1. Study Somewhere New
Research shows that we associate certain places with specific tasks. This is great when you’re trying to disconnect from work, for example, but as language learners, we can’t limit our language to 1 or 2 locations. Instead, we need to practice our language in as many different spaces as possible.
Podcasts and Duolingo can go with you wherever your phone or tablet is, so next time you’re going to study English at home, find somewhere different to do it.
Additional Reading: Everything You Thought You Knew About Learning Is Wrong (Wired)
2. Keep a Daily Journal
Some of you are already doing this, but for the rest of you, this can be one of the simplest ways to make English a daily habit. At the end of the day, simply write 1 or 2 sentences about your day. It can be the highlight of your day, your accomplishments, or even your plans for tomorrow. Whichever you decide, make sure it’s daily and use complete sentences.
We need to match our input with output, and the best forms of output are speaking and writing. Not only will this inject English into your day, it will also help you stay more organized and be more aware of what you did.
Additional Reading: What My Morning Journal Looks Like (Four-Hour Work Week)
3. Don’t Change Your Routine, Change The Language You Do It With
Your schedule is already full, so we shouldn’t reinvent the wheel and change your whole day. Going to the supermarket, checking your Facebook, reading the news and watching Netflix are part of most of our weeks, so the solution is to take your existing routine and add English to it.
Write your grocery list in English, switch your language settings for Facebook, read the English version of the news (BBC Brazil, for example) and watch Netflix with English subtitles. This will make your immersion easy, and without realizing it, much more successful.
Additional Reading: Hack Your Gadgets and Home to Teach Yourself a New Language (Lifehacker)
It’s that simple. Leveling up your English doesn’t need to be like pulling teeth. Just follow these 3 tips and we can discuss your results.
Which of these have you tried? Was it successful? Let me know in the comments!
