How to conquer English in small steps using SMART goals 💪

Hi there!

Welcome back to the The English Workout by ChatBubble. The weekly newsletter that helps professionals learn the English skills they need to succeed. 💼 

English is hard

Yep, that’s right. In fact, I believe that learning a language is probably one of the most difficult things you can do in life. But I have good news for you. I LOVE teaching English and I’m here to help you reach your English goals.

It’s all about making daily progress in small steps, and following a path.

I made a quick 3 minute video to explain the basics. Click on my face to learn more.

Step by step English

Whenever you’re learning a new skill, like learning a language, you’ll definitely have goals in mind. You’re probably dreaming about those big accomplishments like having conversations with native speakers, working in an international environment, and impressing your colleagues in the office with your flawless English, and sometimes it’s hard to imagine how to get there.

Difficulties along this journey become frustrations and your goals start to look impossible to achieve. I know, I’ve been there myself, so trust me when I say you can do it.

It’s all about creating habits around small daily steps, and in a few months that “I don’t have time to learn English“ will become “wow I’ve made so much progress!”

Here are some examples of small ways to improve your English every day.

• Listen to podcasts in the car - Do you usually listen to the radio or Spotify while driving? There are loads of great podcasts available on all kinds of topics. Choose one and listen for 10 minutes to see how much you can understand.

• Newsletters - hey, you’re already subscribed to this newsletter so congratulations! They’re a great way to get regular content delivered directly to your inbox.

• Technology is your English speaking friend - change your phone’s language to English, and set English as the default language in your internet browser. Easy!

• Social media - everyone loves to spend a few minutes (if not hours, am I right? 😆 ) scrolling through social media. Why not join English speaking groups and follow English speaking content creators?

• Do an English course for regular speaking practice. I’d love to help you with this. Click here to know more about the lessons I offer.

SMART goals

When you’ve found some ways to include English into your busy life, it’s time to start setting goals. These will help you to stay on track and they’re also a fantastic way to see all of the incredible progress you’re making!

But be careful. “I’m going to learn phrasal verbs“ is not a good goal. “I’m going to learn 10 new phrasal verbs each week for a month” is much better because it’s a SMART goal.

SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.

Let’s see why “I’m going to learn 10 phrasal verbs each week for a month” is a good goal to set

1. Specific: it’s clear. It’s isn’t vague like "improve English."

2. Measurable: You can literally count the number of new phrasal verbs you’ve learnt at the end of each week. Did you learn 10? Great! You’ve completable the goal.

3. Achievable: 10 phrasal verbs is a realistic number. 100 phrasal verbs would be too many. Be aware that unrealistic goals are a common cause of frustration for many English learners. Choose goals you believe are reachable.

4. Relevant: your SMART goals need to be in line with the bigger picture. If your overall goal is to speak fluently with native speakers and you’ve noticed that you don’t know any phrasal verbs. This goal is a suitable step on your journey towards your main objective.

5. Time-bound: hey, you’re not making a lifelong commitment to phrasal verbs, just a month. Giving yourself a deadline will boost that feeling of accomplishment, and also give you the chance to look back on your progress and say “woohoo I’m awesome!”

By the way, this is obviously applicable to any areas of your life, so you’re welcome! 😜 

CAN YOU SEND ME A REPLY?

I’d love to hear from you. Tell me what you think about these ideas and more importantly tell me what your SMART goals are! 😀 Hit reply or leave a comment.

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