What images come to your mind when you think of language learning?

I don’t know about you, but I always think of

• Stacks of dictionaries and grammar books.
• Lots of language learning apps on your phone.
• Extensive flashcard use
• Endless debates on what fluency actually is.

In fact, language learning seems to have a strong resemblance with school.

Or more specifically, we associate it with a certain idea that goals can be only attained at the price of great effort and sacrifice. Lots of boring tasks are involved.

Certainly you can’t get results if you’re having fun, can you?

But here’s the thing. Having fun AND getting results is possible.

In this post I’ll show you how exactly to go about it.

Let’s first zoom in on people who enjoy working with grammar and textbooks.

The reason they thrive when learning is not because textbooks are THE right way to learn but because they enjoy it. And that’s perfect because it’s right for them and gives them the enjoyment they’re looking for.

But what if there were other options?

What if learning a language became your oasis of peace in a bumpy world? A moment to rejuvenate in a hectic life?

And what if learning a language could be an opportunity to engage with all those activities and thoughts that you’re passionate about but you never seem to find the time for? Is it possible to do both with a seemingly shrinking amount of time in the day?

Learning a language can and must be about building a corner in your day entirely for yourself where you get to do the things you love and that are good for you.

What I’ve learned is that sometimes we have ideas of how we SHOULD be doing things, especially when it comes to languages and it’s those ideas that are holding us back and robbing us of time and enjoyment.

Let me tell you, we can no longer afford to miss out on these things. Life is simply too short

The single most liberating thing for me and for my students has been to let go of external ideas of how a language should be learned and embracing a more personal approach that fits our lifestyles and age.

Enough with one-size fits all

“ Everybody does it this way” shouldn’t be the only reason we do things.

Learning and doing what we love, not only helps us learn better and more effectively but it also gets us in touch with ourselves.

It’s not selfish to look for time for ourselves because it makes us happier and better people and that ultimately brings us closer to our families, our loved ones and helps us function better.

When you do what you love, you’re happier. And when you’re happier you’re more connected with your loved one.

it’s important to find time for ourselves and our passions so we can live a more gentle and compassionate life.

Let’s use languages to get off the treadmill and reclaim our lives back.

Moving the focus back to us

By making things pleasant we’re moving the attention back to ourselves.

Bringing more enjoyment in our languages helps at many levels.

When we delight in a pleasant experience, our stress levels go down, you get a tiny jolt of dopamine. That allows us to create positive associations to language learning and makes it more memorable. No more blacking out on vocab anymore!

Here’s some ideas on how to learn a language doing things you love.

List of ideas

Music/dancing : dancing while singing in the language you’re learning. Leave this moment for yourself alone, every day, ten minutes, no more than that. Close the door and dance where nobody can see. Let it be your special happy moment. Your goal is to have fun, drive endorphins to your brain and create joyfulness in your target language. And be yourself. It’s next to impossible to forget something learned with a positive memory. Be organized and keep an upbeat playlist ready at all times

Meditating in your target language. On the Insight Timer app, you have your pick of mindfulness in different languages. If you’re learning French, you can check out Jessica from French Sunnyside materials for meditation. Meditation is those ten minutes you spend with yourself. Add languages to the mix and you’re creating a powerful combination that will enrich you at all levels.

Cooking the recipe in your target language. Eating/cooking food as a way to connect with yourself. How does it feel? How does it taste? How does it make me feel? Describe this in the language you’re learning. Take pictures and write about the recipe and keep the picture in your journal.

Prepping the ground for your language time

The before and after of your language session are important too. Because you want to facilitate things. You want to get to the point where you lust for that language learning moment in your day.

Here’s some ideas on how to begin.

You can start your learning sessions with a chocolate bar. If you’re learning Italian pick Bacio Perugina or Ferrero Rocher.

Light a candle or some incense, to signal you’re beginning your language learning.

Pick a corner of the house that is really cozy and comfortable. A cat or dog snoozing next to you is the perfect complement.

Use a separate device entirely for language learning so that you know it’s your language time.

Finish up in style. Jot down a quick note in your tiny progress log

Your progress log is just as important. Because maybe all you did was remember that tricky word that you keep forgetting all the time. Write it down!

Pat yourself on the back for showing up. Nothing is too little to be celebrated/ recorded because there’s no such thing as little in languages.

Lastly: reward yourself

This is the trickiest tip because we tend to want to celebrate only big milestones.

Here’s some ideas on what is worthy of a tiny party

Celebrate showing up for a tutoring session when you’re feeling brain-dead. I recommend dark chocolate ice-cream for that. Replenishes your energies.

Reviewing your old notes and keeping them organized in a beautiful notebook. It’s something we put off all the time but it’s one of the most powerful tools we have. It calls for a glass of wine. If you can find it for the language you’re learning that’s perfect.

In short, making a big deal of every tiny but mighty step in language learning is the true pathway to linguistic success but also personal happiness.

Because life is too short for us to be doing things that we don’t enjoy.