How To Stay Consistent With Your English Learning

Hey there,

It’s lovely to have you here! Today I want to address something that I think many people can relate to, including myself… Have you ever started something (a new hobby, your fitness journey, a new habit) and felt very motivated in the beginning? But then, after some time, you kind of lost the rhythm? I could think of a few situations where I’ve felt that way, and I have noticed that many people struggle with this when learning English. I hope this doesn’t trigger you, and if it does, then this email is perfect for you! 

It’s completely normal for this to happen to you; it happens to everyone. But, if you really want to improve and become better at something (*cough* English cough), it’s crucial to work on overcoming this and make English learning a habit. To do that, you need to remember that consistency matters more than intensity.

Consistency is what separates learners who really want to improve (aka you) from those who get stuck.

Of course, building consistency is easier when you have structure and support, and that’s exactly what we do inside The English Life Academy - with daily classes, pre-recorded courses, our exclusive 14-Day challenges, and much more.

For a limited time, we’re opening up one of these challenges for free to anyone who wants to take part! Specifically, our 14-Day Phrasal Verbs Challenge 🤩.

If you’d like to join, just reply to this email and let us know. We’ll make sure you get your invitation.

I don't want to try to convince you to do anything, but I thought you’d want to see what some of our Academy members had to say about this challenge:

Now, what you really came for… 

How to build English learning into your life.

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The secret to making English a habit

Attach English to a habit you already have

Do you drink coffee every morning? Scroll on your phone on your commute to work or uni? Listen to a podcast while cooking? Check Instagram or TikTok after work? Make sure that one of the first things you see on there is related to English.

We have mentioned it before, but habit-stacking is so much more powerful than you think! If you attach English to something you already do, it will most likely become part of your routine without even noticing it. Pairing English with daily habits is much more sustainable than trying to carve out a new 1-hour slot.

Let me give you a personal example: I spend a lot of time in front of a computer for work. You can imagine what my posture looks like… I would say I resemble this emoji: 🦐 (if you can’t see it… it’s a shrimp)

I read that massaging the chest and (obviously) doing chest opening exercises can help (apart from maaany other things).

Now, what is something I do every single morning, no matter what? A shower, followed by body lotion. So, while applying the lotion, I started massaging my chest and doing some exercises for 1-2 minutes every day. It might not sound like much, but if I do this every day for a week, it’s at least 7-10 minutes. Doing this every day is so easy. But, if I told myself I have to stand in front of the mirror once a week for 10 minutes to do this, I might do it the first week, but I would probably be too lazy to continue in week 2. And this can be applied to any new habit you want to integrate into your life.

So, be clever and attach English to things you already do, whether it is reading an English article while making your coffee, listening to a podcast in English while cooking, changing your phone’s language to English, or writing how you feel in your journal in English.

You don’t need hours a day to improve. What you need is consistency, and this is an easy way to get it. And the best thing about it? You can be totally creative in the ways you “stack” English to your existing habits.

Make it ridiculously easy to start.

Now, what is something that stops you from starting something? Let me guess… The hassle of actually starting it… I mean, why else do people recommend laying out their workout clothes at night if they want to start exercising in the morning? You wake up and see your clothes immediately, so you just put them on and do your exercises (in an ideal world). The same thing applies to your English learning. It should be so easy to start that it feels almost ridiculous not to. The goal is for you to set up your space so that there is zero friction.

Now, I’m not saying to leave all your English books next to your bed so that you start studying once you wake up… Even though leaving a book on your desk and looking through it whenever you have a break is not a bad idea… 🤔But, keeping your materials easily accessible is definitely something that will help.

For example, is there an app you enjoy using for practising English? If so, try adding it to your home screen, or (even better!) swap it with the place of your favourite social media app. That way, every time you automatically try to open that app, you actually open your English learning app 😉. Genius move, I know.

What I’m trying to say is, you shouldn’t need motivation to practise English. It should be as automatic as brushing your teeth. I mean, you don’t really wait until you “feel inspired” to brush them, right? You just do it. That’s exactly the power of consistency. You just do it.

Use variety to avoid boredom.

Unfortunately, you could be doing all the above things, but sometimes, people still quit because there is one thing about learning… it can feel very repetitive. And what happens when something is repetitive? We get bored. So, try to change the “format” but keep the consistency. 

Let’s imagine you’re trying to create a workout plan. Which of these weeks would you prefer?

Option 1

Monday: Gym

Tuesday: Gym

Wednesday: Gym

Thursday: Gym

Friday: Gym

Saturday: Gym

Sunday: Gym

Option 2

Monday: Strength training

Tuesday: Pilates

Wednesday: Long walk after work

Thursday: Strength training

Friday: Yoga

Saturday: Swimming in the sea

Sunday: Hike

Well, just like you would try to “mix up” your exercise routine, you should do the same thing with your English. Rather than saying, I’ll listen to a podcast every morning on my way to work, why don’t you try something like this:

Monday: Listen to a podcast on my way to work

Tuesday: Read 5 pages of a book in English

Wednesday: Write about how my week has been so far in English

Thursday: Watch videos on social media that are only in English (regardless of the topic)

Friday: Review vocabulary I might have learnt during the week

Saturday: Join a morning class at The English Life Academy 😉

Sunday: Movie night in English (or with English subtitles)

Create rituals, not goals.

I just want to stop here for a moment and tell you that you’re doing a great job! I know that reading long texts can be a bit boring sometimes, but you are doing it for a reason. Your goal is to improve your English, right? Usually, the goals we set ourselves are about the future (e.g. I want to have a C1 level by next year, or I want to pass my IELTS exam next autumn), but we also need to think of the present-tense actions we are going to take to achieve those goals. Yes, it’s important to set goals, but what is more important is to create rituals, the things you repeat on a daily/weekly basis to actually achieve those goals.  

Some simple examples are:

• Do a 3 to 5-minute vocabulary review every evening before checking your phone

• End your day by writing a short “mini-diary” in English, or start your day by writing down 3 things you’re grateful for

• Every Sunday, watch one episode of a show in English (no exceptions)

• Listen to a 2-minute video and summarise it in your own words out loud (or to your pet)

I want you to remember one thing, though… If your ritual includes writing an essay, watching a TED talk, doing 3 activities, and revising 20 new words… You’re setting yourself up to fail. This might work in the beginning, but it is not sustainable long-term. Start smaller. Consistency doesn’t mean 110% effort once every 3 weeks, but little things every day. Think of this:

Small = manageable = repeatable 

So, what are you going to do today to get one step closer to your goals?

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Motivation will come and go, but consistency will always carry you forward.

I would like you to take one thing from today’s email (I know, it’s an intense one, but also crucial): Consistency is not about doing more; it is about doing something (even if it is small) every single day. 

And remember, reply to let us know that you’re interested in joining our 14-Day Phrasal Verbs challenge, and we’ll send you your invitation!

Until next time! 

Cami