Busy schedule? How to make daily English practice possible
I can’t emphasize enough how important daily English practice is if you want to speak fluently. Language is like any other skills: you don’t use it – you lose it. I hear your concerns though… Your schedule is so busy that sometimes you even struggle to get enough sleep. How am I supposed to integrate daily English practice on top of that?
The answer is – multitask! There are some simple ways you can adjust your daily routine to seamlessly squeeze more English practice without setting additional time aside.
Take advantage of social media
According to the recent data, we spend an average of 2 hours 24 minutes on social media every day. That’s a lot of time! Stop scrolling your feed aimlessly and use it to your benefit!
1. As a Source of Real Life English in Action
Find English-speaking creators that post on topics you personally enjoy. With the variety of content available on different platforms, I am sure you will find something that interests you. One great benefit of this method is that you get exposed to live English without any filters or adaptations. This way, you will learn informal language with all its slang, contractions and special expressions. If you can understand native speakers on social media, you will not have any problems in real life.
2. As a Learning Platform
Social media is also a great FREE resource to learn English in the first place. There are a lot of educational accounts that post daily tips and explanations to help you brush up on your grammar or correct common mistakes. Follow these accounts and your feed will automatically force you to learn English one post at a time. Here are some great sources you definitely need to check out:
- BBC Learning English on Facebook or Instagram
- Grammarly on Instagram
- English Vocabulary on Instagram
- Linguamarina on TikTok
- English with Lucy on YouTube
3. As a Communication Platform
Social media (or social networks, in other words) was created with the ultimate purpose of communication. This is why it is a great platform to use your English skills in real life. If you don’t have a private tutor or a speaking partner, use this opportunity to connect and start a conversation with other network users.
When you see an interesting post and have something to contribute – don’t be shy! Post a comment, send a DM! Many bloggers purposefully ask their followers for input to increase engagement. Why not use this opportunity as communication practice? Not only will you step out of your comfort zone to break your language barrier but also may make some friends!
Listen to podcasts
Many activities in our daily routines are performed automatically and do not require 100% of our attention. Whether you are cleaning the house, preparing dinner, commuting to work, walking your dog or even doing a workout – your mind is most likely free to accommodate another activity at the same time. Put on an English podcast while you are busy with this routine. Even though you will not have an opportunity to take notes, such passive learning will eventually yield amazing results.
Here are some of my favourite podcasts:
- TED Talks Daily: Audio presentations on a variety of subjects from thought leaders and innovators around the world
- What a Day: Daily digest of the most important news worldwide
- 6 Minute English: Short discussions on selected topics to introduce new vocabulary
- Harvard Business Review IdeaCast: Weekly episodes covering new ideas and opinions in the field of business and management
- Stuff You Should Know: Fun and lively conversations about everything under the sun
*Pro tip: you can also use YouTube as a form of a podcast, it has a much wider variety of content. There are plenty of monologue videos with nothing to look at, which can be very interesting as well! (for example, Joe Rogan used to post his interviews on YouTube before he completely moved to Spotify). Just don’t lock your phone, put it in your pocket and keep listening.
Get your daily news in English
If you are someone who likes to be up to date with the world events, why not do it in English? I personally start my day with a cup of coffee and a fresh portion of daily news. I also happen to be learning French at the moment, so I downloaded a couple apps covering the news in French (La Presse and Le Journal de Montreal, in case you are curious). The benefit of reading news as your daily English practice is that you are learning about all sorts of different subjects: from politics and social issues to science and celebrities updates.
Here are some free apps you can use:
Latest breaking news covering global affairs
BBC News
CNN
Local news that gather articles from top publishers
SmartNews
These simple tips will help you immerse yourself in English speaking environment and bring your skills to the next level without any extra effort. And if you need some motivation to get the ball rolling, join our free English Challenge that is designed to bring daily English practice into you routine. Learn more about this exciting opportunity and sign up for the next edition!
Tag:English practice
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