Step 3: Do something regularly

Whether you’re starting out or whether you’re stuck, you can get moving on your language learning journey via 4 easy steps.

You know learning a language is like learning to cook or play tennis or make jewellery.

It’s a skill so it needs practice. And consistent practice works best.

So Step 3 is doing something regularly.

Start with one small thing that you do most days, such as:

Speak out loud to yourself while taking a shower or driving to work.

Mind map phrases and expressions for a conversation you often have.

Actively copy a paragraph from an article.

Listen to a podcast at your level.

List 10 topics for express writing and tomorrow pick one and do it.

My minimum viable action for French is daily express writing for 5 minutes. This helps me remember words and phrases, polish grammar and makes speaking easier.

But my real aim is 5 a day – that’s doing 5 different activities in French spread throughout my day with a mix of focused plus fun tasks.

5 a day is explained here and here.

To get to 5 a day, start small with a daily MVA. After a few weeks, add another task. Then a few weeks later, add another one. And so on.

Learning like this, your progress will snowball.

Step 3: Do something regularly.

Here are Step 1, Step 2 and Step 4.

Need a hand to set up and stick to your DIY language project? I can help.

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