The streak is real. What it measures is the trouble.
what a streak protects
in pictures
How it usually goes for streak keepers
the streetthe street8 photos in the gallery
the cafethe cafe8 photos in the gallery
the notesthe notes7 photos in the gallery
the tablethe table7 photos in the gallery
Three tasks decided in the morning, one report written at night
what replaces the number
- 01 Three tasks that produce something Said out loud, written, listened to at full speed. If a task can be completed without producing language, it is not one of the three.
- 02 A report a machine cannot fill in for you Two lines about what you actually did. It is harder to fake than a tap, which is exactly why it works better.
- 03 Other people read it The group is the accounting. A day you skipped is visible to someone other than an algorithm that will offer you a repair.
over the hundred
How it usually goes for streak keepers
Uncomfortable. Days take longer than a lesson did, and the first reports look thin because the tasks were too big.
Uncomfortable. Days take longer than a lesson did, and the first reports look thin because the tasks were too big.
The tasks settle into something repeatable, and the app either becomes one task among three or drops out entirely.
A hundred reports describing work done, which answers the question about what you can do in the language.
gallery
Where the practice happens
people say this out loud
The complaint is public and it is common
- —
- A commenter on Hacker News, writing about app streaks: “I spent almost half of the time on Duolingo at the aim of keeping my streak rather than truly learning the language.” source
- —
- From the same discussion: “When I stopped using the app, I could read the language I learnt ok, but I wasn't conversational, and couldn't understand people speaking at their normal pace.” source
- 45 days
- italki runs a free 45-day challenge with hour targets and a leaderboard. Streak and challenge mechanics sell lessons reliably, which says nothing about what they teach. source
Quotations are from public discussions and link to the thread they came from. They are not customer testimonials, and we have none.
Three tasks each morning. One report each night. A hundred days of language.
the obvious questions
What this is and is not
Is this an app?
No. There is nothing to install, no lessons and no points. Three tasks written in the morning, one report in the evening, and a group that reads it.
Do you track a streak?
We count completed days and reports. A missed day is written down and the programme carries on, because a hundred days with four gaps still beats twenty perfect ones.
Can I keep using the app I like?
Yes. Make it one of the three tasks with a real size, such as a fixed number of new words, rather than whatever keeps the counter alive.
Which language is this for?
Any. We supply no material, so the content of the tasks is entirely yours.
What do I get on day one?
A start date shared with everybody else, the place where reports go, and the format. That is the whole product.
A hundred days measured in work rather than taps
Leave an email and we tell you when the next hundred days begin. Nothing is charged here.
- Three tasks a day that have to produce something
- An evening report that people read
- A hundred days, gaps recorded rather than punished
We write once, when the next hundred days start.
ask before you decide