Procrastinate and learn

You may think that mastering a foreign language depends on self-discipline. Many people say that they do not have a strong will, so they are unable to learn a new language. In my opinion, self-discipline is overrated. The human strong will is rather weak. Putting hope in it often leads to disappointment.

If you want to learn a new language, you will need some self-discipline for useful activities that are not enjoyable in themselves. You have to spend a lot of time on them in the beginning, when you understand almost nothing. However, with a little self-discipline, you can quickly get to the point where some interesting content becomes accessible to you. Then you can acquire the language through joyful procrastination.

Netflix

Binge-watching is a common way to waste time and escape from the tasks that are really important. It is also a very effective way to learn new languages. Netflix, mass-producing series in dozens of languages, breeds a new generation of polyglots. In my opinion, a lot of their movies and series are pieces of shit, not art. However, this shit is more entertaining than language textbooks and has audio and subtitles in many languages, including Norwegian.

For me, understanding a TV series or a movie in a foreign language well enough to get the gist of the story and enjoy it is an important milestone in learning the language. The first movie I watched in Norwegian was "Kurt blir grusom". It is a weird cartoon comedy. I liked it. It was easy enough for me to understand and enjoy the story. This experience encouraged me to watch more Norwegian movies and series. It became my habit. I have watched almost all the Norwegian titles available on my Netflix account. Some of them were really good. I especially liked "Kunsten å tenke negativt" (The Art of Negative Thinking), all the movies about Elling and the Netflix series "Post Mortem". Although I did not know many words, I could understand the gist of almost every sentence, follow the plot and have fun. The images and the story provided the context that helped me understand what was going on. I think that the opportunity to enjoy authentic content in a new language, without the need to understand most of the words used, makes movies and series really powerful language learning tools.

The Sims

I can recommend another great language learning software. It is called The Sims 4. I'm not kidding. The authors of The Sims 4 have probably not recognized its educational potential, but it is huge. If you switch the game language to Norwegian, it will teach you a lot of words that are frequently used in everyday communication. You will learn vocabulary in the context of simulating everyday life while having fun.

I am more of a casual player than a gamer. Sometimes I relax by playing video games. I enjoy playing even more when I can combine it with learning. I had learned some English and French through video games, and I wanted to do the same with Norwegian. I switched the language to Norwegian in Minecraft, which allowed me to learn some words like "kull" (coal) and "gull" (gold), but this game uses a rather limited vocabulary. I spent a lot of time on the Steam store looking for games I could play in Norwegian. It was not an easy task. Unfortunately, there are very few titles with Norwegian language versions. When I found out that The Sims 4 was one of them, I immediately bought and installed it. I realized that it was a great tool for language learning. Many games present you with very specific vocabulary that is not part of the everyday language you use in casual conversations, but The Sims is all about everyday life. Through this game, I have learned many names of household appliances, emotions and actions. It is not my favorite game, but it is fun enough for me to play sometimes and focus on having fun rather than its educational value.

I would be exaggerating if I said that it was The Sims that enabled me to understand and speak Norwegian. You cannot master a language by playing games alone. Other forms of exposure to the language are necessary. However, games like The Sims are a powerful supplement that allows you to learn without using your "strong will". If you like video games, just find one that you can play in Norwegian and procrastinate cheerfully with the satisfying realisation that you are moving towards fluency.

The power of procrastination

Before I moved to Norway, I hardly practiced my speaking skills at all. I only had a few conversations in Norwegian. During the nine months I studied at home in Poland, most of my learning activities consisted of listening to simple stories and podcasts, playing Sims 4, and watching Netflix. Despite having almost no experience in speaking Norwegian, I was able to actively participate in many conversations when I moved to Norway.

Hundreds of hours of media exposure in the language enabled me to converse with Norwegians. My self-discipline was not strong enough to force me to spend so much time learning. However, joyful procrastination with games, movies and series did not exploit my will and gave me a lot of contact with authentic Norwegian. Learning the language was a good excuse that made me feel even better while doing things I enjoyed. On my way to conversational fluency, mastering procrastination was at least as important as disciplined self-study.