How To Set S.M.A.R.T Goals For Language Learning

I was never good at setting goals, let alone language learning goals. My typical approach was to randomly choose a language, start learning it with the excitement of a Labrador on a playground, and deal with problems as they revealed themselves.

Well, it never worked out.

My vague desire to "learn Polish" back in 2014 didn't help me define what I meant by "knowing Polish," when I wanted to show off my refined language skills, and why I needed it in the first place. As a result, my Polish fever never became anything more than a hobby. And, of course, I didn't end up knowing the language even though I spent a whole year trying to do so.

However, in 2018, after less than a year of learning French, I was able to study at university in this language. My strategy didn't change: I learned French by myself, just like Polish. The only thing that changed was how I set my language learning goal.

This time, I made it S.M.A.R.T.

What are S.M.A.R.T. goals in language learning?

The core of a good goal is logic.

There are several elements to this logic, best summarized with the acronym S.M.A.R.T. When they were first introduced, these five letters represented the following:

S. Specific
M. Measurable
A. Assignable
R. Realistic
T. Time-related

However, as the idea traveled through time and space, the last three letters obtained a couple of new definitions. A is often understood as "achievable" or "ambitious" (although I prefer to define it as "actionable"). R is seen as "relevant," and T is viewed as "trackable" or "time-bound."

S.M.A.R.T. terminology is now more than a tool in the hands of C-level executives. Anyone can use it to turn any type of goal into the driving engine of a project.

Let's see how to write S.M.A.R.T. goals for language learning.

How SMART goals change your approach to language learning?

Every word in the S.M.A.R.T. acronym acts as a filter. No matter how vague your initial idea about learning another language is, run it through these filters, and you’ll end up with a working language learning goal on your hands.

Let’s take an example. I wanted to learn Spanish for a long time, and something tells me that this is the right moment to start. But before I can say that I’m serious about it, I have to think about the "learning Spanish" goal in SMART terms:

Specific

“Specific” is an antonym of “vague”.

It’s often helpful to think about specific language learning goals in terms of the proficiency level you want to achieve by a certain time.CEFR provides clear descriptions of what you can potentially do at, say, the B1 level as compared to the C2 level. If you are learning another language from scratch and aim to become more or less functional, B1 may be your choice. If, however, you’re working on a language you already know well, the best approach is to specify the areas you want to improve (pronunciation, particular grammar points, technical vocabulary, etc).

In my case, I calculated that I need Spanish at the B2 level by September. (Next academic year, I’m planning to take courses in Spanish at my university, so I had better speak it well.)

Measurable

The next question to ask is “How do I know when I’m done?”

Only measurable goals are capable of providing a valid answer. This is another reason why I’m so fond of defining language learning goals within a framework of proficiency levels. You know that you’re done when you manage to pass a specific language test (such as DELF, DELE, or IELTS) at the appropriate level.

So if, for instance, I need a proven B2 level in Spanish, I should probably take the DELE exam. When I pass it, the mission is complete.

Actionable

As David Allen often puts it, “You don’t actually do a project; you can only do action steps related to it. When enough of the right action steps have been taken, some situation will have been created that matches your initial picture of the outcome closely enough that you can call it ‘done’.”

In other words, you can’t just learn Spanish. But you can learn enough vocabulary, take in a sufficient amount of comprehensible input, and spend enough hours practicing speaking – after which you can say that you know Spanish.

To make your language learning goals actionable, ask yourself a pro question: “What’s the next action?” and continue to do so until you parse this monstrosity called “learn Spanish” into minimal parts.

An interesting thing will happen. You will end up with a set of objectives(short-term goals such as “listen to five levels of the Pimsleur language program“) and habits (daily actions such as “listen to one Pimsleur lesson every single day“). Objectives should be treated as mini-goals (the S.M.A.R.T.-er they are, the better). Habits should be planted into your daily routine.

Realistic

Setting realistic goals in language learning means evaluating the volume of work you plan to get done against the resources you have. And this is where most language learners either overestimate their abilities or underestimate them.

What do I mean by the volume of work?

Simply put, it refers to the number of hours you need to devote to language learning. At this point, you may want to refer to the Foreign Service Institute study to get some raw numerical data on how much time is needed to learn a language.

For instance, if I were to start learning Spanish from scratch, I would need to spend 600 hours to reach a solid B2 level. This amounts to approximately 6-7 months of intensive 3.5 hours a day language learning routine. I don't have 3.5 hours to spare right now, but I will have enough time by the end of the term. Moreover, I have already accomplished a similar feat with the DELF B2, so it is clearly not impossible.

All this suggests that the most realistic language learning goal in my case would be to take the DELE B2 exam in 5-6 months (in July-August).

Time-Bound

A "time-bound" goal sets a clear deadline by which the result must be achieved.

Proficiency tests naturally provide deadlines for all sorts of goals in language learning. But obviously, they are not the only way of establishing a timeframe. An upcoming trip to a country where you would have to speak your target language may be a great example of a deadline. Depending on your target proficiency level, even a visit from an international friend, a job interview in another language, or any other event where your language skills will be tested may become your personal deadline.

When setting a deadline, don't forget all the other elements that make up a SMART language learning goal. Keep it realistic.

For me, the deadline is certainly the DELE B2 exam taken in July-August (as estimated in the previous step). My next action, then, is to land on the DELE website, find the test dates, and pick one that falls within this range more closely.

What do you do with your SMART language learning goal?

By the end of this exercise, you should be able to transform your language learning goals into something more specific, measurable, actionable, realistic, and time-bound:

Learn Spanish -> Pass the DELE B2 exam on July 17th

Now, how can you make this goal work for you?

Brainstorm

Brian Tracy, the author of the famous anti-procrastination guide “Eat That Frog” recommends writing down your ideas and moving on to project planning.

It may sound like another "I'm never going to finish that" task, but in reality, nothing could be simpler. Just grab a piece of paper and jot down everything you may possibly need to complete the mission. And, by the way, if you have gone through each step of setting a SMART language goal, you already have half of it done.

My list looked like this:

• Get a DELE B2 preparation guide.

• Register for the exam.

• Make a list of audiobooks to listen to in Spanish.

• Complete 5 levels of Spanish in Memrise.

• Listen to one Pimsleur lesson every day until I'm done with all 5 levels.

• Buy 3-4 Spanish books (choose which ones).

• Find YouTube channels and podcasts to listen to in Spanish.

• Learn 15 new Spanish words with Memrise every day.

• Go to Polyglot club each week and speak Spanish.

• Collect a dozen Spanish articles in Readlang.

At this point, it's just a draft, nothing concrete. You need to identify ideas that may be potentially useful for completing your SMART language learning goals.

Organize

Once completed, this list will serve you well in organizing your workflow.

As you look across and define your objectives, outline what you need to do in order to accomplish each of them. For example, if I want to listen to everything that the Pimsleur Spanish program has to offer, I have to buy at least the first level, download it onto my phone, ensure that everything is working, and plan when to listen to it.

So, I list these tasks in order of priority and spend a day checking off all the "admin" stuff from the list. You know, getting those books, installing those apps, and figuring out how to do your Pimsleur lesson without looking like a schizophrenic.

Execute

Execution is probably the simplest part of all of this.

It's not hard to go for a half-hour walk while completing a daily Pimsleur lesson. Similarly, it takes nothing to grab Juan Salvador Gaviota, land in Starbucks with a cup of flat white, and read a chapter. Solving the DELE B2 guide, although mentally exhausting, is also not hard as long as there is a defined piece of work to complete.

Setting a SMART goal for your language learning project may be mundane and time-consuming, but it has the potential to save years of wasted effort.

So, do your thinking first. Stay S.M.A.R.T.