Unveiling the Path to Language Fluency: A Life-Changing Journey

Sometimes, when we start learning a new language, we build plans and write down our goals. We start out strong, giving it our all, and then life starts to hit us: work overload, too many assignments, we fall sick, and start to slack. If you are like me, this is the part when you start to rethink your plans, feel like giving up, or realize that your new habit just isn't sustainable. You are over-planned, and it just doesn't seamlessly fit into your life. At this stage, excuses start to creep in, and well, there is always something better to do. You just don't have the time anymore. It's “suddenly” too much time, too much money, too much work.

We feel like we tried our best. Maybe this isn't for me. This is taking too long. Maybe I am not smart enough or a goal-getter. How do we remotivate ourselves and keep it going?

Define your lifestyle objectives

Make space for your new habit in your life. Find a place to add English to your life. How? Remember your “why” and start incorporating English into those parts of your life. This could look like this:

• Why? I want to get a job in an international company.
• How? I will attend professional online meetings twice a month and participate.

Master your “how?”

In order to master your “how,” make it exact and simple. Start a little at a time and then build up. You'll need two plans; most people only have one, but it is the second one that makes all the difference, especially in times of fatigue. The clearest tasks are the easiest to do.

Two plans:

Your study plan (A.K.A. work)

• Five hours a week studying alone.
• Two hours a week talking to native speakers

Application plan (A.K.A life)

• I will talk to my children in English every morning.
• Going out for dinner? Why not make your order in English? Ask for someone who speaks English and let them attend to you instead of using your native language.

Make a place to apply English every day for at least 15 minutes. Add it to your real-life situations. Don't detach your learning from your daily life; amalgamate them.

Creating an effective study plan

Effective planning starts with asking the right type of questions. What does this look like practically?

1. What do you want?—Fluency.
2. How will you get it?—A1 to B1 to C1.
3. How will you measure your progress?—Record my current level, find my problem areas, and work on them.
4. What will you do when life happens?—I will take a 5-day break to reorganize my time and adjust accordingly.
5. How will you remotivate yourself?—I will reflect on my journey, watch English movies, listen to English songs, and watch videos about how English changed people's lives. The goal is to observe progress and enjoy.
6. When will you rest?—I will rest once every week, for 3 days every 2 months, etc.
7. When will you celebrate?—I will celebrate every time I become fluent and comfortable in an English tense, e.g., comfortably recognize I need to use the present perfect, express my opinion in the present perfect, and ask and answer questions in the present perfect.

Assess, be intentional, be active, and proactive

Let's take a deeper dive into question C.

Measure

Record your current level, locate my problem areas, and check again every 2 months. You might need external help to do this. A teacher, ChatGPT, online tests, and other materials could help. The goal here is to identify and create a plan to address the problem.

Record

Recheck them every week.

Example:

• I can’t talk about my daily routines.
• Record yourself trying.
• Learn vocabulary and phrases.
• Practice speaking.
• Make a new recording.
• Celebrate yourself and keep this memory somewhere Remember, we pay attention to the things we measure and record.

Review

Get internal and external feedback. This is also a great place to add some external feedback, whether through technology or a tutor. Feedback is, in fact, the breakfast of champions. Having made it this far down the article, I would say you are definitely a champion.

Reflect, motivate, and remotivate

Remember, we rest from work, not life. Understand that fluency is long-term, and be patient with yourself. When fatigue sets in, and you can't learn as much as you would like to, you can still practice and build momentum for your next stage. You are allowed to slack off from work (study plan) to rest, but never slack off from application (life plan). Don't let yourself slack off for too long; continue working, challenge yourself, and decide to make your dreams a reality. Remember, what doesn't grow eventually dies.