I’m glad I found a way to trick my brain into developing a useful habit: I’ve been learning French (mostly, and a few other languages) on Duolingo for the past 500 or so days for at least 5 mins every day.
The journey so far has been rewarding. It started out as an activity my wife and I would do together. Over time I developed genuine interest towards the language and I ventured into learning about the French culture through TV shows, podcasts and travel videos.
On days when I was not motivated to learn, this streak stat and my discipline kept me going. On other days, I find myself glued to my phone finishing lesson after lesson on Duolingo, soaking in the benefits of spaced repetition.
A week or so back, Duolingo rolled out the “Hearts” feature, which ruffled some feathers and caused many to leave the platform. “You can lose Hearts by answering incorrectly too many times, which has been encouraging users to pay closer attention to what they are answering before hitting “check.” While the amount of XP I gained took a nosedive since this feature was rolled out, I am beginning to the see the positives behind it which is to ensure I don’t go on auto-pilot during the few minutes I spend on the platform, learning. I’m looking forward to improving the pace at which I pick up the language with this new feature, by focusing on correctness. Perhaps it may even soon motivate me to attend the local French meetup scene for some practical experience.
Connect with me on Duolingo, if you are a fan too!