Lesson Transcript

Intro
Hey everyone, welcome to your Monthly Review!
The monthly show on language learning.
Where you discover new learning strategies, motivational tips,
new study tools,
resources,
...and where we show off learners like you speaking the language.
That is... if you’re brave enough to participate and become “language learning famous.”
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Click the link in the description to sign up for your free lifetime account and start speaking in minutes.
BODY
Okay, today’s topic is…
The 10 Habits of Highly Effective Language Learners
So, what do successful language learners--
people who set language goals and actually hit them--
do differently?
And are you doing any of these things already?
Let’s get into it.
You’ll discover 10 powerful habits and how to apply them.
I’ll give you specific, step-by-step examples.
You can use these whether you’re learning with our program, or any other resource - a textbook, an app, or some audio program.
But first, here’s a quick update on what’s going on in Japan right now, November 2018.
If you’re planning on visiting Japan, November is a pretty sunny and dry month. Not much rain.
It’s also a great time to check out the autumn colors, go for hikes and nature walks.
If you’re near Tokyo, you can visit Mt. Takao or take a train ride to Kamakura or Nikko.
But Kyoto, with all its nature, temples, and shrines, is definitely the place to be.
November also has perhaps the cutest event of the year, Shichi Go San.
That means 7, 5, 3 in Japanese. It’s a festival where parents bring out their kids who’ve just turned 3, 5 or 7 years old - dressed up in kimonos and suits.
This festival celebrates the growth and well-being of young children.
And finally, in November, you’ll start seeing winter illuminations, or light shows.
You’ll see colorful LED lights on trees, buildings, and even Tokyo Tower.
Some places to check out are
Nabana no Sato Winter Illumination near Nagoya in Mie prefecture.
Ashikaga Flower Fantasy in Tochigi
Kobe Luminarie in Kobe, which is the OLDEST Illumination event. Started in 1995.
And in Tokyo, the Tokyo Midtown and Shiodome Caretta Illuminations.
These give a festive and romantic feel to Japan in the colder months, and are popular date spots for couples.
Now, let’s jump into our main topic
The 10 Habits of Highly Effective Language Learners
Let’s start with the first and most important one.
Habit Number one —Set small, measurable goals with deadlines.
Why small goals?
Well, say, for example, you set BIG, vague goals like... “I want to be fluent someday.”
And maybe you buy a textbook. You read the first chapter. Then you start wondering if you’re getting any better. You start worrying you’ll never be fluent. And you give up.
If you do this, you need to start setting small, measurable goals.
For example
Learn 100 words in a month.
Deadline, November 30th.
Speak 1 minute of conversation.
Deadline, November 30th.
Or, do 30 of our audio lessons in 1 month.
Deadline, November 30th.
All of these are small goals. 100 words. 1 minute. 30 lessons.
And they’re measurable. So, either you learned 80 words or 100 words.
So, you actually know if and when you hit the goal.
Let’s say your goal is to do 30 lessons in 1 month. You set your goal. What now?
Now, you need smaller, daily goals.
How much should you learn a day?
A month has 30 days, so you need to do 1 lesson a day.
Our audio and video lessons are 3 to 15 minutes long.
So now you have your goal for the day. Do 1 lesson and spend 15 minutes on it. Once the time is up, stop.
That way, you’re not confused about what to do, how long to study, and you know what you can expect to accomplish.
Okay, Habit Number 2 - Create a Routine.
Because your routine is what will bring your goals to reality.
This goes back to the first habit.
Again, if you set a goal like doing 30 lessons in 1 month, you need to do 1 lesson a day. And spend 15 minutes studying.
Now, you have a routine to stick to. 1 lesson a day, 15 minutes.
Next, decide when and where you’ll do it. Why?
So you can make time. Make a mental note that this time is language time.
And - this is important - say no to other things.
Your language goals and dreams take first priority.
Next, Habit Number 3 - Don’t Cram
Instead of cramming or forcing yourself to learn for 1 or 5 hours,
start small.
Cramming may have worked for you with studying for tests.
But language learning is a marathon, not a sprint. So, if you do 5 hours now,
You’ll burn yourself out. You’ll hate the learning.
And that’s not good. That’s how you fail at your goals and dreams.
But, if you can do 5 to 15 minutes a day, every day, learning won’t be overwhelming.
And you’ll be a successful in the long run.
So, how do you create this habit?
If you’ve set your small, measurable goal and routine, you’re good to go.
Habit Number 4 - Prepare Lines and Conversations Ahead of Time.
If you’re like most language learners, speaking is your weak point.
And a lot of time, it’s because you just don’t know what to say.
You don’t have the words in your head.
This is where preparation comes in.
So, imagine you meet a person for the first time. What do you say to each other? Hello. How are you. What’s your name? Where are you from? What are your hobbies?
If you prepare these questions and answers ahead of time...
...now you have things to ask and say.
How do you do this?
If you’re learning on the website, check out our Top 25 Questions lessons that teach you questions and answers that we use all the time in conversations. For example, “what’s your name?” “where are you from?” “How old are you?” “How was your weekend?”
Another way to prepare is to make a list of questions or phrases you want to say.
Then, get the translations for them.
The point is, if you prepare lines like “my name is...” “I am from..” “This weekend I did this” - the kind of lines you use all the time... you always have something to say.
Habit Number 5 - Get into the Habit of Producing Output
So, input is taking language in. Listening and reading.
And output is putting language out.
So speaking and writing.
The point here is, it’s easy to just sit and listen and watch YouTube videos.
You can listen to lessons all day long but listening helps with listening.
It won’t get you speaking the language.
So, the easiest ways to produce output are
For speaking, repeat what you hear out loud. That’s called shadowing.
And for writing, write things out by hand.
You can copy out our lesson dialogues, or just copy the sentences out of a textbook.
Habit number 6 - Come Back and Review.
And that’s because reading something once doesn’t mean it’ll be in your brain forever.
So, this is where reviewing comes in.
In order to master grammar, words or phrases, you must go back and review.
How do you do this?
Spaced repetition flashcards are a great example of this.
A lot of language learners use these because with spaced repetition, you get to see words again and again over spaced periods of time.
And that improves your memory.
Another simple thing you can do is download and save our lessons. Replay them later.
Download our dialog tracks. These give you just the conversation from that lesson. No translations.
Make a playlist on your phone and listen as much as possible.
Just like with songs.
Soon, you’ll know tons of practical conversations by heart.
Next, Habit Number 7 - Look for Solutions
There’s one interesting thing that separates new learners from successful learners.
It’s how they react when they don’t understand something.
Because beginners completely rely on the study tools they use, they tend to blame them too.
You’ll often hear that someone gave up because the textbook was too boring. Or it won’t help them speak.
If you realize a book won’t help you speak, it’s not the book’s fault, is it?
And if you complain that a class doesn’t help you speak, but you’re not raising your hand at every opportunity either, whose fault is it?
So, experienced learners look for solutions.
Get into the habit of coming up with a solution for your problem.
Habit Number 8 - Focus on What You’re Good At
And you should do this because it’s overall motivation.
If you’re generally better at speaking than writing, then you’re more likely to enjoy it.
Which means you’re more likely to continue with it.
And that means it’s a successful routine.
Habit Number 9 is Don’t Procrastinate
Which is easier said than done.
Most of us procrastinate.
And a lot of that is a result of “overthinking.”
Let’s say you plan on studying today. So you remember “ah, i have to study...I have to study...” Now, you’re ruining it in your head. It becomes something you have to do. It’s a hassle now.
But, if you set a small, measurable goal and have a simple routine -- spend 5 minutes -- then you know you just need to put in 5 minutes. And you’re done.
So if you want to beat procrastination, make your goals and routines easy.
And Number 10 - Remember that Learning a Language is a Marathon. Not a sprint.
So, there’s no need to do 5-hour cram sessions and burn yourself out.
5 or 10 minutes is good enough.
Remembering this is a good habit to have. If you’re having a bad day, if you can’t remember some grammar... It’s not all over. It’s just a minor bump in the road.
Another thing that helps is considering the resources you use.
Sticking with quick, 5-minute lessons that are easy to finish will help keep you in the marathon.
Now, speaking of lessons and resources...
Here are this month’s new lessons and resources.
First, the Ultimate Guide to Learning and Mastering Language ebook
This is a 52-page ebook that covers the learning tactics I just talked about.
Setting goals.
Staying motivated.
Learning faster.
If you’re interested in learning strategies, be sure to download it.
Next, the Sport and Exercise Conversation Cheat Sheet.
So if you want to talk about sports and fitness in the language you’re learning, then you’ll love this PDF cheat sheet.
And finally, How to Improve Your Speaking Skills. It’s another language strategy lesson.
To get these free lessons and resources,
Just click the link in the description below.
All right everyone, in the last monthly review, we asked you to submit a video or audio file of yourself speaking the language -- introducing yourself in the language.
So, thank you to all of you that sent in submissions! You’ve all gotten a Premium PLUS subscription as a reward.
Now let’s take a look at some of the videos!
So, which entry did you like the best? Leave a comment below.
Or, do you think you can do better?
All right, because this is the very first episode of the Monthly Review...
we’re asking you, yes you, to submit a video of yourself speaking the language.
Here’s the challenge for you. Yes, everyone watching this.
Record a 30 second to 1 minute video or audio clip.
Introduce yourself in the language.
Share your name,
where you’re from,
and why you’re studying this language.
...and you’ll win a 3 month Premium PLUS subscription!
To submit, click on the link in the description.
Sign up for your free lifetime account.
Then fill out the form.
Attach the audio or video file.
And press submit.
We may feature you in next month’s episode. So, a lot of learners will see you and your progress, and will hopefully get inspired to improve and master the language.
To submit a recording, click the link in the description and follow the instructions on the page.

Outro
So, thank you for watching this episode of Monthly Review
Next time, we’ll talk about
Why Your Worst Days Are The Best Days To Study
In the meantime, submit your recording, if you’re brave.
Like and share this video, and leave a comment to tell us what language learning tactics you’d like us to talk about.
See you next time! Bye!
[END]

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