There are two types of people in this world. Those who enjoy studying, and those who hate it. If you fall into the second category, this can put a damper on your continued professional development, especially if you are forced to study something (English, for example), that you don't particular like. But the fact is that, love it or hate it, being able to speak English is a great skill to have in many sectors, so if you must learn it, it'll be much easier if you at least sort of have fun while you're learning! So here are 5 tips to keep learning a bit more fun and a little less monotonous.
5 tips to keep learning fun
Break up big tasks into smaller ones - it's much easier to tackle many small exercises than it is to try and take on 10 pages at once, so keep things short and sweet - consistency is better than "study binging" (studying a lot of material in a short amount of time).
Reward yourself - take breaks, have a coffee, set mini goals and when you accomplish them go have a snack or treat yourself to a glass of wine! This is how you train your brain to enjoy an activity that perhaps before you didn't.
Use flashcards (digital or paper) - this is an age old technique, but it works! This is a great way to learn vocabulary and grammar structures, and the more you remember, the more you'll be motivated to keep learning.
Participate in group study sessions or conversation sessions - humans are social animals, for as much as some of us try to convince ourselves otherwise. Learning in groups is effective and fun, and it's a great way to stay motivated when you're feeling like giving up.
Change things up - the same routine over and over again can get really boring and this can cause you to lose motivation. Try reading a novel or watching your favorite film in English instead of just doing exercises from your book. Go to a cafè, buy a coffee and a sweet and study for a few hours, it's much more fun than staying home and studying on your cluttered kitchen table. You could even find something to do in English related to your hobby!
The point of this post isn't to give you all the answers, studying can be difficult and boring at times. But it can also be fun, rewarding and satisfying, sometimes you just need to get a little creative in order to find your groove. So when you're feeling bored and demotivated, don't despair! Try one of these tricks and see if it helps you to get back on track. Happy learning!
Glossary
put a damper on: idiom - to ruin something or destroy the fun in something
tackle: synonym - to manage or handle a difficult task
take on: phrasal verb - to try or manage something difficult
short and sweet: idiom - quick and easy
treat oneself: to give yourself a reward
age old [something]: something ancient or traditional
convince [oneself] otherwise: a way of saying to change ones mind about something
cluttered: untidy, messy, full of things, unorganized
groove: informal - rhythm
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