How To Make English A Part Of Your Life (And Have Fun!)

Goal Of This Episode:

By listening to this episode you will learn the importance of making English a part of your everyday life, and you will have some practical ways to do so.

Story Time

This week I went on a retreat through my work. We traveled off Vancouver Island, where I live, and then drove about 2.5 hours inland to a beautiful camp/retreat center that is nestled in a wooded valley right under several mountains.

During our time together, the team I am a part of has spent a great deal of time on work related topics and training sessions.

But the best parts have been what happens after those often intense times of work and learning: we talk. We listen. We laugh together. We eat together. Then we have time a part - where we can do whatever we want.

What does this have to do with you, you might be wondering. We'll - here's what I was thinking about today as I was enjoying an hour long hike through a mountain trail.

All my thinking time was in English. So was all the other activities that I just mentioned to you. One thing bled or led into the other - it was a free flow of language. English was everywhere.

This can be your story as well.

Allow English Into All Parts Of Your Life.

• Compartmentalizing your English practice is one of the biggest mistakes you can make.
• When you compartmentalize, you are separating or isolating one thing from another.

Dictionary Meaning:

Compartmentalize:  to separate into isolated compartments or categories “Compartmentalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/compartmentalize. Accessed 14 Sep. 2023.

Are You Compartmentalizing Your English?

• The quick and easy way to find out is to simply ask yourself this question: when and where do I use English each day?
• If you answer: I only use English when I have to. I only use English when I'm in English class. Then you're compartmentalizing.

This is a huge problem!

If you want to see your English fluency grow and develop you have to start bringing English into everything you do.

You have the same opportunity if you live here in Canada already. (And if you don't live in an English speaking location, you sill have the ability to bring English into your life - it will just take a little more creativity on your part.)

One Practical Step For You Today:

What language do you think in? That's what I was specifically thinking about today on my hike. I saw this amazing tree that was growing out of a tree that had fallen over across our path. There's a picture of it on my blog.

Your challenge today: set a timer on your cellphone so that every hour you get a reminder to practice thinking in English.

Try to give yourself 5 -10 minutes at first. During that time, make it your goal to switch the language you're thinking in, which I bet is your first language, to English.

Repeat this challenge every hour daily. As you get good at it, try increasing the time from 5-10 minutes to 10-15 minutes and so on. See if you can bring yourself up to a full hour!

This is just one example of how you can be making English a part of your day-to-day life.

You can check out today's episode on my blog:

https://celpipsuccess.com/mistakeinenglish/

I need your feedback!

Could you take 1 minute and help me with your feedback today? I want to make sure this podcast is helping you. Please fill out my quick 1 minute survey here: https://celpipsuccess.com/survey/

Thank you!