Busy professionals often struggle with finding time to learn business Mandarin. Having to juggle with a full-time job, sparing some time to learn a new skill seems impossible at first glance. However, the truth is learning consistently while avoiding being burned out is still possible with the right study plan. With the right preparations and methods, you can still learn business Chinese effectively even if you’re a busy professional. This guide will provide you how to efficiently learn business Chinese as a busy professional with a full time job. 

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Having a full-time job means that most of your days will be spent tending to your responsibility in your company. Given how your time is mostly occupied with work, it is quite impossible at first glance to learn business Chinese on top of your responsibilities. However, the right preparation and the right method can help you slip a quick Chinese study routine amidst your packed schedule. Here are a few ways on how you can still learn business Chinese on top of your responsibilities as a full-time job worker. 

Preparations

When trying to study in a packed schedule, you have to start with preparing on how you would like to approach learning business Mandarin. You can start by deciding your focus, such as what field are you planning to master and which skill do you need the most in order to elevate your performance. The preparation stage should also include things such as arranging a schedule and finding courses and resources. Make sure to keep your goals achievable and measurable. As a working professional, you should also realise that at times you may need to change your schedule and resources depending on your conditions. 

During Study

Setting a clear learning environment is utmost important as you will possibly aim to study business Chinese in a longer period of time. An effective study tip that you can try is by having a dedicated study place to help your brain to focus faster. While studying in a packed schedule, another important thing that you can apply is by limiting your distractions. If you still need your devices to learn business Mandarin, try blocking sites that you don’t need to lower the chance of being distracted. 

Post-Study Reflections

After you’ve finished studying, making a reflection is another method to help with learning effectiveness. Reflections can vary from one to another, but usually includes things such as what you’ve learned, parts that you can improve and your next step toward achieving your goals. These guided reflections can help you track how much you’ve studied and ensure that you’re achieving new things every time you learn. 

Consistency is Key

As a busy professional, you might not be able to learn in an extensively long hours. Therefore, your learning might come in short periods of time, probably around 30-60 minutes a day. Despite the short period, learning business Mandarin can still be done effectively if you can maintain your consistency. This means, you have to set a dedicated time, possibly during your most productive hours when you’re not occupied with work. When it comes to learning, the amount of hours you spend a day is not the only thing that you need to pay attention to, but also on how you can preserve your motivation longer. 

There are a lot of learning methods that you can try in order to help you learn business Chinese. However, not every method can be efficient, especially if you’re constantly running out of time. Learning methods such as taking excessive notes may not be the best method to try if you’re learning in a tight schedule. These proven techniques: active recall, Pomodoro, Feynman, and Leitner, can form the backbone of an efficient Chinese study plan that you can try.

Active Recall

A lot of resources have stated on how active learning can help with better understanding of the materials you wish to learn. This method will involve you trying to constantly retrieve and reconstruct knowledge. Active recall can stimulate one’s brain for better memorisation and understanding. To implement this method, you can try to utilize flashcards and quizzes. In business Chinese, you can implement active recall to understand new vocabulary. 

Pomodoro

Pomodoro technique is another study method that is commonly used among learners. This method gains its popularity since it pays attention to the human’s brain capacity to focus. To use this method, you should decide on a task that you want to focus on first and try achieving it within the dedicated time. Pomodoro technique usually consists of a 25 minutes deep focus work and a 5 minute break to balance out your brain and avoid it from burning out. After you have completed 4 cycles, you can take a longer break. 

Feynman Technique

This technique is mainly used to help people measure their understanding of a certain concept. Feynman technique is implemented by first understanding the business Chinese concept you’re trying to master and understanding it entirely. After that, you can try to find someone to teach the material the concept to deepen your understanding. Finding a partner that you can teach can help you discover your weakness through constant discussions. 

Leitner System

The Leitner system usually utilizes the use of flashcards to help memorize new vocabulary. This method will involve you separating new vocabulary in several different boxes. Each box has a different review intensity. If you’ve memorized the flashcards in the first box, you can move the cards into a different box with a less frequent review schedule. 

The most efficient way isn’t about studying for hours. Rather, it’s about using active learning methods in short, focused sessions. Busy professionals benefit most from a Chinese study plan that uses active recall, spaced repetition, and consistent practice rather than rote memorization.

Learning requires consistency, especially when you’re planning to study business Chinese. Mastering this language as a busy professional with a full-time job usually means that you need to be able to commit for a longer period of time. To build consistency, having a consistent study schedule is highly recommended. A schedule can help you keep track of your progress and next action plan. If you’re wondering how to learn Chinese while working, the key is not long study hours but consistency. That’s why we’ve designed a realistic Mandarin weekly study plan you can follow.This schedule is arranged with the assumption that you have around 30-60 minutes to study daily. 

Day 1 – Vocabulary Building

The first day of the week can be dedicated to learning new vocabulary in business Chinese. If you’re a complete beginner in Mandarin, you can instead dedicate this day to learning basic Pinyin or words that can help you recognise more sentences in Chinese. You can try utilizing flashcards and notes to help you absorb the information quicker. 

Day 2 – Review and Grammar

On the second day of the week, you can start your study session by quickly reviewing the vocabulary you’ve learned the day before. After mastering the key vocabulary and taking notes on your weakness point, you can move to understanding basic grammar needed to form sentences and communicate with others. 

Day 3 – Active Listening and Speaking

After you’ve learned enough vocabulary and grammar, you can try to listen to news in business Chinese. Be sure to pick out the topic aligning with your working field. While listening, you can take notes of the summary to measure your understanding of real-life use of business Chinese. Furthermore, you can also utilize this day to mirror the speaker’s tone and advance your speaking skills. 

Day 4 – Reading Comprehension

Focus on finding news in business Chinese related to your working field. Try to skim the text in a shorter period of time to measure how much of it you can understand quickly. After that, you can take notes on the new words and grammar structures that you find out along the way for future reference. 

Day 5 – Writing Practice

Writing is another important part of utilizing Chinese in your workplace. This practice is not limited to learning about Chinese characters and writing it by hand. In business Chinese, you can also practice writing by understanding business emails’ structure and try creating one on your own. 

Day 6 – Advancing Preferred Skill

Learning business Chinese usually differs from one another depending on your field of work and what the business demands of you. Some people will benefit more from enhancing their speaking skills while others need writing skills more. Therefore, your sixth day of the week can be adjusted depending on your needs to help build focus in the longer term. 

Day 7 – Rest and Relaxation

Learning business Chinese must be balanced out with enough rest to avoid your brain from boredom and burnout. While intense learning can help you achieve quicker results, a busy professional with a tight schedule should never forget to give themselves a break. If you still want to be exposed to business Chinese during your rest day, you can opt to a lighter study method such as learning through Chinese drama or other media that can help you master more vocabulary.