Building a daily learning habit is crucial for aspiring Mandarin learners.

Can't get motivated? Can't find time? No inspiration? Don't feel like you're improving? A daily learning habit will crush all of these.

But it's not as easy. Life gets in the way. Priorities change.

I tried lots of things that didn't work. But now, I've read and practiced my Chinese every day for the last 2 years and 10 days. And it's got so much better in the process.

How did I manage it? I did one thing:

Set small achievable goals, and then build.

When I started, I set a goal of reading 10 minutes a day for a week.

When I hit 7 days, I extended it to another week. 14 days in, I aimed for another 2 weeks. After 1 month, I aimed for another month. And so on.

After 4 months, I used the "pressure" of the uninterrupted consistent day count to keep me going. I marked each day on a calendar.

Now, I don't even think about it. I HAVE to learn a little bit each day.