Growing up with Portuguese, to then experiencing English, Spanish, Czech and French, there’s one thing I know for sure: learning a new language can be tricky. Yet, busy schedules and lack of experience is no excuse for not achieving the goal of knowing a new language; all it takes is motivation.

It is never too late if you set your mind to it and give your best shot, so here is a list of my five best tips to make your language journey a successful one:

1. Set daily, weekly and monthly goals for yourself

Start with a simple calendar, then set up small goals for yourself and your language journey. I usually start with a 15 minutes practice per day, where I dedicate myself entirely to practicing the language and new vocabulary.

Then I go to my weekly goals; related to the material I’m practicing every day, I’ll set up a goal for what I should know by the end of the week, such as “food vocab,” for example.

Lastly, I will have a monthly goal of something new I expect to achieve related to language, such as reading a French book or watching a movie. Look at the chart for a better explanation:

2. Stick to them, make punishments if not

The difficult task is sticking to the plan, so start small. Reaching 15 minutes per day will keep the content fresh in mind while also being easy to achieve. Set up punishments for those days of laziness and procrastination; for my French studies I set up a jar where I have to put money on it every time I don’t accomplish one of my goals.

Every now and then, I will empty the jar and use the money exclusively on resources to help me on my language studies, such as buying a French book or a new app.

3. Find the best way for YOU to study

There are plenty of resources out there to learn a new language. Apps such as Duolingo and tiny cards are a great way of practicing and learning new vocab every day. Depending on my setup goals, I also use conjugation apps like La Conjugaison for French.

Others are more productive when writing down words, so a notebook for the daily goals is another way to keep up with vocab. There are also many websites for practicing exercises and new verb drills on the internet. Such as scholingua.com for German, French and Italian.

4. Choose your best way of entertainment

I try to incorporate as much as I can of the new language into my life. A great way to do that is by reading the news on the language I’m learning; many newspapers offer their online apps worldwide (favorite French at the moment is Le Monde).

Listening to podcasts and music on the language while driving to places or doing other activities is also a way to get familiar with the language (French podcast Carrefour de l’Europe is worth checking it out). And lastly but not least, watch movies in the language you are learning!

Starting by common movies you’ve watched before and simply changing the language preferences; Netflix has many language options available now. Then going further to well-known movies in that home country’s language, with the language’s subtitles.

5. Practice

Routine and practice is the key to learn a new language. Find practice groups online, Duolingo has them for instance, or reach out to those who speak the language and campus organizations dedicated to people learning the same language as you.

Do not be afraid of mistakes, that’s how you will learn it, and speak on!