Here’s a quick recap of what we covered in today’s module:

• The Far Out Fallacy: Why looking at learning a language as something far off makes it seem like more of a challenge than it is
• Why thinking of it as a series of steps will make it more manageable
• Small and frequent successes lead to better motivation
• Why you should set yourself smaller more immediate goals

Don’t forget to download the accompanying worksheet! It will make completing your task quick and easy.

Your task:

What’s your big language goal? Where do you hope to get to in learning your language? Take a few minutes to think about where you want to be. It can be helpful to write down your thoughts.

Got it? Fantastic.

Now write down three things that achieving that goal will give you. Maybe it’s a bit more confidence, maybe it’s the chance of a promotion at work, or the opportunity to speak directly to someone you love for the first time, in their own language.

Once you’ve done that, think of three tasks you can work on this week to move towards that goal. For example, if your goal is to have conversations with a native speaker, some steps you could work on would be:

• To sign up to a conversation exchange service, such as italki
• To install Skype on your phone so you’re ready to use it for conversation exchanges
• To practice speaking a basic script in your target language such as saying hello, asking how somebody is doing, and asking about the weather.

Write these tasks down

Keep this sheet somewhere you’ll see it. It’ll be a good reminder of why you’re doing what you’re doing. Once you’ve done this, you’re ready for the next lesson. I’ll see you there.

Further reading:

How to Use Systems Instead of Goals to Get Results in Language Learning by Benny Lewis

The Goldilocks Technique: How to Set Goals That Are Just Right by Benny Lewis

Mini Goals Are the Path to Achieving Fluency by Benny Lewis

Why Goal Setting Isn’t Enough When You’re Learning a Language by Shannon Kennedy