Hello, English enthusiasts!
We all know the feeling. It’s Saturday morning, the week’s tasks have been tough, and the lure of a lazy day is overpowering. But, what if I told you that, even in such moments, your language learning can thrive?
Let’s first turn back the clock to a particular Saturday morning. I was learning Mandarin, and the previous week had been a rollercoaster of tones, characters, and complex sentences. Come Saturday, my motivation was as flat as a pancake. I questioned if I was getting anywhere. Was all this effort worth it?
I decided to take a walk, hoping to shake off the feeling. Passing a tea shop, the delicious aroma enticed me in. With my basic Mandarin, I fumbled through ordering a Kung Fu tea (yes, that’s a thing!). The shopkeeper smiled, comprehending my order, and we had a brief exchange about the weather. Despite my hesitations, my Mandarin had worked! A sense of accomplishment washed over me, refuelling my motivation to continue my language learning journey.
So with that, here are some tips to keep you motived.
1. Remember Why You Started
On those hard Saturdays, remind yourself of why you embarked on this journey. Maybe you wanted to connect with a different culture or challenge yourself. Whatever your reason, it’s still valid. Use it as fuel to keep going.
2. Break It Down
Language learning can seem overwhelming at times. Break it down into manageable chunks. Rather than focusing on the entire language, pick a specific topic or a handful of phrases. Small progress is still progress.
3. Make It Fun
Who says studying must be dull? Switch up your routine with language learning games, watch a movie in your target language, or try out a new recipe while following instructions in that language.
4. Celebrate Wins, However Small
Just like my tea shop experience, small victories can provide a significant motivation boost. Celebrate when you remember a hard word, nail the pronunciation of a tricky phrase, or understand a sentence in a song.
5. Take Care of Yourself
Rest is essential. If you’re feeling exhausted, take a breather. It’s okay to take a break and come back rejuvenated.
Remember, language learning is a marathon, not a sprint. Be kind to yourself, and know that each step, however small, takes you closer to your goal. So the next time your motivation dips on a Saturday (or any day), remind yourself of the jasmine tea moments waiting for you.
Until next time, keep exploring, language adventurers!
Vocabulary, Idioms, and Collocations
- Lure: An attractive quality or feature that tempts someone into doing something.
- Rollercoaster: A situation or experience that involves sudden and extreme changes.
- Flat as a pancake: Used to describe something as completely flat or lacking energy or enthusiasm.
- Comprehending: Understanding something that has been communicated.
- Embark on: To begin a journey or project.
- Overwhelming: A feeling of being very intense or great in amount and hard to deal with.
- Manageable Chunks: Dividing something into small pieces or sections that are easier to handle or process.
- Small progress is still progress: An encouraging phrase suggesting that even minimal advancement towards a goal is still valuable.
- Switch up your routine: To make changes to your usual schedule or activities.
- Nail the pronunciation: An idiom that means to pronounce a word or phrase correctly, often after practicing.
- Take a breather: An idiom meaning to take a break or pause from an activity.
- Marathon, not a sprint: An idiom that means achieving a goal takes time and continued effort, rather than trying to accomplish it as quickly as possible.
- Be kind to yourself: A phrase that encourages self-care and understanding towards oneself.
- Dips: Decreases or lessens in level, amount, or degree.
- Remind yourself of: To remember or think about again.
