Be clear about your goals

It's crucial to know exactly what you want to achieve before starting any project, including learning a new language. Having a final destination in mind may be an effective tool for keeping your motivation levels high and for managing time.

Start by giving yourself short-term goals you can easily achieve. They should be reasonable. You may promise, for instance, to remember a certain number of new vocabulary words or to spend a fixed period of time on your courses each day. You may move on to more challenging mid- and long-term goals once you've gained some small success. Think about using a reward or event as a milestone in your learning.