New Year’s resolutions for language learners

Beginning of a new year is the perfect time to reassess one’s priorities and set personal goals for the coming twelve months. I’ve been doing my New Year’s resolutions for many years, always writing them down on the first page of my annual planner. Looking back, most of my past resolutions were quite unrealistic (lose 10 kg; learn to play an instrument; master another foreign language…), but over time I realised that resolutions only make sense if they are realistic and manageable; otherwise, they are just a litany of nice but unattainable wishes.

In this post, I’ll offer some advice for language learners: how to define your personal resolutions and use them as an effective learning tool.

SELF-EVALUATE

Look back at the previous year and think: in which areas did you make the most progress (vocabulary, grammar, listening skills etc.)? Is there something that continues to be a problem…