hello π
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so then, what is the best way to approach Duolingo in 2025? π€
how best can we use this fluffy green app to catapult us to fluency?
loads of lessons?
dominating the leagues?
video calls til you lose your voice?
roleplay til there's no roles left to play?
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no, none of that π
that's much to busy
and, for me at least, my resolution for this year is to work less... while achieving better results than ever before π€―
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perhaps this sounds like a pipe dream
but I assure you, my friend, it is not
it just involves a little time management, prioritisation, and discipline...
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how much time?
an hour a day will do the trick
not too much, not too little
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and only a smidge of this hour will actually be spent on Duolingo π―
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because, as much as i love it, i get bored very easily
thereβs only so much of those lessons and characters i can take in a single sitting
2-3 lessons per day will suffice π
any more than that, and progress will be minimal
I need to ensure that hour is spent effectively
because, as important as it is to spend time with your target language, the quality of that time is even more important
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giving yourself an hour to make a tiramisu is sensible;
spending that entire hour whipping the cream is not.
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thatβs where the prioritisation comes in
so how am i to spend this hour per day?
what should i focus on?
what platforms and methods should i take advantage of?
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itβs ever so simple:
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the ones that will help me get conversational the fastest π
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and what are those, you might be wondering? π€
- custom-made flashcards on Anki for high-frequency phrases (using pictures where possible)
- listening and reading on LingQ
- shadow exercises (for speaking)
- dictation exercises (for writing)
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alongside those daily Duolingo lessons, these core 4 are essential for helping me get the absolute maximum out of my hour a day
they fill all the main buckets (consumption and production) and ensure my hour is focussed and effective
itβs a nice, simple plan
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but itβs nothing without discipline
showing up and doing this every day without fail, regardless of whether or not i feel like it, will be tough
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and trust me, most of the time, i really donβt feel like it π«
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iβve got a full time job
i work 12-hour shifts
i gym
i cook
i clean
and on the rare occasion I get a night off, i dress up as a pigeon and fight crime on the streets of Worcester (no doubt youβve heard of my exploits as the infamous Pigeonman) π¦
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so yes, even after nearly nine years of learning languages, i still find it hard to stay motivated
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thatβs why itβs important to find my fluency in flow π¦¦
effortlessly slotting my language into my pre-existing schedule, as opposed to smashing my schedule to suit my language
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for instance,
- Duolingo and flashcards over breakfast (15 minutes)
- listening to German conversations on LingQ on the way to work (15 minutes)
- dictating (writing out) that same conversation on my break (15 minutes)
- reading back that same conversation during my shift when i really should be doing what iβm paid for (15 minutes)
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easy peasy π
it doesn't matter that I'm chopping up my 60 minutes
i'm still hitting my target, utilising high-quality, effective approaches
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and that's on a work-day
on my days off, it's easier to throw in some shadowing (i.e. echoing what someone is saying), maybe even arrange an italki session when my speakingβs strong enough
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it's all about 80/20
perhaps you've heard of the Pareto Principle?
it's been all the rage since Tim Ferriss spilled the beans back in The Four Hour Work-Week
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the idea is that 80% of the results come from 20% of the work
while, on the flip side, just 20% of the results come from 80% of the work
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many of us waste time on the 80 that yields the 20
on Duolingo, this constitutes:
- obsessing over XP
- grinding leagues
- not doing any work beyond Duolingo
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we can achieve better results in significantly less time by simply focussing on the right things
the 20 that yields the 80 πͺ
Duolingo is just a small part of the play
the rest comes from elsewhere
it's easy
it's flexible
it'll actually deliver the fluency you've always craved.
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i'm already seeing huge results in my German and I'm confident I'm gonna be conversational come Oktoberfest in September π©πͺ
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i'll be sure to keep you posted with how it's all going πͺ
π€ͺ Weird Duolingo π€ͺ
Things you didn't know apples were capable of in this week's Weird Duolingo...
Thanks to Lorraine for sending in this madness:
Always encouraging when your fruit speaks languages better than you do. π
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Seen a weird-ass sentence? Let me know... and it could feature in a future newsletter!