Category: Education Goal (What you want to achieve in 5 years) I want to speak and read Japanese with moderate to full fluency. Personal Audit (Your skills, knowledge, or experience relating to goal) I love Japanese culture (anime, films, food) I know basic greetings I visited Tokyo for 2 weeks and have a strong desire to live there I am excellent at picking up languages Objectives (Smaller goals that will help you achieve your main goal) Take online classes and download learning apps Learn Hiragana alphabet and phonetic sounds Learn Katakana alphabet and phonetic sounds Learn Kanji alphabet and phonetic sounds Read beginner-level Japanese language stories and books Listen to Japanese music Watch Japanese television and films (with Japanese subtitles) Resources (Things you have that will help you achieve your objectives) Internet access and smartphone for language-learning app Money for practice workbooks and online courses Free weeknights for studying A friend who lives in Japan (Sam) who I can call to practice A Japanese bookstore on my block A collection of Japanese short stories for beginners (with English translations) Timeline (Realistic daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly deadlines for each objective) Daily: Practice vowel sounds of Hiragana characters plus 5-10 Katakana and Kanji Practice sounding and writing the characters on learning apps Weekly: Read a beginner’s level short story in Japanese Take a practice test of learned characters in workbook Complete short listening/speaking exercises in online course Monthly: Call Sam to practice and ask about colloquialisms and etiquette Complete the next level of online course Yearly: Travel to Tokyo for a few weeks to immerse myself in the language and culture Write letters and anecdotes of my own in Japanese Obstacles (Things that might hinder your ability to complete objectives) Schedule changes or social activities that cut down on study time Frustration and discouragement with the learning process Financial issues that impede online classes and/or travel plans