E-book Effortless English learn to speak English like a native. Chapter 16: Your Daily English Learning Plan

Chapter 16: Your Daily English Learning Plan »

CHAPTER 16
Your Daily English Learning Plan
So are you ready to speak English effortlessly? Are you ready to feel relaxed and confident every
time you speak? Are you ready to let go of grammar study, textbooks, vocabulary lists, worksheets
and drills? Are you ready to rediscover the joy of learning? Are you ready to focus on goals that
inspire you? Are you ready to focus on communication with real people? Are you ready to “play
English” instead of studying it?
You now know the core Effortless English™ system. I have laid out a plan to help you learn to
speak English naturally, fluently and with ease. Using the latest research and my own experience from
more than two decades of teaching English language classes to thousands of students all over the
world, I've shown why traditional language teaching methods don't work. If you've been struggling
with English for a while, I've also tried to give you hope. It's not that you're bad at English. Trust me.
You just haven't been taught the right way, the natural way.
When you learn English naturally – the Effortless English™ way – you finally escape from the
hidden curriculum. You don't rely on textbooks or repetition drills. Instead you use the simple
methods of the Effortless English™ system:
Anchor positive peak emotions to English
Change limiting beliefs into empowering beliefs
Energize and move while learning
Direct and control your internal movies
Focus on learning phrases not words
Don't study grammar
Learn with your ears, not your eyes; devoting 80 percent of your studying time to listening
Learn deeply; be willing to put in the time and the numerous repetitions necessary to truly master
spoken English
Use point-of-view stories to master grammar
Learn real English by focusing on authentic English materials that native speakers use
Learn to think in English with listen-and-answer stories, which train you to respond
automatically without translation
The seven rules are the key to the Effortless English™ method This method is the motor that will
drive you to English fluency. But like any good engine, the Effortless English™ method is only as
effective as the fuel you put into it. The fuel you need to learn English, or anything, really, is the
emotional energy and motivation you bring to your studies. That's why I've focused so much on the
psychological aspects of learning. I've shown you how to generate the necessary emotional fuel for
learning English by setting big goals. I've discussed how moving and using your body can help you
learn more quickly. I've also demonstrated ways to channel your fears into the energy necessary to
speak powerful and relaxed English.
All you need to do now is get out there and do the work. After all, it's not enough to just know
these steps, you have to take action. “Work”, however, is the wrong word to use because the
Effortless English™ system is most effective when combined with a playful mindset You no longer
need to fear mistakes. You no longer need to find the “one right answer.” You no longer need to stress
over exams or grades.
In fact, you will no longer “study English,” you will “play English.” You will enjoy your natural
curiosity. You'll use fun, interesting, compelling, real materials. You'll feel energized and excited.
You'll move your body. You'll smile and laugh while learning.
Fortunately, there's never been a better time to learn English There have never been more
resources available. Thanks to the Internet, there are few things you can't access online – whether it's
a website on English learning, or articles, books, audio and video that can all be used to practice.
You can even hire a teacher or get a language partner to work with you online.
You are no longer dependent on schools. You don't need to follow the hidden curriculum any
longer. You are now the master of your own education. English mastery is within your reach.
A Day in the Life of Effortless English™
I've done my best to explain the Effortless English™ system. At this point, maybe you've decided you
like the sound of learning English the natural way. You want to speak English effortlessly The
question is: How do you get started? How can you take all of what I've told you and put it into a
typical day of learning English? What would that day look like?
It is vitally important that you establish daily English learning rituals. What is a ritual? A ritual is a
habit that is emotional, even sacred, for you. Your progress depends on consistency. By continually
making tiny improvements each week, you will accelerate on the road to fluency. Each improvement
builds on the ones that came before, creating momentum.
Week by week, your listening improves. For a while, nothing seems to happen with your speaking.
You understand more but speaking seems to be no different. Then, suddenly, after a few months,
something amazing happens. English phrases begin to come out more quickly and easily It happens a
little at first, then more and more each week. By the time you reach six months, you notice significant
improvement in your speaking.
This improvement is built through consistent daily rituals. When I teach seminars, I encourage
students to create Effortless English™ rituals for the morning, the day, and the evening. For example:
In the morning, immediately upon waking, play your favorite energizing music. As you listen to this
music, take out your list of positive English experiences and empowering beliefs. Read each item on
the list, and remember the emotion of the positive experience. Next, think about your biggest goals for
English – how you will use the language to create a better life for yourself and your family. Finally,
use the “swish” technique ten or more times to direct and program your power movies.
At this point you are feeling great, so you've worked yourself into a peak emotional state With the
music still playing, jump, smile and shout until you feel fantastic! Now you are ready to listen to
English. Play an easy English audio. Ideally, you will play a listen-and-answer mini story, followed
by several point-of-view stories. As you listen, shout your answers to the questions and use big
movements and gestures. If, at any point, you notice your energy dropping, play the music again and
create a peak emotional state. Then start listening to English again.
This whole morning ritual might take only thirty minutes. You start your day feeling great,
improving your English. At that point, it's probably time to go to work, or school. Use your travel
time to listen to more English Since you'll probably be around other people, this is a good time to
listen quietly to an audiobook.
At lunch you'll have more free time, so spend another thirty minutes or more listening to a ministory
or point-of-view story. If you have privacy, shout your answers just as you did at home.
Travel home is another opportunity for more easy English listening. Perhaps you repeat that same
audiobook chapter from the morning. If you stay at home with your kids, find moments of listening
time when your kids are playing or napping. If you walk somewhere, or stand in line, listen to
English. Use every available free moment to listen.
When you are home in the evening, do more English listening. Ideally, choose the same time every
night and once again listen to the same mini story and point-of-view stories in a peak state This might
take you another thirty minutes. Go into your room if necessary to shout out the answers and really put
your full energy and emotion into it.
Then you might use the movie technique, studying and practicing a movie scene. And even when
you are doing other tasks, such as cooking dinner, always have an English audio playing in the
background. Surround yourself with the sounds of English all day long.
By building these daily habits, and dividing your study time into four or more chunks throughout the
day, you create intensity. The next day, you repeat the same rituals. Because you want to learn deeply,
you repeat the same audios again. Listen to the same mini-story and point-of-view stories. Listen to
the same audiobook Watch the same movie scene. Do this for seven days or more to really master
each of those audios. Next week, start over.
The great thing about audio story lessons is that they can be done anywhere. You can read and
listen at the same time. Or you can take a walk and listen, which is even better. Do whatever works
for you. Just do it, and soon you'll be speaking English fluently and with ease.
For best results, dedicate yourself to an intense schedule for six months. During that time, listen to
English every free moment you have, however short Always carry English audios on your phone or
audio player. Always have it with you. Use private time for mini stories, point-of-view stories, and
the movie technique. When in public, listen quietly to audiobooks or other English audios. Fill every
moment of your life with English.
This consistent habit is the secret to your success. By focusing intensely for six months, you will
make dramatic improvements in your English speaking ability. You will develop confidence and
power. No, you will not speak perfectly, but no one is perfect, not even native speakers.
You have used the old methods for years and are not happy with the results Give Effortless
English™ at least six months. During this time, be fully committed to the system. At the end of six
months, notice the improvement and compare it to the old methods. You will be pleasantly surprised.
You will, finally, develop the ability to speak effortless English. The words will come out
automatically. The grammar will improve automatically. The feelings of confidence will appear
automatically.
Welcome to Effortless English™.
In the final section of this book I will discuss advanced topics and common questions However,
you should not focus on these advanced methods until you have spent at least six months using the
core Effortless English™ system as described. Most learners will only need this core system.
LEARNING ENGLISH ONLINE
As I noted earlier, the web now has everything you need to learn English online. You can buy
English lessons, find a private teacher, use a translation dictionary, save and review new words,
improve your English grammar, and chat with other English students. All of this, you can do online.
This has been great for language learners. Even students who find it difficult to get regular access to
native English speakers can now hear and speak English every day by simply logging onto the
Internet. Here are some of my recommendations on getting the best from the web:
Download MP3 English Lessons From The Internet Your first step is to find natural English
courses online. You want lessons that use real English, not grammar or reading lessons. You
also want audio lessons, not textbooks
Audio lessons have several advantages. One advantage is that you download them
immediately. Another advantage is that they are portable – simply put the lessons on your
phone or audio player and you can learn English anywhere, anytime. As you know, audio
lessons in general are much more effective than written textbooks.
Find An Online English Community There's no need to pay for an expensive tutor or English
school. You can find English conversation partners online, often at very reasonable prices. Most
conversation partners use voice chat programs which make it easy to talk to anyone in the world
for free. Thus, you can easily find a native speaker or an advanced English learner – no matter
where you live. Some people use video chat – even better!
A community also gives you support and encouragement. You 'll get great ideas from other
learners You'll also make new friends from all over the world. Members of Effortless
English™ courses automatically join our international online community and can use our
forums and social site.
Online English Dictionary and Word Saver As you use your English lessons, you'll sometimes
want to look up new words in a dictionary or find a translation in your language. Online
dictionaries are simply great – much faster than text.
You will need two types of dictionaries. The first is a standard dictionary. This can be a
translation dictionary for your own language or you can use an English-only version. The other
type of dictionary you need is an idiomatic dictionary. As you might guess, this type of
dictionary contains the common English idioms (phrases) you won't find in a standard
dictionary.
Audio and Video The Internet is a buffet of authentic audio and video material As I noted in a
previous chapter, you can find podcasts and audio books on virtually any topic with a simple
Internet search. You can watch American and British movies and television on a variety of
websites as well.
More advanced students can listen to copies of actual conversations. These are best for
learners who need to understand casual speech