I want to push myself in learning Chinese, and there’s no better way than surrounding yourself with a few good accountability factors. The kind that nudge you forward instead of letting you procrastinate.
Most of my time on Tandem is spent chatting with local Taiwanese people who are practicing their English.
And I am the one duckling in the group who’s kinda fluent in English (or so my certificate claims) while fumbling through Chinese characters and tones like I’m solving a puzzle in the dark. Or in other words: I know fuck all about Chinese (yet).
Tandem is a social platform. By design, it encourages people to hop into conversations, engage with fellow learners, and build connections. It looks great in its merits, but often fails in execution.
The Distraction Trap
Instead of focused learning, where fluent or native speakers catch your mistakes and help you improve, you end up talking for hours about random topics.
Read also: 1 Month On Tandem: My Wild Ride Through Language Learning (and Fake Models)
On the surface, that’s fine. You’re practicing, right? But in reality, nobody’s correcting your pronunciation. Nobody’s pointing out those small mistakes that, left unchecked, become habits.
People who are less fluent in English constantly ask me, “How can I improve my English?” (or any other language, for that matter). My answer is always the same: you need a small, private, focused study group.
So I had to practice what I preach. I had to show other users on Tandem that this approach is not only effective, but it’s also manageable.
But that meant figuring out the logistics without overloading myself. (As if currently vibe-coding a language app wasn’t challenging enough.)
I went ahead and created Study Brew.
What I’ve Considered
Starting a study group is easy. Keeping it running smoothly? That’s where things get tricky. Maintaining momentum, tracking progress, and coordinating schedules without burning out.
So I sat down and mapped out my non-negotiables:
- Which platform are we going to use?
- How do I share information between all “students” in a way that’s accessible and transparent?
- What does a sustainable schedule actually look like?
Since we’re all Tandem users, keeping Tandem as our central study room made sense. Sure, it’s not the smoothest experience when you’re trying to be more than just casual conversation partners, but we’re still in the experimental phase. There’s no point in introducing friction by asking everyone to download yet another app.
The bigger challenge? Finding the right tool for sharing notes and tracking attendance.
Just when I thought I’d sworn off Google products and committed to the Apple ecosystem, I caved. Google Sheets and Docs it is.
Why?
Because everyone knows how to use them. I briefly considered Notion, but it can be overwhelming for people who’ve never used it. The last thing I want is for students to spend more time figuring out how to edit a page than actually studying.
The Structure
The sheet itself isn’t rocket science:
- A main overview with general info and guidelines
- A schedule and attendance log so we can track who shows up
- Individual tabs per student, where I track each session and add personalized notes
Every student has access to edit their own tab. It’s their space to reflect, add questions, or jot down what they struggled with that week.
As the host, I take the lead on note-taking and encouragement, but I’m careful not to cross into pressure territory. This is supposed to be helpful, not stressful.
The Schedule
And then there’s the schedule. I wanted something consistent but not exhausting.
Here’s what I landed on:
- 3 days per week (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday)
- 45 minutes per session (long enough to dig in, short enough to stay focused)
- 4-6 students maximum, including me as the host
Each day has a specific purpose, which eliminates confusion and keeps us on track:
- Tuesday: Reading & Pronunciation – We practice out loud, work on those tricky sounds, and build confidence.
- Wednesday: Reading & Repetition – Reinforcement day. We revisit what we covered, drill the patterns, and let things sink in.
- Thursday: Topic Discussion – Free speech day. We pick a topic and just talk. No scripts, just real conversation.
The beauty of this structure is that it’s predictable. Students know what to expect, and I don’t have to reinvent the wheel every session.
Final Note
I wasn’t entirely sure how to approach this at first. I’m still ironing out some of the details, especially as more people express interest in joining.
- How do I scale this without losing the intimacy?
- How do I keep it from becoming a chore for me, or worse, turning into something that feels like a job instead of a passion project?
But I’ve learned that sometimes you just have to start. You refine as you go. You adjust when something doesn’t work. The goal isn’t perfection, but progress.
And that’s what Study Brew is really about:
Creating a space where learning feels less like an obligation and more like something we genuinely want to show up for.
Where we hold each other accountable, but with kindness. Where mistakes aren’t failures; they’re just part of the process.