#MiPDV – Are You Overloading Yourself?

We were having dinner with a friend who mentioned that they were struggling to learn a new language.?

We asked what they were learning.?

The friend listed three languages.?

Three? All at once, we asked??

The friend confirmed that indeed they were trying to learn three languages at once. And they were finding it difficult.?

Learning a new language can be difficult, and adults seem to have more difficulty than children. A study published in 2021 bluntly states, “In contrast to childhood, learning a new language can be highly challenging for adults.”

So that was working against our friend.?

What about trying to learn three languages at once???

As it turns out, though, there is nothing inherently “wrong” with trying to learn multiple languages at once. A study published in 2020 looked at the effect of students in China – one group was learning English, a second group learning English and Russian. The study found that the second group grew their English skills as well as the first group.

With that in mind, though, it’s important to remember that learning two (or more) languages at once is harder than learning one at a time. This point is nicely summarized by blog posts on Sololingual and echoed by Polyglot Language Academy:

Embarking on a journey to learn multiple languages at once is commendable, but it's essential to set realistic expectations for yourself. Recognize that learning two or more foreign languages simultaneously will likely take longer than if you solely focused on one.

We suspected that our friend’s difficulty was not just that they are an adult. As the friend continued to talk, we could see that their difficulty in learning the languages came down to one important factor: they were inconsistent in practicing the languages. And we know that without practice, it’s difficult to learn.?

Why the inconsistency??

Quite simply, the friend was doing more than learning the languages. They were also working full time, maintaining a family and household, keeping a full social calendar, and many other interests.?

In other words, they were overloaded and overcommitted.?

In their priorities, the languages fell far down the list – many other areas came first. As a result, they were unable to devote the time needed to see the progress they desired.?

To see the progress they wanted, they would need to re-prioritize their activities to devote the necessary time.?

It’s the same in our work lives.?

How often do you or one of your team members get overloaded with incoming requests??

How do you handle it? In my experience it requires re-prioritizing projects and tasks that you have already been assigned. Due dates often need to change, and sometimes requests need to be dropped altogether.?

One method of re-prioritizing work that has worked for me is to ask the requestor(s) to help determine the priority of the tasks they have brought to you. In other words, if you’ve agreed to do tasks A and B for someone, then they ask to add C, to ask the person to help determine which takes priority over the others. It’s also a great time to ensure that all the requests are still valid.?

It’s an important step so the appropriate stakeholders help determine the priority of the work they have asked you to do – that helps give them ownership with the outcomes.?

When I’ve had to do so, it’s always been interesting to see the requestor struggle with determining the priority. They often don’t like to declare one project as more important than another, but it’s important that it’s their decision (and that it’s documented!).?

What other approaches have you tried???

I’d like to hear your thoughts!?

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That’s mi punto de vista #MiPDV.