My dream is to go to Tokyo university but then my Japanese learning isn't consistent and i demotivated or just don't do anything for weeks or months. Same with my school work as well. Is there anyway to keep motivation high when studying?
With renshuu my motivation is to keep the streak going, because starting anew would make me sad 😅
In general, if the task ahead feels overwhelming, you could lower the expectations for yourself. Like, instead of "I need to learn X words every day" you could try "I'll do 10 quiz questions at breakfast" and not go over it if you don't feel like it. If you have the extra energy, then great! But if you're ill or exhausted, then knowing that you'll only need to do this one thing and that's it might help you find the motivation to actually do it. Consistency is the key.
For me, managing my expectations helps me not get demotivated. I want to be perfect immediately, but that isn’t going to happen. And if i try to push too hard then i will get burnout (and stop studying for a month or three). So i add new items much more slowly than i would really like to, but that prevents future overload. That matters for everything, not just learning japanese, but with a very big project like this it matters more than usual.
Besides that, i give myself things which i’m learning for. Like, i watch hiking videos about the japanese alps, because i love hiking and want to go climb all those mountains. And each day i practice japanese i get a little bit closer to going there.
For you, i’m sure that there are videos (or websites and brochures and such about tokyo university. Maybe from another foreign student, who talks about the experience of starting uni in japan? Even if they aren’t in japanese, they can still help to keep the motivation up.
I try to combine regular practice like renshuu schedules with more fun things in Japanese. For example, with more gamified learning apps, or with listening to Japanese music and translating the lyrics, or watching stuff in Japanese and making lists with new words. Streaks don’t get me very motivated, but craving music, anime and games really gets me going, so I just find a way to do it in Japanese and learn from it.
Maybe try to find a way to do your hobbies/stuff you enjoy in a Japanese-adjacent way, like watching YouTube videos or following Japanese creators, for example. Like if you enjoy arts and crafts, follow the artists, if you’re a foodie, there are people who review restaurants or those who post recipes, if you like sports, there are definitely channels/pages that discuss matches or give training tips. Imo, it’s also pretty immersive, since your socials slowly become more Japanese. At the very least, when these things pop up on your feed, it works as a good reminder to do the reviews or to open renshuu to look up some words. You can also look at the study groups here, since they offer some fun resources as well.
But basically, don't study too much. As soon as you start to get demotivated, think about the reasons why you're demotivated and do something about it!
But usually, the culprit is "studying too much" and getting overwhelmed. And there are a lot of things that you can do for that:
Don't learn too much words per day
Learn easy words first and then focus on the hard ones later. Renshuu has a wonderful which allow you block you words, use it. Renshuu will also remember every one of them and you will always be able to find them later. Make some progress with the easy ones first and that will give the motivation to work on the harder ones.
Take one or two days per week where you don't learn words.
Stop learning new words when you feel overwhelmed and set a limit on the number of review per day, then clear your schedule slowly.
Don't be impatient, it's important to be slow at the beginning. Later, when you will know more kanji, words will feel easier to remember. And in general, learning will also be faster even if you don't feel it. So don't worry about being slow now. Rather, even try to be slow. By taking your time, you will establish some proper foundation. Especially with kanji. At the beginning, I was struggling with 5 or 10 words per weeks. Right now, I'm able to study around 140 new words, kanji or sentences per weeks. So I can assure you, it's worth it to take your time rigth now. Especially in japanese with kanji. They are really hard at the beginning but honnestly, they are a cheat code to learn new words later. But only if you take your time.
It's normal to have some down time even you are not overhelmed. There are period where I study far less for weeks or even months. But it's just how it is. So don't worry and just reduce the amount of what you learning per day in order recuperate. Feel free to take 1 or 2 weeks break if needed. It's better than not studying for months because your burned out.
So yeah, it's hard but don't put too much pressure on yourself. Focus finding a rythm that you can maintain first and don't think progress or speed. Even if it means studying only a few words per week. Once you're able to maintain that rythm for enough time, it will become an habit. And it's from there you can try to slowly raise your pace. Not before that, otherwise you will burn out. And after, well, feel free to try any methods, tips, etc to find your personal best way to learn.
But that's for later, your only objective now should not be to learn the hiragana, katakana, basic kanji or basic grammar. It should only to find a rythm that you can maintain. Nothing else matter. It's also important to know your current limit and not cross the threshold with the burn out ending.
Anyway, don't worry too much and don't think too much. Focus on transforming your daily routine into a habit. You don't to study everything too. Some people ignored grammar, kanji or sentences first because they don't like one or the other whent they started to learn japanese. And honnestly that's fine too. Why? Because they had fun while doing that. And later when they started to feel some limit, they started to study the things they didn't like before. And that worked because they gained the motivation to not give up by that point. So yeah, anything is fine.
Feel free to start with fun or easy things only until you manage to find your rythm (I seen everything in term of methods, ways to study or ways to start to study even the complete opposite of what I thought at the beginning, so... not comment on that x) )
Hey! I totally understand how you feel — staying motivated consistently can be really tough, especially with big goals like studying at Tokyo University. One thing that helps a lot is breaking your goals into small, manageable steps. For example, instead of focusing on mastering everything at once, try learning just a few new words or a grammar point each day.
Also, building a routine can be more powerful than relying on motivation alone. Even 20–30 minutes of study at the same time every day adds up. Mix things up too — reading manga, listening to podcasts, or watching Japanese shows can make learning fun and less like a chore.
Finally, don’t be too hard on yourself if you take breaks. Weeks off are normal, and progress is about consistency over the long term, not perfection every day. Celebrate small wins, reflect on what works for you, and try to connect with other learners for support.
You’ve got this — slow, steady progress will get you closer to your dream!
this is gonna sound silly or trite but it really works for me. i get really into things all out for a while, but then my interest will go away. this is good for getting started on something, but then suddenly i have no more motivation to continue. so instead i really just use discipline. first part for me is hardest. but if i force myself to do small goal (just a few cards) then suddenly it's fine to keep going. this is like "inertial friction" but once i am "moving" then i can keep doing it. same with going to gym or anything else, if i just change into gym clothes and start walking there by the time i get there and begin exercise im glad i am there and i just feel motivated again and happy. i find for me i cant rely on motivation for things, so i just force myself to do things i want to do to reach my goals and then once i start doing them, "motivation" usually magically comes back! but even if motivation doesnt come back im still doing what i need or want to be doing so it doesnt really matter. chance is that next day the motivation will return but only once i start again.
