Chinese

1. Download Wechat. It’s the best app to get to know native Chinese speakers, make friends, etc.
2. Start watching Youtube videos. There are tons of great youtube videos that offer Mandarin lessons. Use Google Calendar to schedule Youtube lesson time in your week. 2–3x / week.
3. Watch TV. Yep. When you want to be lazy, watch only Chinese dubbed or Mandarin-spoken TV, movies, etc. Instead of unwinding in your native language, unwind with Mandarin movies, tv, etc. Find a good show you like on Netflix, etc. and let yourself relax that way. You will end up picking up more vocabulary each week.
4. When you exercise listen to Mandarin audio lessons. This creates two great habits, simultaneously. You can get these for free from the library, or from blogs. So if you run, walk, go to the gym, etc., put Mandarin lessons on your iPod.
5. Add vocab as alarm sounds. This is a funny one, but it works. You can download an app like My Voice Alarm to your smartphone and record yourself practicing. It reminds you at the beginning of your day that your focus is on Mandarin, not the native language.
6. Do a recorded voice memo diary entry at the end of your day in Mandarin. This is my favorite habit—at the end of the day you can record what happened in your day in Mandarin. Practice speaking into any recording app (you can use phone, tablet, or even a casette tape recorder if you wanna get super hipster). This helps you practice your own spontaneous conversation—it requires you to formulate thoughts all on your own and put them into a fluid context.
7. Put flashcards where you brush your teeth. You brush your teeth everyday (most likely), so it’s a great spot to put a pile of flashcards. Flip it once / twice per day and you’re on your way to building a larger vocabulary.
8. Leave Mandarin language learning books lying around the house, especially where you usually take a nap. :)
9. Start conversing with a native Mandarin speaker—you can do this anywhere from 2–5 times per week to see noticeable improvement. Three classes per week is my sweet spot, juggling my own schedule.

If you work on these habits, you will be well on your way to learning Mandarin quickly.

xoxo

Monica