How to study at home: Time Management

Now that many of us have more time on our hands, it should be a golden opportunity to really devote ourselves to that language we’ve always wanted to learn. However, studying languages at home is a challenge of discipline and time-management as much as it is about just finding the time. How best to structure your learning and keep yourself motivated? These are key issues that need to be addressed if we are going to make the most of the current situation.

Errol De Jesus is an American blogger and influencer who has spent many years learning languages online, including with Rosetta Stone. She knows how to study effectively from home. Here she shares some tips and tricks on how to manage your time.

Study at Home Time Management Hacks 

Finding language partners is a great way to study a language from home but can be time-consuming, so I mostly reserve that for the weekends. Rosetta Stone’s Live Tutoring is something that I can do during the week because it’s more time-conscious. In an ideal world, I would spend all day learning a language, but as a busy mom I’ve found ways to immerse myself productively. 

Batch Your Home Study Tasks  

Studying at home is a time-management challenge! I use a to-do list to schedule specific language-learning tasks like writing tweets in Spanish and Japanese or commenting on Instagram posts from Spanish-speaking moms that I’m following. I group those tasks by priority or convenience. During my son’s naptime, I get most of my writing and studying done. Watching TV and listening to music is better when I’m busy with my son, because we’re actively singing or watching something together.

Time Management Techniques  

I find it easy to get carried away with tasks, so I work in 30-minute increments (25 minutes of focused work, 5 minute breaks). This is known as the Pomodoro technique and there are plenty of timer apps out there to help. For bigger tasks I focus for 50 minutes with a 10-minute break.  

Tips for Focused Language Study at Home

1. I’m the kind of person who likes to have a million tabs up in my browser, so I use a Google Chrome browser extension called OneTab to consolidate them into a specific category and save them for later.
2. I turn off all notifications on my phone and laptop when I’m studying. It takes time and discipline to get used to it, but it’s definitely helped me study better.
3. Another helpful way to stay focused is to set reminders. Make sure they are specific. Don’t say “study Spanish” but “study 10 minutes of reading in Spanish and 20 minutes of learning new vocabulary in Spanish.

Read more from Errol on our US blog