5 Simple Ways to Stop Wasting Time and Start Learning Fast

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Do you dream of learning a new language, but then find you rarely take action towards making your dream a reality?

I’ve said before that the biggest factor that holds people back from success is a lack of confidence. Fear of doing the “wrong thing” can cause you to not start in the first place.

This lack of confidence shows up in all kinds of ways. Maybe you find another project to occupy your time. Perhaps you watch television, play video games, or get sucked into YouTube videos.

In other words: you procrastinate.

Technology can make focused study easier, but it also gives us more ways to avoid starting.

What if you could hold off on watching your favourite TV show and, instead, spend time focusing on studying a language? What could you get done with that extra time?

Those 60 minutes spent on an episode of TV adds up over time. A 60 minute episode of TV each day, over the 30 days in a month, could mean an extra 30 hours of studying! Imagine how much further you could be with your language learning project with that sort of increase in consistency.

Here are five practical ways to stop wasting time and make it easier to begin.

A note from the Fluent in 3 Months team before we get started: You can chat away with a native speaker for at least 15 minutes with the “Fluent in 3 Months” method. All it takes is 90 days. Tap this link to find out more.

Strategy 1: Give Yourself Some Motivation Mojo with the 2-minute Rule

Procrastination comes from fear. Fear of taking that first step. Fear of yet-unknown challenges. Even fear of success can hold you back.

Fear helps your Instant Gratification Monkey shift attention away from your goals, delaying your ability to begin a task.

But what if you could get started without hesitation?

The two-minute rule is simple: if a useful first step takes two minutes or less, do it now.

When you come to a project or a task or a habit you want to build, if it will take 2 minutes or less to complete, then do it immediately. After all, 2 minutes is nothing and you’ll be done before you know it.

If the whole task takes longer, spend two minutes setting it up: open the lesson, choose the first exercise or write the first flashcard. You will not finish in two minutes, but you will remove the friction of beginning.

Starting with one small action can build motivation for the next. Breaking a task into steps gives you a clear way to keep going.

Pretty soon you’ll be saying to yourself “This isn’t as bad as I thought. Why not just keep going at it?” and before you know it, you’ll be done!

Strategy 2: Banish Attention-Hogs and Interruptions

Email, social media and notifications can break your concentration before a study session has properly started.

If you’re going to sit down for a session of language learning, take a few moments to turn off all the electronic attention-hogs that surround you. Go away from your TV, turn off the wifi on your devices, and close down unnecessary applications or windows.

If you are studying online, use your device’s focus settings or a site blocker to keep distracting apps and websites out of reach.

Putting these simple routines into place before you study can end up saving you from hours of distraction and non-productive activities.

Strategy 3: Stop Multitasking

What looks like multitasking is usually rapid task-switching, which makes it harder to ignore irrelevant information and keep the important material in mind. Both skills matter when you are learning a language.

So, if multitasking makes us dumber, what is the answer?

Focus!

Do one thing at a time. Prioritize. Make a decision and stick with it. Single-task.

The more we multitask, the more we crave options, and the less we’re able to choose. Our ability to be effective in life deteriorates as we multitask, so focus on one thing at a time and you will get more of everything done.

Strategy 4: Create a No Excuses Deadline

Sharing your language learning goals is a great way to boost your motivation.

If you work without a system for accountability it can be tempting to let things go or get distracted. After all, who will know?

But creating those systems can help build the motivation you need to push through resistance and start taking action.

According to a 2002 study out of M.I.T., deadlines help control procrastination. But on top of creating the deadline, you must be sure to announce it to someone who will keep you accountable (your boss, your client, a teacher, etc.).

This falls in line with what I’ve said about sharing your language learning projects with friends and family. It’s the reason I share my language learning missions with all of you and why I encourage you to do the same through the Fluent in 3 Months Bootcamp or Facebook group.

You can also create accountability by posting your deadline on social media or by joining a collaborative language-learning group.

Strategy 5: Try the Pomodoro Technique and Get into the Flow of Things

As we said above, breaking your work into smaller pieces can help you get over the hesitation of starting your projects and build your motivation mojo. But once you’re moving forward how do you organize your time?

Enter The Pomodoro technique. I use this all the time for my language study sessions.

Essentially, the Pomodoro technique works because it improves your focus by breaking up sessions of work into 25 minute intervals, each separated by a 5 minute break. According to one study by researchers at New York University taking these breaks actually improves memory and recall. Nice!

You may have experienced a sensation where you start to get so engrossed in a task you start to enjoy it, and even lose track of time. This state is called “flow” and it is the ultimate goal for increased productivity. Flow is not only a blissful feeling, but it’s usually when you do your best work. You can think of it like a mental version of a runner’s high.

While experiencing flow isn’t guaranteed every time you work, the more often you sit down with a task, the more likely you are to ease into this super-productive state.

Be Kind to Yourself

Procrastination essentially boils down to overcoming your fears. Whether you fear starting or you fear succeeding, fear causes a barrier to getting started that many find debilitating. Following these five steps can help you work past the fear that paralyzes your productivity.

Break your work into smaller pieces and, using the 2-Minute Rule, a task will be even easier to start. Just by taking initial action you’ll begin to build up your motivation mojo.

Shut down your distracting attention hogs and focus your energy on a single task.

Then, with accountability and a deadline you’ll gain motivation to push yourself forward.

Before you know it you’ll be working in small, productive 25 minute intervals, well on your way to a state of super-productive, blissful flow.

And if you fall off the wagon and find yourself procrastinating? Believe it or not, research by Carleton University found that beating yourself up actually makes procrastination worse! The most important way to deal with a set back is to acknowledge the slight trespass, forgive yourself and move on.

Be kind to yourself and soon you’ll be smashing through your procrastination once and for all!