Tips for maintaining an intensive study period?

Spanish
#1

Hey all!

I’ve just started level One and really like the ethos behind the course. My ‘wall’ is that I just don’t seem to be able to maintain concentration past one challenge and before I know it I’ve stopped listening. I’d really like to try and complete an intensive day. I know it’s normal to drift off and no doubt expected in the course design.

So far, I’ve found that once I take the short break and launch into a second challenge I start doing quite bazaar things like rocking in my chair, massive yawning, becoming crazy sleepy and of course, the classic, deciding that the entire house needs cleaning right away!

So, I was wondering, would anyone like to share their ideas that help them to stick with an intensive run of challenges?

I find it helpful to walk around at times and if seated, to do so in front of a mirror as if having a conversation in Spanish. Haven’t tried it yet, but I’m going to see if doodling whilst listening and responding helps too as I know I’m quite a visual learner.

Looking forward to hearing your concentration tips and good luck all with your challenges!

#2

I can’t do even ten minutes of a lesson sitting down. Every time I’ve tried, I’ve either fallen asleep or started to do something else.

So I do the lessons walking. I take a scenic route to the grocery or do them on my way to work. Works for me. :smile:

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#3

¡hola Jim!

I found when I walked to work (which was a 40 minute journey by foot - perfect for a challenge!) this kept my mind occupied over what would otherwise be a rather boring walk! Also, if you have an auxillary or bluetooth connection to your car radio and happen to do a long journey, this can help you stick to the challenges too. The downside with the car idea is that you cannot use the pause button (for safety reasons), and the temptation to switch the radio on instead is quite big! But the walking one always worked for me! If you have a dog, this will be the perfect excuse to go for long walks to do your challenges. But I’m like you, I can’t just be sitting around while doing a challenge as I start to fall asleep!
The house cleaning idea is good though - you can clean and learn at the same time. There are a few people on the Welsh forum who have done this while completing a challenge!

Hope you can find a method that works for you soon!
¡adios!
Gav

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#4

And Jim, it’s worth listening to Susanna, because she’s taken the 10 minute block and still managed to do 10 Spanish lessons in a single day:

Maybe if you started by setting a challenge to move AND to do two sessions in a row? With a big prize for sticking at it? :sunny:

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#5

My two strategies are:

  1. Play them on a smart phone and go for a walk…avoiding busy roads!

  2. Play them on a PC with a stop motion video of landscapes or the night sky (loads on youtube).

However, both these activities might cause loss of concentration as well, so it might not work for other people,

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