{"id":7466,"date":"2018-12-10T17:16:43","date_gmt":"2018-12-10T22:16:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/language-news\/?p=7466"},"modified":"2025-08-06T08:57:15","modified_gmt":"2025-08-06T12:57:15","slug":"attention-management-vs-time-management-for-language-learners","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/language-news\/2018\/12\/10\/attention-management-vs-time-management-for-language-learners\/","title":{"rendered":"Attention Management vs. Time Management for Language Learners"},"content":{"rendered":"

Productivity is typically associated with time. How long does a task take? How much can you get done in a certain amount of time? Could you do it faster\u2014and thereby be more productive<\/em>?<\/p>\n

Managing time alone is no longer enough. With the entire world at our fingertips, time management has met its match: endless distractions. Author David Kadavy presents an alternative:<\/p>\n

\u201cProductivity is about\u00a0mind management, not time management, and while simple tools\u200a\u2014\u200asuch as to-do items\u200a\u2014\u200aare useful, they don\u2019t account for the shortcomings of real human behavior.\u201d<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Language learners can likely relate. One hour of hyper-focused study during which your mind feels unclouded and free of distraction is surely a more productive use of your time than two hours during which you stop every five minutes to read your email or check your Facebook notifications. To assure you\u2019re doing more of the former than the latter, you need to manage your attention, not just your time.<\/p>\n

\"attention

That moment when one device distracts you from another device. (Image via Pexels)<\/p><\/div>\n

Why does time management fail us?<\/h1>\n

Time management should be straightforward: dedicate a specific chunk of time to each task so you can structure your day and fit in everything you need to accomplish. How productive!<\/p>\n

But as Kadavy points out, real human behavior has its shortcomings\u2014estimating, scheduling, and spending time wisely are no exception.<\/p>\n

Our state of mind can impact our perception of time, and thus our productivity.<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Did you ever have a dreadful college class where you glanced at the clock every five minutes thinking surely, it\u2019s been twenty minutes since you last looked? Or have you ever fallen into the YouTube black hole, watching video after video for fifteen minutes, only to realize it\u2019s actually been an hour? Our mood affects our perception of time.<\/p>\n

Your mood can impact your productivity, too.<\/strong> Sometimes writers feel \u201cin the flow\u201d and can bleed on their typewriters like Hemingway all day long; other days when they are stressed or having other things on their mind, writer\u2019s block takes hold. There\u2019s no telling how long writing a few pages may take. Likewise, there\u2019s no telling how long it may take to read a few pages of a French novel or memorize a few dozen new Korean phrases.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll likely accomplish more in an hour on a good day than an hour on a bad day. It\u2019s why some productivity experts like Daniel Gold recommend tracking your moods in addition to tracking time:<\/p>\n

\u201cWrite down how you spent your minutes and keep notes on how you felt. Be honest. Sometimes you can identify that you feel “on a roll,” which is a good sign that you’re figuring out something about your productivity. So is feeling like you’d really like a nap.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Time spent on a task may not be spent on task<\/em>. <\/strong><\/h2>\n

There is no retreat from the outside world anymore. Technology lets our colleagues, our friends, and even our favorite brands tag along wherever we go: work, school, the gym, the car, the checkout line, and even on airplanes that now offer free Wi-Fi. Even 35,000 feet up and stuck in a tiny airplane seat, we cannot get away from constant distractions.<\/p>\n

Blocking off two hours to study Thai is no longer an effective means on time management. Those two hours are too susceptible to distraction. You could disconnect\u2014but what if you\u2019re learning online? And simply removing the source of the distraction doesn\u2019t remove the habit. We are conditioned\u2014addicted, even\u2014to being constantly interrupted:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThe brain\u2019s craving for novelty, constant stimulation and immediate gratification creates something called a \u2018compulsion loop.\u2019 Like lab rats and drug addicts, we need more and more to get the same effect.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"attention

Image via Pexels<\/p><\/div>\n

It is time to pivot from time management to attention management.<\/h1>\n

A 2010 study<\/a> by two Harvard psychologists found that \u201cpeople spend 46.9 percent of their waking hours thinking about something other than what they\u2019re doing.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

In a world where so many parties are vying for our attention, how do we manage it? Fortunately, your brain can be trained to do so\u2014and there are tools to help.<\/p>\n

Multi-task less.<\/strong><\/h2>\n

If you\u2019re a serial multi-tasker, you\u2019ve trained your brain to switch tasks often. When it comes to focusing on just one important task, your brain is just waiting for a self-interruption. Focus on one task at a time\u2014prioritizing tasks that require the most creativity or brain power before mindless tasks.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re reading a German news article, looking up new words in the dictionary, and creating flashcards of those words, you are leaving a lot of transition time between those tasks during which you could be distracted or let your mind wander. Highlight the words as you are reading, then look them all up when you\u2019re done.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re learning online, consider Hocus Focus<\/a>, which hides all inactive windows to encourage you to have only one open window.<\/strong> You can even create different profiles with different settings depending on what you\u2019re doing: researching, writing, or studying a language. (Sadly, this is only available on Mac\u2014if you have a PC recommendation, let us know!)<\/p>\n

Control your connections.<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Speaking of learning online, some of the most valuable language learning resources are online, so we can\u2019t recommend disconnecting on \u201cunplugging\u201d as a way to control focus. But we do recommend controlling how connected you are.<\/p>\n

If you can\u2019t stay away from social media while learning online, consider StayFocusd.<\/strong> This Google Chrome extension limits the amount of time spend on \u201ctime-wasting websites\u201d. When you reach your daily limit, you can\u2019t access the site (or page, or in-page content, or whatever rule you specify) until the next day. Not ready to actually block yourself? Try Mindful Browsing, another extension that gently nudges you away from time-wasting sites.<\/p>\n

Just like StayFocusd helps you reclaim your productivity by cutting down digital distractions, businesses need to ensure their websites do the same for their visitors. A cluttered website that makes users hunt for information or wait endlessly for responses isn\u2019t just frustrating\u2014it\u2019s a lost opportunity. This is why integrating AI conversational tools known as Strictly<\/a> can be a game-changer. By providing instant, intelligent interactions, your website becomes more authentic and user-centric, eliminating the typical back-and-forth delays. Visitors get exactly what they\u2019re looking for, quickly and efficiently, turning casual browsers into loyal customers without wasting their time\u2014or yours.<\/p>\n

Control your environment.<\/strong><\/h2>\n

You know what\u2019s as distracting as push notifications or texts? Background noise. You hear the mailman, so you must go check the mail right now. The person at the next desk keeps sneezing, and it interrupts you every time.<\/p>\n

Invest in a nice pair of headphones. If your favorite tunes are just another distraction, consider services like Brain.fm<\/a>, Focus@will<\/a>, or Noisli.<\/strong> The first two provide \u201cfocus-boosting soundtracks\u201d, tailored to your musical preferences and productivity needs. The last, Noisli, provides ambient noise so you can create your ideal study environment. All three are available on iOS, Android, and web.<\/p>\n

Take breaks.<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Seems counterintuitive\u2014a break is a distraction, right? On the contrary, \u201cprolonged attention to a single task actually\u00a0hinders performance.\u201d If a stimulus doesn\u2019t change over time, the brain stops registering it and you lose focus.<\/p>\n

We recommend studying in short, consistent bursts. Start with 25-30 minutes a day,\u00a0every day. Otherwise, you risk burning out or spending time studying when your brain is elsewhere. If you choose to study in longer blocks\u2014such as in a formal classroom setting\u2014take breaks!<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t just take any old break, though. You can do better than eating chips and scrolling Instagram. Aim for\u00a0high efficiency breaks\u00a0like a short walk or yoga routine.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t trust yourself to take breaks? There are many apps out there to support the Pomodoro technique, which involves breaking work or study time into 25-minute chunks of intense work, followed by 5- or 10-minute breaks. The very simple Tomato Timer website can facilitate this schedule for you.<\/p>\n

Time management techniques were created for another, well, time. <\/strong><\/h3>\n

Our environments, pace of life, and access to constant distraction require new attention management techniques as well. This is particularly true for those learning a language, a skill that is never fully learned and requires long-term sustainment efforts.<\/p>\n

How do you manage your attention and focus while studying a language? Meditation? Exercise and healthy eating? Share your advice below!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Feeling focused enough to learn a language online?\u00a0Learn more about\u00a0the CL-150<\/a>, our professional language training platform, and\u00a0Transparent Language Online<\/a>, our language learning platform for schools, libraries, and individuals.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"attention

Productivity is typically associated with time. How long does a task take? How much can you get done in a certain amount of time? Could you do it faster\u2014and thereby be more productive? Managing time alone is no longer enough. With the entire world at our fingertips, time management has met its match: endless distractions…<\/p>\n

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