You've been studying Spanish for months. But are you actually making progress? Without proper tracking, it's easy to feel lost—or worse, give up right before a breakthrough.

Here's how to track your language learning in a way that keeps you motivated and moving forward.

Why Tracking Matters

Research shows that people who track their goals are 42% more likely to achieve them. For language learning, tracking provides:

  • Motivation: Seeing 50 hours logged feels rewarding
  • Accountability: Hard to skip a day when your streak is visible
  • Insight: Notice patterns (you learn better in the morning!)
  • Proof: Know you're progressing even when it doesn't feel like it

What Should You Track?

1. Study Time (Hours)

The most fundamental metric. The FSI tells us languages require 600-2,200 hours, so knowing where you stand is crucial.

Track by activity type:

  • Listening (podcasts, music, videos)
  • Reading (books, articles, subtitles)
  • Speaking (conversations, shadowing)
  • Writing (journaling, texting)
  • Structured study (textbooks, apps, classes)

2. Consistency (Streaks)

A 30-day streak of 15-minute sessions beats sporadic 2-hour cramming. Track:

  • Current streak length
  • Longest streak ever
  • Study days per week/month

3. CEFR Progress

Map your hours to proficiency levels:

Level Cumulative Hours
A1 ~100
A2 ~200
B1 ~400
B2 ~600
C1 ~800
C2 ~1,000+

4. Vocabulary Growth

Track new words learned:

  • Words added to Anki/flashcard deck
  • Words you recognize in the wild
  • Words you can actively use

5. Real-World Milestones

These feel the best to track:

  • ✅ First conversation with a native speaker
  • ✅ First movie watched without subtitles
  • ✅ First book finished in target language
  • ✅ First dream in the language

Tracking Methods

Paper Journal

Pros: Tactile, no battery, forces reflection Cons: Easy to forget, hard to analyze trends

Spreadsheet

Pros: Customizable, can create charts Cons: Requires manual entry, friction to use

Dedicated App (Like Jacta)

Pros: Easy logging, automatic streaks, CEFR roadmap, insights Cons: Requires your phone (which you have anyway)

Common Tracking Mistakes

1. Tracking Too Much

Don't log 15 different metrics. Focus on hours + streak + one personal milestone.

2. Forgetting to Log

Make it frictionless. Log immediately after studying, or set a daily reminder.

3. Only Tracking "Real" Study

Watching a show in Spanish counts. Reading manga in Japanese counts. Track ALL immersion.

4. Comparing to Others

Your journey is yours. Someone else's 500-hour timeline doesn't invalidate your 800-hour path.

Build Your Tracking Habit

  1. Choose one method and stick with it
  2. Log immediately after each session
  3. Review weekly to see your patterns
  4. Celebrate milestones (100 hours, 30-day streak, etc.)
  5. Don't break the chain - even 5 minutes counts

The Compound Effect

Here's the magic: 20 minutes per day doesn't feel like much. But after a year, that's 121 hours—enough to reach A2 in most languages.

Tracking makes this visible. Instead of vague progress, you see concrete numbers moving you toward fluency.

Ready to start tracking? Jacta makes it effortless to log your study time, maintain streaks, and see your CEFR progress at a glance.