When is the best time for language practice?
March 29, 2017
The best time for language practice is the time that you will actually do it.
To help with this, I like to use a prompt. A prompt is an action or circumstance that causes another action. In my daily routine, I have created a series of prompts. Each one reminds me to do something else.
For example, every morning after meditating for 30 minutes, I go downstairs and feed the cats.
Then I put fresh water in my whistling tea kettle and put it on the back burner of my stove. That is the prompt for me to get on my rebounder or mini-trampoline to jump until the whistle alerts me that the water is hot enough to make some tea.
After I pour my tea, I add a cup of hot water to my oatmeal and date mixture and set it on the hot burner for about 15 minutes.
Then I pull out my language materials and work on something before I eat my breakfast. Each activity prompts me to do the next one.
For a long time, I was using the Mondly app on my iPhone. That was easy because there were daily lessons and a reminder to do them. The app recorded my practices on a calendar and it was motivating to see all of those checkmarks in a row.
When I can stick to this pleasant routine, my mornings flow easily, and I am rewarded with extra energy for the day’s work.
The key, for me, is getting to bed on time the night before, but that’s a different topic.
When are you most likely to practice your English? What regular thing that you already do every day could serve as a prompt?
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