7 time management tips for online German learners

This page contains affiliate links to Amazon. It means I’ll get a few pence if you buy anything – at no extra cost to you.

This is another one of those infographics I get via eLearning Infographics. It is aimed at full-time students in general, but is just as valuable for those who learn German in their spare time, especially for those who teach themselves.

Once you’ve looked at the infographic, read my specific points for those who teach themselves German.

Plan ahead

This is very important for those who teach themselves. With no regular lessons and therefore no ‘kick up the derriere’ from a tutor it’s not always easy to include some German learning. So plan it. Make time for it and put it in your diary.

Avoid multitasking

I do a lot of multitasking, but when I have to concentrate on something I stick to the one task. Leave your multitasking to when you do the washing up or whatever it might be. Don’t do a grammar exercise while watching the latest Netflix film – even if it’s a German film. Do them one at a time and enjoy both activities!

Set up your space

That tip makes a lot of sense for those who are learning full-time but maybe not for those who are learning a short time every day or week. Of course, if you have the space it would be lovely to have a ‘learn German’ area where all your resources are. But if that isn’t the case, just make sure you’re sitting comfortably in a space where you like to learn (And if that happens to be the bathroom, why not?)

Block distractions

This is similar to the ‘avoid multitasking’ point. When you make time for learning German, stick to it and if a WhatsApp message, email, tweet or Facebook message pops up – well, it’s still there when you’ve finished your learning 😄
(Unless, of course, you are expecting a very important message. Then you do need to check!)

Treat yourself

If you are learning in a group and/ or with a tutor you get regular feedback about your learning (and hopefully lots of ‘well done’). When you learn on your own it’s only you who can do that. So when you have achieved something give yourself a ‘well done’ or – even better – treat yourself to something. For example, you could get yourself some German treats: German biscuits, wine, beer, your favourite German meal, a German film perhaps … whatever you see as a treat.

Strike the right balance

This is more important for those who study full-time, but a right balance is still useful to part-time learners. How often do you want/ need to learn German? A right balance could be 10 minutes every day for 6 days instead of 1 hour every so often. Decide what’s best for you and then stick to it!

Sleep well

No matter whether you are studying full-time or learning German in your spare time, we all need to sleep well. Which leaves me with this question for you:

Are you dreaming in German, about learning German or about Germany?

If you’d like to keep track of your planning, you might like to buy my planner A Year of Learning German: A 52-week diary for German learners

Or, if you prefer something digital instead of pen and paper, check out my German Learner’s Trello Board