Let's be honest: learning a language is hard. You spend years re-wiring your brain to think in a new way, endless days memorising words, and countless hours practising pronunciation.

What makes it even harder is the invisible progress. You're putting in the work, but it's difficult to know if it's paying off until you suddenly have a conversation you couldn't have last month. It often feels like the ultimate "trust me, it's working" exercise.

That's why one of the most powerful things you can do as a language learner is to track your journey. Documenting what you did, when you did it, and how you felt creates a tangible record of your effort. These logs do more than just serve as motivation when you feel defeated (seeing numbers go up always helps). They create a snapshot of where you were at a specific point in time.

When you look back and see that something you once found difficult is now second nature - that’s when you know it’s working.

But where do you track it all?

For a long time, we've had two main options. You can use a simple spreadsheet, which is great because it's fast, easy, and you completely own your data. But let's be honest - it's a lonely experience.

On the other hand, you have dedicated social tracking sites. They have great features, leader-boards, and a community to cheer you on. The catch? Your data is locked away on their platform. If you ever want to leave, your entire study history is gone.

Why should we have to choose between community and ownership?

> "The AT Protocol is an open, decentralized network for building social applications." - https://atproto.com/

With the AT Protocol, your data is stored in your own Personal Data Server (PDS). Think of it like a personal data vault that you control.

Apps that build on the AT Protocol are able to provide users with not just the rich, social features of a dedicated app, but allow the data you generate to remain within your control. Moving platforms no longer means losing your data.

Learning a language should be a social activity. You might be struggling, but so is everyone else. The shared experience of a community is a gold mine for language learners. Seeing what works for others, what people are doing, and how they stay motivated is critical information that can help you on your own journey.

Yōten is a social tracker for your language learning journey. It's built around the idea that learning should be a shared experience. Track your study sessions, follow friends, see what the community is learning and stay motivated through self leveling.

And because it's built on the AT Protocol, your study logs belong to you, forever. It's like having a public, verifiable journal of your progress that can't be taken away.

This is just the beginning. I have so much more planned for both the social aspect as well as the core study tracking experience. I'd love for you to try out Yōten at yoten.app and let me know what you think.

Let's build a more open and social way to track your study sessions, together.

Thanks,