Just the thought of piling language learning on top of everything else you have to do can keep you stuck.
However, when my clients tell me they feel overwhelmed, I guide them through six steps that help them balance English practice with their other responsibilities.
- Clarify your learning goals:
We begin with questions that bring their motivation to the surface. Why are you learning English? What specific goals are you trying to achieve? In which specific situations do you need to improve your English?
When you tell yourself and your coach why you’re learning English, the more targeted your practice becomes. You know why you are investing your time and that gives you purpose. When I know your goals, I create lessons that have direct relevance to your career and that makes remembering English easier.
Currently, I’m coaching a senior IT professional whose ultimate goal is to improve her speaking so she’ll be seen as promotable to the C-suite. Consequently, she receives language learning combined with communication strategies needed by top executives.
- Systemize your learning:
Make practice a daily part of your life.
I have a system called “Cascading Mastery” which gives my clients personal control over learning the language points they need for their career. It is the opposite of overwhelm. Instead, it requires short daily practice on a language point they struggle with (for example, prepositional phrases). Each week, they add an additional workplace-related language challenge to overcome.
My clients prioritize the aspects of language they want to master and over the course of 90 days, they can see a transformation.
- Develop achievable learning habits:
Start with small goals and gradually build your way up to bigger ones.
When we first started working together, some of my clients had been trying to memorize multiple grammar rules and 50 new vocabulary words per week.
They felt like giving up and had lost confidence in their ability to improve their English.
That’s when I advised them to spend a few minutes a day, five days a week, thoroughly practicing one point at a time (primarily through speaking and listening).
It doesn’t require using a language app. Instead, the vocabulary comes from the sentences they use at work.
Focused, consistent, relevant practice creates learning that sticks.
The key is to start with small goals, achieve them, and gradually build upon your small successes, step by step.
- Self-analyze, reflect, and adjust:
Use hand-written or digital notes to keep weekly track of your progress. This will help you see the direction of your practice, see where you’re doing well, and where you can improve. Once a week, record yourself speaking WITHOUT notes and upload your recording to audiotext.com (or similar).
My clients send me their recordings and transcripts for feedback but you can evaluate your own speaking by carefully analyzing your transcript.
Reflect on your notes weekly to determine how close you are to your goals and what specific areas you need to focus on the following week. You’ll find your progress is incremental as each target you master makes the next one easier.
- Pace yourself:
Language communication mastery is not a sprint, it’s a marathon.
Pace yourself and set reasonable goals. Consistent small steps are your key to lasting success. Adjust your pace as needed, be patient with yourself and trust the process.
If you’re super busy with courses, work, and other responsibilities, you’re better off learning one language point in depth with a few minutes of daily effort rather than trying to cram in several concepts weekly, stressing yourself out, and forgetting most of them a week later.
Anything worthwhile takes time. Be patient with yourself!
- When you rest, REST:
When you take breaks, TAKE A BREAK AND ENJOY IT!
Don’t worry about your practice when you’re resting. Let your mind unwind, rest, and refresh itself.
Go for a walk, exercise, spend time with friends and family. Enjoy yourself and don’t stress over other things. Be in the moment.
Forcing yourself to focus when you should be sleeping or relaxing is counterproductive.
Rest allows your brain to create long-term memories.
In a nutshell:
When you practice a language, totally focus for a few minutes a day.
When you rest, rest well.
