Perfect Learning Conditions? An Unrealistic Standard That Holds You Back

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Archive note (2013): People sometimes assumed I had ideal conditions for this intensive Japanese mission: “no responsibilities” and 12 uninterrupted weeks of learning. In reality, the plan did get interrupted. That’s life.

For the previous week, I had been very ill. A doctor diagnosed a bronchial asthmatic reaction to an allergen. I was extremely short of breath, and a severe cough repeatedly woke me during the night. The interrupted sleep meant I often slept late.

That wasn’t ideal at any time, but especially during an intensive three-month project. When you can only breathe in short breaths and aren’t sleeping well, concentration becomes difficult. I made next to no progress in Japanese that week. The cough had started on the day I recorded a video, and I needed a couple of retakes before capturing one without coughing. My breathing problems became much worse the following day.

I took non-prescription medicine, but went to a doctor when I didn’t improve. He diagnosed the reaction, prescribed stronger medication and gave me an unexpected injection. By the next day, I was still coughing a little, but I could take deeper breaths and had enough energy to return to Japanese.

I was also in much higher spirits. The lack of energy had sapped my study motivation, but I felt well enough to make the ridiculous photo above and laugh at the collection of remedies around me.

I didn’t have time to prepare another Japanese video or enough new progress to show, so I postponed that update by a week.

A note from the Fluent in 3 Months team before we get started: You can chat away with a native speaker for at least 15 minutes with the “Fluent in 3 Months” method. All it takes is 90 days. Tap this link to find out more.

Every Mission I’ve Had Has Included Interruptions

You might think this was an excuse for drastically altering the Japanese project goals, but far from it!

Losing six days from a project of just over 90 days was far from ideal, but I expected something to go wrong. I had built a buffer into the plan for interruptions.

Even though I was usually healthy, travelling to new places all the time exposed me to unfamiliar health risks. Earlier that year in Egypt, I had been bedridden for a week and lost almost 5 kg over several days.

During my Mandarin mission in Taiwan, an infection caused three days of hearing loss in my right ear and required a visit to a doctor. I also lost another three days to laser eye surgery and recovery. Those interruptions contributed to the mission, although stress and a lack of social contact during my first two months affected me more. That experience is why I later preferred to begin in countries where I felt comfortable.

Other unknown factors can draw your attention away from a project. I occasionally had to take an entire day away from language learning to handle the blog: completing a long interview, such as one for National Geographic, fixing a site crash or doing other unavoidable work.

Something unexpected often happens. Deal with it as well as you can, but don’t abandon the project merely because your ideal plan has been interrupted.

Waiting for Perfect Learning Conditions Can Hold You Back

My ambitious plan was six to eight hours of focused learning a day, six days a week, but I hadn’t managed that schedule. I decided to use my returning energy to make the following week productive without trying to “repay” every lost hour.

Perfect learning conditions rarely exist for long. If perfectionism makes you wait for them, you may never begin. It’s also easy to see someone else’s success without seeing the problems they handle behind the scenes.

Everything cannot remain perfect over the long term. I prefer to make conditions as supportive as I reasonably can, then handle problems when they arise and return to the plan.

I expected other hurdles during the remaining two months and one week: real-life problems unrelated to language learning, plus aspects of Japanese that might slow my progress. The trick was to leave room for setbacks, handle them and return to the work.

Once I could take deeper breaths again, I was ready to charge forward with my rallying cry: onwards with Japanese!

If something is taking up your time and energy, look for a way to solve it, reduce it or adjust the plan around it. When the interruption passes, choose one manageable action that helps you return.