Lesson Transcript

Hey everyone, welcome to the Monthly Review!
The monthly show on language learning.
Where you discover new learning strategies, motivational tips, study tools, and resources.
By the way, all the lessons and bonuses you’re about to see can be downloaded for free on our website.
So, click the link in the description right now to sign up for your free lifetime account.
Okay, today’s topic is:
When Routines Grow Stale. How to Learn More Language with a New Routine
If you have no problem sticking with a learning routine… but you’ve realized you’re not making much progress lately, it might be because your routine is getting stale. It’s an issue that might be getting in the way of your learning progress. So, today, you’ll learn….
Why Routines Grow Stale
How to Know When You’ve Plateaued,
and how to Reprogram Your Learning Routines
And, we’re giving away a brand new conversation cheat sheet. So keep watching.
But first! Here are this month’s new lessons and resources. Be sure to download these now before we take them down in a few days.
First — The “Going to the Movies” Conversation Cheat Sheet
With this new cheat sheet, you’ll learn to say phrases like... “Does this have subtitles? “When does the movie start?” and much more.
Second — The “How to Talk About Your Feelings” PDF eBook
You’ll learn over 90 words and phrases for feelings with this bonus PDF picture ebook.
Download and review it on any device.
Third - 30 Must-Know Opposite Adjectives
Learn how to say “young and old,” “hot and cold” and much more. You’ll pick up more than 30 words with this vocab bonus.
Fourth — Can you talk about people’s appearances?
With this quick 1-minute lesson, you will learn to describe others with words like “tall,” “short,” “muscular” and much more.
To get your free resources, click the link in the description below right now. They’re yours to keep forever. Ok, let’s jump into today’s topic:
When Routines Grow Stale. How to Learn More Language with a New Routine
Part One: How routines grow stale
We often talk about the importance of having a good learning routine, how it will lead you to fluency… and how to create a strong routine.
But if you have no issues with creating routines, you might run into a different problem.
You may realize your routine can grow stale, and you might feel like you're no longer making any meaningful progress. You're doing the work, you're gliding through the material, but nothing really sticks.
Think about your current routine. For example, let's say you study at a local cafe every weekend. Maybe, you study somewhere else, but the point is... you've been there hundreds of times. And because you've been to your study location so many times, you know how to get there, you know what drink to get, you know where you'll sit, and what the wifi password is. And because you're so used to it, your brain is no longer paying attention; it's on autopilot.
So, when you sit down to start learning, you're not fully engaged. You might spend the first 20 minutes watching YouTube, then checking social media. Eventually, you'll look over your language lessons. But your brain might still not be really engaged, and this may make it harder to learn.
The point is, a stale routine can hurt your language progress. Your progress might start to plateau. And it's easy to tell when you've hit a plateau:
You're no longer making language breakthroughs every week or month.
Your motivation isn't as high as before.
You're more distracted than focused.
But most importantly - you're so used to your routine that your brain is on autopilot. You're no longer actively picking apart words or practicing over and over. You're skimming through what you read. You listen to the lessons, but you're only half tuned in.
It's like reading a paragraph in a school textbook, only to realize you have no idea what you just read. You're kind of doing it… but your brain is not quite there.
All of this happens because you've gotten too comfortable with your routine.
Have you ever gotten too comfortable with your learning routine… to the point where you're not making progress? Leave us a comment below and let us know what happened.
So, what should you do if your routine is no longer contributing to your path to fluency? Let's get into the next part.
Part 2: How to Reprogram Your Routines &Turbocharge Your Progress
Before we get into language learning, think about travel. Think back to the last time you went to a new city or a new country. What happened? It was unfamiliar, right? You were looking all over the place, examining your surroundings as you passed by. Your brain was fully engaged… simply because it was all new, and it was outside of your comfort zone. So, how does this relate to language learning?
If you've gotten comfortable with a routine, and if you feel like you're not learning as much anymore, the easiest thing you can do is change up your routine. How?
Go to a new place. A new library. Another part of your home. A park. A new cafe. Somewhere where you haven't been before.
When you get comfortable with where you are, you tend to not learn as much. Because if you study at a cafe and you've been there hundreds of times, you might get too comfortable with that routine. But, by going to a new place... somewhere where you haven't been before… you're forced out of autopilot. Your neurons switch on. You have to pay attention.
So if you're in a new cafe, you don't have your favorite seat, you don't know the wifi password, or the staff that work there, you'll force yourself to pay attention and make better use of your time. It's like moving to a new city. If you know no one there, you have no choice but to be productive.
Or, if you learn while commuting on the train, get on at a different station, or extend your commute time. This might sound counterintuitive, but because you've been placed into a new situation, you tend to be more alert, and you'll learn better.
Now, it doesn't always have to be a change of scenery… though a change of scenery does work.
With our learning program, what you can do is…
One: Go up a level. If you're taking our Absolute Beginner lesson pathway and you understand most of it, go up a level. Try Beginner level lessons. The challenges increase. Suddenly, you have to work hard again...
...which means you'll be learning more again.
Two: Try learning with a teacher.
If you haven't tried learning with a teacher yet... then try and get one. Put yourself in that new situation. So, if you're a Basic or Premium member, try our Premium PLUS subscription where you get 1-on-1 access to a teacher. Or find an actual in-person tutor.
The whole point is to shock yourself with a new routine... Where you're no longer on autopilot, where you have no choice but to learn.
So, let's recap:
Stale routines can plateau your language learning.
It’s because you're so used to the routine that your brain is on autopilot.
If you want to jumpstart your language progress, try a completely new routine. Go to a new place, study in another room of your home… or try harder level lessons with our learning program.
So, thank you for watching this episode of Monthly Review. Next time, we'll talk about...
The power of textbooks and digital detox
If you enjoyed these tips, hit the “like” button, share the video with anyone who's trying to learn a language, and subscribe to our channel. We release new videos every week!
And, if you’re ready to finally learn language the fast, fun and easy way and start speaking from your very first lesson, get our complete learning program. Sign up for your free lifetime account right now. Click the link in the description.
See you next time! Bye!

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