There are a few sneaky things that will “trick” you into studying Japanese and getting yourself into a good habit. It all comes down to analyzing what makes habits into habits, and taking advantage of those things so that you can create a habit without actually having a habit.
Creating action associations
The idea is to create associations with things and associate those things with Japanese study. Some examples of what you could do with Japanese studies:
- A particular bean bag that you only sit on when you are studying Japanese.
- A colored light bulb you turn on only when you study Japanese.
- Certain music you play during Japanese study time, and nowhere else (I’d vote Mozart).
- A certain part of the house that’s a Japanese study area.
Writing down exactly what you plan to do
- This tricks your brain into thinking this is something you always do in this place and at this time
- The more specific you get, the better all this works
- When the time comes, you are more likely to get out the study tools and get studying
Make The Road Easier
- Habits are habits because they’re easy to do.
- Make the things you want to be habits easier by planning ahead and knowing what you’re going to do the next day
- Take an extra five minutes at the end of every study session to decide what you’ll study next
- Plan out flashcards for tomorrow so you don’t have to put them on top of a huge stack