5 Ways to fit Japanese into your Busy Schedule

The holidays are approaching faster than ever this year, and you know what that means. That's right. Holiday festivities, merriment, and pesky family time with Uncle John and Aunt Linda. No time for studying Japanese at this time of year!

WRONG.

The end of the year can sometimes provide the perfect opportunity to fit more Japanese into your busy schedule! For some, those two weeks off work can really make a difference. For those still in school, winter break provides a generous amount of free time for those who want to get ahead. Well, that is until that inevitable last-minute, holiday shopping stress kicks in. So here's a proposition; hear me out. I propose that we all do 5 little things each day in order to keep some Japanese in our minds daily. Just five! No more, no less.

Can you accept the challenge? 

1.　Go to your local office supply store, and buy a box of label stickers. Even sticky notes will work, but you need something that will stick for a long time (on various surfaces). On each sticker, write the Japanese word for something you frequently use in your house or apartment. Attach the sticker to the object, and repeat.

Now, every time you use that object, you have to say the Japanese word out loud. No exceptions. Congratulations! Now even your house guests know how to say "door" in Japanese.

2.　If you are too busy to write a blog—get a twitter account. Dedicate it to posting random Japanese nonsense in under 140 characters. From “good morning” tweets in the early wee hours of the day, to “standing in the elevator with a stinky woman” tweets… If you are a beginner, keep posting greetings at every morning/afternoon/night until you learn something new. This will force you to learn something new in order to say something different.

3.　Watch a Japanese drama (or anime) without any subs. This will force you to call upon all the Japanese you know in a short amount of time in order to understand why boys come before flowers. I can't recommend this enough, but this works best for intermediate levels and higher.

Oh hey, it's "Dad" from Softbank!

4.　Talk to yourself in Japanese. All the time. Seriously. Do it.

Talk to your dog, or cat, in Japanese. Talk to your television in Japanese. Talk to SOMEONE in Japanese, out loud. It's extremely important to get all of the four main aspects of language study (reading, writing, listening and speaking) in your daily study routine, or you may be in danger of loosing one of these aspects at the price of another. Plus, your dog is begging for some intellectual conversation.

5.　Learn one new thing every day. Whether it be a new word, a new kanji character, a new phrase or a new piece of grammar… one new thing, every day. No exceptions. Record everything in a notebook!


Can YOU accept the challenge? Comment below, and let us know!