Newsletter 10 - Procrastination

.. description: Discover how procrastination affects your brain's learning systems. Learn neuroscience-based strategies to overcome delay and build momentum in language learning.



Newsletter 10 - Procrastination

“You may delay, but time will not.”

― Benjamin Franklin

Everything I'm writing in this newsletter is based only on my own observations and my own experience. No studies, no research BUT 14 years experience ;-)

I just don't have time

I can safely say that whatever the reason and motivation for which people have come to me for their language learning needs, procrastination is always part of the equation.

While there have been some exceptions, the vast majority of the learners I've worked with procrastinate when it comes to language learning.

I actually can't think of any other reason I've ever heard for someone not working between sessions except for “I didn't have time”.

Which translates into “I have a lot of stress in my life, I procrastinate to avoid stress, and then I have even less time and working on learning a language is just not at the top of my list”.

The reason why I sound so adamant is that I'm one of you. It's also what I think and feel when it comes to MY language improvement journey with Spanish. I just don't have time, bit in fact I do.

Let me tell you how I found the time.

Procrastinate in the language you're learning

I used to end up doing what most of my learners do: get some of that language in my system the night before or better yet, 1 hour before meeting with my coach.

As I learned more and more about the brain and about coaching, I was able to analyse my behavior and found ways to work with my procrastination tendencies. Procrastination is now my language learning ally.

When I don't want to work on something specific and see myself looking around for anything else I could do instead, I turn to Spanish:

• when I take a social media break, I go to Spanish speaking posts,

• when I want to look up a specific news I go to Spanish language news outlets,

• If I want to take a Netflix break when I'm supposed to work on a blog post, I'll watch something in Spanish.

• If I have to do a house chore that I really don't want to do, I'll listen to music in Spanish or a podcast.

(pic is an example of what I sometimes do when looking for specific news).

You get the drift.

What if you don't procrastinate?

Don't procrastinate and truly don't have the time to work on your language learning as much as you'd like?

There are quite a few things you can do just because everything you do involves language:

• if you have to google something, google it in whatever language, maybe not every time but sometimes

• put your phone apps in that language you're trying to learn. It's a pain at

• the beginning but after 2  or 3 days you'll be fine. When you do that, you start getting notifications in that language.

• if you do guided meditations, do them in the language your learning. It'll be hard at first but gradually : wow

• if you do online workouts or yoga: find teacher and coaches whose videos are in that language

• if you like to cook look for recipes

• if you like to run, look for info

• if you watch series watch them in original version (and put the subtitles in whatever language)

• you can journal in that language. For example, 3 sentences a day of things you're grateful for

• when you have to iron, do the dishes, fold the laundry? listen to music or a podcast or a silly show…in that language

• Don't feel like doing much of anything? go on a language learning app, a lot of them are like a game where you “mindlessly” click on words you recognize…you'll be learning

And on and on.

The one thing that can help progress even faster is to set an intention right before you start. Tell your brain what you're doing. For example, watch a tv-show and tell yourself  “I want to focus on their accent” or “I'm going to try and catch phrasal verbs”. That's it. Nothing else.

And if you're like me, you need a “GPS” for your language learning journey and you need accountability then…

If you're curious about my sources or want to know more about laughteryou should click here

And if you want to go back on my other newsletters that cover all kinds of brain related, language related, coaching related fascinating subjects, I suggest you go tomy newsletter webpage