New Year’s resolutions, heck, any change in (good) habits is hard, even when I’m doing something I really enjoy.

Last year I resolved to keep studying Russian – to make it a part of my life in a way that would result in me speaking Russian with a “reasonable level of competency.” I didn’t do that well. Instead of making learning Russian part of my daily routine, it ended up being more of a bimonthly routine. And despite the optimistic tone here,

I’ll start watching movies and TV shows in Russian right away to get a better feel for the language.  In a few months, I’ll start reading a book I’ve read in English in Russian.  I’m thinking Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone– I’d learn lots of fun vocabulary like ‘cauldron’ and ‘wizard.’  And I’ll try to find someone to practice with.

I didn’t do any of those things. But I’m not going to call last year’s resolution a failure and give up!

While I didn’t study as often as I’d hoped, I did study regularly. I didn’t make as much progress as I wanted to, but I am substantially better than I was a year ago.

I still want to speak and read Russian well, but making it part of my daily routine is pretty hard. Based on my experience last year and the looming specter of my thesis proposal, I’m going to increase my studying from twice a month to twice a week. Instead of doing everything I listed last year (movies, TV, reading, etc), I’m going to focus on watching movies I’ve seen in English in Russian. Since this is fun, easy, and relaxing, I think it will help keep me motivated. Plus, I watch movies to give my brain a little rest already, so it won’t feel like something extra.

When you’ve made lasting changes in your life or committed to some sort of long term activity, how long did it take you before it felt effortless – like a habit?