Instead of rushing, try setting small goals that you can actually keep. Here are five ideas to help you finish the year strong.

① 10 Minutes a Day

Consistency is more important than quantity. Try studying for just 10 minutes a day. It doesn’t sound like much, but after two months, that’s more than 10 hours! Small daily habits build strong results.

Tiny goal tip: Read a short article, listen to a short podcast, or scroll through a few posts in your target language. Link your study time to something you already do—like your morning coffee.

② Declutter and Refresh

If you feel overwhelmed, start by cleaning your study space. Go through your notes, review old materials, and get rid of what you don’t need anymore. Organizing your space can also help you organize your mind.

Tiny goal tip: Reward yourself with something small—a new notebook, a cute pen, or a little desk plant. A fresh environment can motivate you to start again.

③ Focus on One Skill

Language learning has many parts—grammar, reading, listening, speaking—but for now, choose one skill and give it your full attention.

Tiny goal tip: Make a small checklist or a progress tracker. Every time you complete something, check it off and enjoy that feeling of progress.

④ It’s Not Too Late

Maybe you lost motivation this year. That’s normal! Don’t try to “make up for lost time” by overdoing it now. Instead, take one small step at a time.

Tiny goal tip: Don’t be hard on yourself. Starting again slowly is better than not starting at all.

⑤ Plan Ahead

You don’t need big New Year’s resolutions, but planning ahead helps. Think about what worked and what didn’t this year, and set small, realistic goals for 2026.

Tiny goal tip: Try using the SMART method; set goals that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.

No matter how small your actions are, they all add up. Keep moving forward, one step at a time; you’ll thank yourself in 2026.

C1+ VERSION

With the end of the year approaching quickly, it can be tempting to look at your progress for the year, find it lacking, and decide to cram as much study as you can in the next two months.  Although it might give you a sense of “catching up” when you start, you’ll soon run out of steam and feel frustrated with all the pressure you’re putting on yourself.  To avoid falling in this last-minute trap, here are five small, actionable goals to carry you all the way to 2026 in one piece.

①10 Minute a Day Challenge

I’ve mentioned in a previous column that consistency is more important than quantity when learning something new.  With this in mind, I recommend you challenge yourself to study for 10 minutes a day.  It might seem like a negligible amount of time, but if you think that there are 61 days before the end of the year, that means that you will have studied for 610 minutes by January 1st.  That is a little over 10 hours!  Sure, you could study for one hour ten times, but can you guarantee you’ll find the motivation to do so?  Probably not.  After all, life has the pesky habit of getting in the way, and the end of the year can often be a busy period in itself.

Tiny goal tip: Read a short article online or even a few pages of a book.  Listen to a short podcast or watch a few reels in your target language.  For maximum success, pair this action with something you already do.

②Declutter

If you tend to be so busy and overwhelmed by the end of the year that the simple thought of starting a new study habit fills you with anxiety, I have a different solution for you: decluttering.  In many cultures, the end of the year is accompanied by cleaning and decluttering (大掃除 will come to mind for my Japanese readers), so why not use the next two months to declutter your learning environment?  That might take many forms, such as finishing lessons, reviewing old flashcards and throwing away the ones you no longer need, tidying up your notes, etc. Tidying up everything will be a good opportunity to take stock of your current level and reevaluate which resources or materials you might have outgrown.

Tiny goal tip:  If you’re like me and you are a stationery addict, treat yourself to new notebooks, pens, or whatever you use to study.  If you study mainly with digital resources, spruce up your study area with a little plant or cute decoration.  You’ve worked hard; you deserve a treat!

③Work on a Single Skill

Whatever skill you’re trying to learn, it probably has multiple facets.  For example, with languages, to have a rounded progression, you need to focus on grammar, but also conversation and writing.  However, for the next two months, I suggest that you choose one thing to improve and stick with it.  If you’re working on your listening, watch a movie without subtitles or listen to a podcast at regular speed.  Or if you want to take your speaking skills to the next level, book a few conversation lessons and stick to that schedule.  Whatever you choose, make sure that it has a clear start and end point.  The goal is to foster a sense of accomplishment after completing a task.

Tiny goal tip: Create a small checklist and post it somewhere you’ll see it every day (the fridge, your phone wallpaper) and track your progress.  If you’re artistic, draw a progress bar.  Whatever form your tracker takes, you’ll feel proud of yourself whenever you update it.

④All is Not Lost

Maybe, like a student who’s just realized that their term paper must be turned in tomorrow, you’ve let the months pass while thinking “I still have time to start,” and are now just experiencing the horrors of last-minute panic.  As I said in the introduction, you might be tempted to go all in to make up for all the wasted time, but I recommend against it; you’ll only end up back where you started.  Instead, take this opportunity to get back on track by taking small steps.  Any of the small goals I mentioned above can help restart your learning engine, so pick one and see where it takes you!

Tiny goal tip:  Don’t berate yourself.  We all fall off the wagon sometimes, so give yourself some grace.  They say we are more likely to retain what we learn more than once, so see this new start as an opportunity to cement your knowledge.

⑤The Anti-Resolution Resolution

If you’ve read any of my previous columns, you already know that I hate New Year's Resolutions. However, it doesn’t mean that I think that setting goals and planning for the New Year is useless.  In fact, it can be useful as long as you set “SMART goals”, which stands for goals that are “Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.”  Whether your current study rhythm is perfect for you or you want to challenge yourself a little more, using the next two months to set a roadmap for 2026 can help ensure your success next year.  It can also help you avoid the traps you fell into this year.

Tiny goal tip: I didn’t invent the concept of SMART goals, so if you’d like to learn more, I strongly recommend you do a little googling.  Many people have discussed the topic at length, and I’m sure you’ll find a way to apply the technique to your studying.

I hope these ideas will inspire you to continue studying for the rest of the year and help you cross the finish line into 2026 with a smile on your face!  Keep it up!