Running Out of Brain Space

How to learn a language as a busy working professional and parent

Welcome, aspiring polyglot! A few days ago, a long time friend asked me for some help creating a Hungarian resource sheet so he could learn it and communicate with his other half’s family and his son. One of the issues he brought up is that he is incredibly busy and feels like there is no space in his brain for more information. Fortunately, when it comes to language learning, this isn’t necessarily an issue.

How language works

Language learning is unique from other types of learning because much of it is dependent more on exposure than dedicated studying. Most other subjects demand sit down sessions of an hour or more to wrap your head around different concepts. Languages, on the other hand, are far more reliant on the amount of exposure than just about anything else.

At a minimum, you should expect 1000 hours of exposure before you are able to comfortably understand native speakers. This is exactly how you learned your native language, too. Not by understanding everything, not by optimizing your comprehensible input, not by balancing the perfect levels of understand and not understand. Just pure volume and lots of patience.

Ultimately, one dedicated sit down hour per day is enough to learn a new language on a pretty condensed timeline. Just about any language in just about a year, when done properly. However, I often recommend some exercises and, for those exercises, 20 minutes is more than enough. For more on those, read this:

Being busy is real. Everyone has things to do and most of us have bills to pay. Nevertheless, adding a new language to your repertoire doesn’t have to feel like adding even more to your list. If anything, adding a new language should make everything feel easier, even if that is not necessarily the reality. If you haven’t begun to already, now is the time to reframe.+

Reframing

One of the major reframes almost all adults need to make is that of appropriate timelines. If you missed the article on realistic timelines for adult language learners, you can read about it here:

Your second hurdle is defining your milestones. In school, milestones are decided for you and, usually, graded with multiple choice tests. If you actually intend to learn anything, you have to step away from this system. Since you are now the person who is most invested in your education, if you weren’t before, that means the most important part of your new system is that it works for you.

Setting up these milestones is incredibly important because if you aim too small you will be basically running a Duolingo program. Learning nothing with 10 minutes of input per day over two years. On the other hand, if you aim too big you will grow frustrated quickly. Worst case you quit altogether because you didn’t give yourself a reasonable target.

Start small, but grow the difficulty over time. It is quite remarkable how much overlap there is between physical hypertrophy and the act of learning new things. Progressive overload is a concept worth understanding for your body and your brain. With the brain, though, you can benefit from far more snowballing momentum. That is to say, the plateau comes much later with languages.

Stealing from Peter to pay Paul

As a busy adult, there is one final concept that you need to understand in order to avoid falling into common pitfalls. Think about it. How many adults do you know who are actively trying to learn new things and master new skills? Far fewer than one might hope. The simple fact that you are trying already puts you in the top 10%. Directing that energy in the most efficient way possible is only common sense.

Inefficiency in learning is like inefficiency in anything else: it burns unnecessary energy. And when we are dealing with a closed system, burning unnecessary energy is a mistake that we cannot afford to make. So, to avoid burnout, you need to learn to listen to your brain. Most people have a pretty good gauge of when their body is worn out, but brain strain is real and requires ample recovery.

Of all the things that people forget, the worst is probably the fact that sometimes you do just need to take a moment to catch your breath. Taking a break, especially as a busy adult, can feel like you are losing out on some of the valuable free time you actually have. In reality, the opposite is true.

You cannot take care of someone else from your deathbed. This is a phrase I use quite often with my friends and with my students. Point being, if you don’t take care of yourself first you will find it impossible to adequately provide for anyone else. To truly unlock your maximum potential, you must be getting enough rest. Otherwise studying anything is an exercise in futility.

My final secret for working adults is the same as it would be for any adult who was looking to add more into their schedule without losing out on time with their family. The concept is called (well, I call it), “stealing time”. In my life, that means waking up at 4am to get 2-3 hours alone to work on whatever it is I need to work on before being joined by my wife and baby for the day.

Stealing time looks different for everyone. Personally, my brain works best between 4am and 11am, so that is when I choose my time. You might find you get the best out of yourself from 9pm-midnight or maybe during lunch. It could be during your commute or while you fold laundry. Doing dishes and cleaning the floors. There is time available to you, all you need to do is find it and take it.

Conclusion

Full brain syndrome is real. There is a max capacity. Fortunately for you and me and everyone, however, that capacity is not fixed. You can increase your capacity and you can lose capacity. I say this to my students often, but it bears repeating: the material is not getting any easier, you are getting better. That is your goal, especially when you are first getting started.

Passive input allows you to train yourself into a larger capacity without being overbearing like immersion can be. Learning a new language is unlike learning anything else and it can largely be built into a busy schedule. If you need help building your curriculum into your schedule, fill out this form and I will reach out to help you:

It will be difficult, but you can do difficult things and be great, so go out and do some difficult things and become great. I am rooting for you.