Overall, I feel fortunate to be surrounded by students who are passionate about English and show genuine interest and appreciation for the language.”
That said, learning a language is more like running a marathon than a sprint. Over the years, I’ve heard various complaints from students, such as I feel stuck,’ ‘I’ve been studying English my whole life. Yet, my level is still intermediate,’ ‘I keep making the same mistakes,’ ‘Despite all my efforts, when I visit English-speaking countries, I struggle to understand people,’ or ‘Phrasal verbs are impossible to learn.’ And the list goes on.”
Do you relate to any of this?
If so, read on. In this post, I’m going to share some self-motivational tips to help you stay enthusiastic.
When your motivation is running low, try this:
Create a list of the benefits of learning English
Think about the satisfaction that comes from speaking another language. We often dwell on what learning a language takes from us – time, energy- but have you considered what it adds to your life?
These are just a few advantages that come to mind right now. However, I strongly encourage you to write your personalised list with reasons that truly matter to you. In doing so, you will be giving yourself an instant boost of energy. If you are a current student, feel free to bring your list to class!
1. It broadens my horizons and gives me access to a wealth of information and content.
2. When I travel, conversations with people from other countries become deeper and can even lead to lasting friendships.
3. It’s a challenge that sparks my curiosity and fuels my thirst for knowledge.
4. I can understand and appreciate the lyrics of songs.
5. Watching films and series in their original versions, and hearing actors’ and actresses’ authentic voices, is truly amazing.
To name but a few: Helen Mirren’s impeccable British accent, Harrison Ford’s commanding tone, the versatile qualities of Meryl Streep’s voice, and Ewan McGregor’s cheeky Scottish charm.
6. The sound of the English language lifts my spirits.
7. There is something beautiful about reading books in the author’s original words.
8. Expanding my vocabulary in a foreign language brings me a sense of joy and achievement.
9. Last but not least, language learning helps me meet interesting people in my local area – students and teachers.
Be realistic.
Practice makes perfect, but practice takes time
Logically, your progress is tied to the amount of time you are willing to dedicate to it. As with anything else you learn, there is no magic solution, and simply attending a course won’t be enough.
That said, luck is on your side. While it’s true that finding time is difficult, regular English practice can easily be woven into your daily routine. If you enjoy reading, read in English. If you are into TV series, switch to English audio. When doing tasks that don’t require much focus, play the radio or a podcast in the background. It might take a few weeks to adjust to this self-immersion but once it becomes effortless – congratulations! You’ve made it.
However, I wouldn’t advise doing everything at once and risking burnout. You know what works best for you. Pick and choose. The key is enjoyment!. Focus on what excites you and what you’ll look forward to. When you enjoy it, you will be more engaged and your time will be more effective.
Set small goals
Completing a task brings a sense of achievement and thus, increases motivation. Instead of setting unrealistic goals like: “Over the course, I am going to become totally fluent”, rephrase it into a less daunting objective like: “I am going to go deeper into small talk phrases* so that I feel at ease in that context”.
Nobody knows better than you what you can get round to doing, realistically. Personally, as a French student, I know I can’t set aside time to study on a daily basis, much as I would like to, so I do it on a weekly basis. On top of that, I read a bit every day, for pleasure.
*More on small talk in a future post
Go the extra mile: if you feel demotivated or you keep procrastinating, create a sort of chart where you write your goals for the day, week, month (whichever is applicable) and tick when finalised. Two for the price of one here, ticking will cheer you up instantly and these mini-planning charts can also help you keep track of your progress over time.
An example:
Ideas for small, achievable goals that you can accomplish in a 10/20 minute chunk. 3 minutes for planning can go a long way.
Goals for this week
| What? | How long? | When? | Done |
| Do 5 grammar exercises in the self-study grammar book. | 20’ | Monday evening | |
| Read an article for general meaning | 10’ | Thursday am | |
| Scan the article again and this time, highlight useful expressions I’d like to remember | 10’ | Thursday am | |
| Write down these expressions in my notebook. | 10’ | Thursday am | |
| Revise some expressions from previous notes. | 10’ | Friday coffee time | |
| Watch a film at the weekend | 2 hours | Weekend | |
| ….. |
A few years ago, I met a student whose passion was music and understanding the lyrics was an incentive for him. Logically, there were other areas of the language he had to work on but because he put his heart into learning the words in songs, very often, when certain words or structures turned up, he would associate them to songs. Music was pivotal for him and gave him motivation and focus.
Similarly, another student was inspired by cooking; Recipes, cookery books and videos were a force for him. Some people love watching the telly, so if you are temporarily unmotivated, set the textbooks aside and hook on a series. Avid readers, same for you, pick up a page-turner. Football or other sports fans, follow the football news, read, listen, watch youtube videos…
In a nutshell, let your passion be the core of your learning.