The first step that you need to understand before building a consistent habit of learning Mandarin is how to find the motivation to study after work. Without knowing why you’re studying, learning Mandarin may seem hard at first. If you’re still struggling to get motivated after working full time, here are a few tips to help you find your motivation. 

Find Measurable Objectives

Before starting your Mandarin learning journey, you need to find objectives that can reflect your progress greatly. Many people struggle with keeping motivation due to how vague their goals seem to be. So, you can try to make specific objectives to help you get motivated. For example, your target might be finishing a Mandarin book or passing HSK exams. These smaller goals can grant you a sense of accomplishment and motivate you to keep improving your Mandarin skills. 

Get Into a Community

If studying by yourself feels hard, you can try finding a community that has similar goals to you. Surrounding yourself with people of similar interest can help people to motivate each other in a longer term. Furthermore, getting into a community can also connect you with people that can help you get reliable resources for learning Mandarin. 

Select Fun Learning Activities

Many people find it hard to learn through textbooks after working. Although this source of material can’t be completely erased, you can try making a more exciting learning experience by including fun activities. For example, you can try memorizing Chinese characters by using flashcards or improving your listening comprehension by watching Chinese dramas with Mandarin audio. While picking for these activities, you should prioritize things that you personally enjoy. 

Having good time management to balance between work and learning Mandarin can be a challenging step. After working or studying for a full day, people are more likely to postpone their Mandarin learning journey due to exhaustion. However, building a consistent learning habit is not impossible, especially if you have decided to start small. Here are a few starting points to help you build a consistent Mandarin learning habit when you’re working full time. 

Dedicate Specific Time

If you have a dedicated time to study Mandarin, you will be more likely to commit to building the same habit. Therefore, you can try dedicating 1-2 hours everyday to learn Mandarin consistently. If you’re working full time, you can put this time after you’ve finished doing your work and have some free time. 

Track and Reward

Another method to help you build the habit of learning Mandarin consistently is by building a tracker. This tracker can be either digital or manual depending on your preference. Every time you manage to commit to your dedicated schedule, you can track your progress and reward yourself with something small. Adding a reward to your learning journey can help motivate you to commit better. 

Start Small

As someone who works full time, dedicating many hours to learn Mandarin might not be the best idea as it can lead to burden. Instead of forcing yourself to study for a longer period, you can try to start by dedicating 15-30 minutes as starters. If you turn out to have more time to spend, you can increase your learning time to suit your schedule better. This way, you will not be overwhelmed when you begin building the habit to learn Mandarin consistently. 

There is no one right way to build a realistic study schedule for full time workers, especially since each individual has their own schedule and different method of learning. Instead of copying someone else’s schedule completely, you should understand your learning style and discover which schedule works best for you. Generally, you can try dividing your schedule into different Mandarin skills as the following. 

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Include Rest Day

While building your own realistic weekly schedule to learn Mandarin, you should remember to include rest days to help keep your productivity. Ideally, you can consider keeping your weekend free to refresh your mind. If you’re persistent in learning Mandarin during weekends, you can swap these days for an easier learning method, such as reading books or watching Chinese dramas.

Evaluate Schedule 

After implementing the schedule, you need to observe closely on how your body reacts toward the habit. If this schedule turns out to be too heavy for you, try adjusting a few days depending on your preferences. For example, you can put breaks in between weekdays to help yourself earn enough rest throughout your tight schedule. 

Choose Learning Material Beforehand

Before diving into a learning session, it is essential for you to research learning materials beforehand. After obtaining the right learning resources to help you learn Mandarin, you can adjust your schedule accordingly. For example, you might want to put more focus on Mandarin skills that you struggle with. Therefore, the schedule provided above should be tailored depending on your objective and main focus. 

As someone who works full time, learning Mandarin can be overwhelming after a long day. People with a tight schedule may find it harder to learn Mandarin consistently due to the limited amount of time. However, building a consistent learning habit that sticks with you is still possible by setting a weekly schedule and starting small. Aside from that, you can also find a Mandarin learning community to help you stay motivated on building your Mandarin learning habit.

If you’re a full time worker who wishes to have a supportive learning environment, you might also be interested in enrolling yourself in Mandarin courses. These classes provide you with learning peers and professionals that can help motivate you in achieving your goals. Learn more about how Elite Linguistic Academy can help you provide the best Mandarin courses by visiting our site.