Lesson Transcript

Hey everyone, welcome to the Monthly Review! The monthly show on language learning, where you discover new learning strategies, motivational tips, study tools, and resources.
By the way, all the lessons and bonuses you’re about to see can be downloaded for free on our website.
So, click the link in the description right now to sign up for your free lifetime account.
Okay, today’s topic is:
How to Finally Learn Language in 2020. Your New Year’s Resolution Solution
Today, you’re going to learn:
One: 3 reasons why most goals fail
Two: the 3 rules for successful goal setting
And Three: we're going to set you up with your first language goal for 2020...
So, if you’ve failed with your goals or New Year's resolutions before, then this lesson is for you. You’ll be able to finally learn your target language, make measurable progress, and reach every goal you set.
But first, listen up! Here are this month’s new lessons and resources.
First — The “Making a Phone Call” Cheat Sheet
Want to be able to talk on the phone in your target language? Then this conversation cheat sheet helps you do just that. You learn all the basic phrases, questions, and answers you’d need when making a call.
Second —Want to know the learning hacks, motivational tips and success strategies...
...for learning a language in 2020? Then you’ll want this exclusive 52-page eBook. Download it now for free, before we take it down.
Third — Words &Phrases for the Dentist
Learn how to schedule a check-up, talk about a tooth-ache, and much more, with this 1-minute vocab lesson.
Fourth — Can you talk about your Zodiac sign?
Then, this next 1-minute lesson is for you. You’ll learn how to say the 12 signs in your target language.
Fifth — The 32 Words You Need for Language Learning
Noun, verb, adjective, sentence, grammar. Can you say these in your target language? If not, you’ll want this quick 1-minute lesson.
To get your free resources, click the link in the description below right now. They’re yours to keep forever. Ok, let’s jump into today’s topic:
How to Finally Learn Language in 2020. Your New Year’s Resolution Solution
So, January is almost over, but let me ask you a question. Have you set a resolution for this year?
If you haven’t, it’s understandable. Most people end up failing with their resolutions. You set one. You try to do it in January. And by February, there’s no progress, doing it is no longer fun, or you get sidelined by something else. So you quit and put it off until next year… or whenever the guilt of quitting your goals comes back to haunt you.
So what’s the problem with setting resolutions. Why do we keep failing?
First of all, regardless of what most people say about New Year’s resolutions, setting goals - whether on January 1st or any time of the year - is a GOOD thing. You have to know where you’re going and what you want to achieve. Otherwise, you’ll be floating around aimlessly from one language app to another, and have nothing to show for your time spent.
But the problem lies with the goals that people set. For example, most people set goals like “I want to master Chinese,” “I want to lose weight,” or “I want to be fluent in Japanese.”
And based on these kinds of goals, here are 3 reasons why 90% of New Year's Resolutions fail.
First, Resolutions fail because they are are not specific and unmeasurable.
Take a goal like, “I want to master Chinese this year.” The problem is, that’s a very vague goal. What do you mean by “master?” Do you want to speak about the economy? Or do you just want to have everyday conversations? And, can you really measure how much progress you need to “master” the language?
The second reason is: they are unrealistic.
You might think, “But isn’t it good to set huge goals and aim for the stars?”
It’s not bad, but if you say “I want to be fluent by September,” is that realistic for you? Are you ready to commit yourself to nothing but language-learning? 6 to 8 hours a day, non-stop? The answer is no for most people.
The third one is: there is no action plan.
The problem is, you will still fail even with a specific and realistic goal if you don’t know when and how you’re going to do it.
For example: When will you study? How long will you study every day? And how will you study?
So now, you know why most people fail with their New Year's Resolutions. Then how do we set New Year's Resolutions and actually succeed? Here are the three rules to successful goal setting.
Remember, your goals must be (1) specific and measurable, (2) realistic and (3) they must have an action plan. Yes, the complete opposite of everything you heard earlier.
For example, let’s say you are learning Italian this year. Instead of saying, “my goal is to learn Italian this year,” set a specific, measurable, realistic goal for the month, like “speak 3 minutes of conversation by February 28th.” And you can also set a yearly goal, like 30 minutes of conversation and work towards that.
The whole point is, 3 minutes is measurable. You set a timer, time yourself, and know when you reach it. It’s realistic. Instead of saying “I want to learn the whole language,” you’re just aiming for 3 minutes for the month, and maybe 30 minutes for the year.
So, ask yourself, “do I have time to learn enough of the language to speak for 3 minutes?” That will vary from learner to learner. But 3 minutes sounds much more realistic than “I want to master a language.”
Finally, you still need an action plan for your goal. And for that, you need to answer these questions:
When will you study?
How long will you study every day?
Where do you plan to study?
How will you study?
What is your study schedule?
This is the most important part because this tells you when and how to study. If you don’t answer these questions, you’ll have no idea what to do, and you’ll quit because you have no routine to stick to.
So for example...
When will you study? - I’ll study at 9PM on weekdays.
How long will you study every day? - I’ll study for 20 minutes.
Where do you plan to study? - I’ll study at home, in the living room, on my computer.
How will you study? - I‘ll listen to 1 Audio lesson a day, for 5 days.
What is your study schedule? - From Monday to Friday, with audio lessons. I’ll listen to the lesson, then go through the lesson notes, for 20 minutes each day.
Here are a few more things you can do to improve your chances:
- Reward yourself after hitting a goal. Studies have shown that giving yourself a reward after reaching a goal is crucial to creating lasting habits and continuing to conquer more goals.
- Write down your small, measurable goal and put it somewhere you’ll it often.
Now that you know why New Year’s Resolutions fail and what you can do to differently, it’s time to set your goal.
Our suggested goal for you, for February 2020 is:
Speak 1 minute of conversation in your target language. The deadline is February 28th.
Remember to set your action plan as well. Just answer these 5 questions. Leave us a comment in the comments section. And then, you’re ready to go.
So, thank you for watching this episode of Monthly Review
Next time, we’ll talk about:
How to Start Conversations: Talking Points for Language Learners
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See you next time! Bye!

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