accomplishment for completing the whole textbook. Forcing myself to complete the textbook by my deadline made working through each chapter a chore. I’m sure I barely retained any information.

If you’re feeling stuck or uninterested in your language-learning journey, maybe it’s time to reevaluate your goals and put some resources on hold. You can always go back to them in the future!

What’s your experience working towards your language goals? Do you ever move on from resources or put them on hold? Let me know!