Atomic Habits for English

ENWelcome to Your English Toolbox, your slow English podcast where we train your ears step-by-step.

ENI am Julia.

ENAnd I am Martin.

ENMartin!

ENWhat are we going to talk about today?

ENToday we are going to explore the power of tiny changes.

ENWe are going to look at the book Atomic Habits by James Clear.

ENAnd we will see how small actions can completely transform your English learning.

ENIf you stay with us until the end, you will understand why

ENyou often fail to reach your goals.

ENYou will learn how to build a system that works automatically.

ENAnd you will discover how to stop fighting against your own brain.

ENLet's start with a hard truth.

ENMost of us approach English the wrong way.

ENWe definitely do.

ENWe set massive goals.

ENWe say, I will become fluent this year.

ENOr I will study grammar for two hours every Saturday.

ENIt sounds very ambitious.

ENIt feels good to say it.

ENBut

ENwhat happens in reality?

ENReality hits us.

ENWe do it for one week.

ENMaybe two.

ENThen we get tired.

ENWe miss one day.

ENWe feel guilty.

ENAnd eventually we quit.

ENExactly.

ENJames Clear calls this the problem of goals.

ENHe says you do not rise to the level of your goals.

ENYou fall to the level of your systems.

ENThat is a powerful sentence.

ENCan we break it down?

ENWhat does he mean by systems?

ENThink about a messy room.

ENIf your goal is to clean the room, you motivate yourself.

ENYou clean it for three hours.

ENNow you have a clean room.

ENBut if you don't change your habits, the room will be messy again in three days.

ENPrecisely.

ENYou treated the symptom, not the cause.

ENIn English it is the same.

ENIf you study hard for one exam, you might pass.

ENBut you haven't become a fluent speaker.

ENYou have just memorized information for a moment.

ENSo we

ENneed to stop thinking about the finish line.

ENWe need to think about the daily process.

ENPart 3 The 1% rule There is a concept in the book called the 1% rule.

ENIt is my favorite part.

ENIt is simple math, but it is magic.

ENIf you get 1% better each day for one year, you will end up 37 times better.

EN37 times?

ENYes, it is compound interest.

ENBut if you get 1% worse each day, you go down

ENto nearly zero.

ENThe problem is that 1% is invisible.

ENIf I learn one new word today, I don't feel fluent.

ENIf I listen to this podcast for 10 minutes, my accent doesn't change immediately.

ENThat is why it is so hard.

ENWe want immediate results.

ENWe go to the gym and we look in the mirror.

ENWe see no muscles, so we quit.

ENBut English is a long game.

ENIt is not a sprint.

ENIt is a marathon.

ENActually,

ENI think it is not even a marathon.

ENIt is a lifestyle.

ENYour results are a lagging measure of your habits.

ENThat sounds technical.

ENWhat is a lagging measure?

ENIt means your reality today is the result of what you did six months ago.

ENYour weight is a lagging measure of your eating habits.

ENYour English knowledge is a lagging measure of your listening habits.

ENSo we need to ignore the current result.

ENWe need to trust the process.

ENYes,

ENdo not worry about being fluent.

ENWorry about being consistent.

ENPart 4.

ENIdentity Change This leads us to the deepest part of the book.

ENChanging your identity.

ENThis is crucial for our listeners.

ENImagine two people who are trying to quit smoking.

ENYou offer them a cigarette.

ENThe first person says, No thanks, I am trying to quit.

ENThat sounds like a good answer.

ENIt sounds good, but it implies they are still a smoker who is making a sacrifice.

ENNow imagine the second person.

ENThey say, No thanks, I am not a smoker.

ENOh, I see the difference.

ENIt is a small shift in words.

ENBut a huge shift in mindset.

ENExactly.

ENOne is fighting against themselves.

ENThe other is simply stating a fact.

ENHow do our listeners usually talk about themselves?

ENThey say, I am a student.

ENOr, I am trying to learn English.

ENOr even worse, I am bad at languages.

ENWe need to delete those sentences.

ENYou need to start saying, I am an English speaker.

ENEven if you make mistakes?

ENEspecially if you make mistakes.

ENAn English speaker is simply someone who uses English to communicate.

ENIf you listen to this podcast, you are doing it.

ENYou are an English speaker.

ENIt feels scary to claim that identity.

ENIt feels like we are lying.

ENIt is not a lie.

ENEvery time you practice, you cast a vote for that identity.

ENYou are proving it to

ENyourself.

ENThe goal is not to read a book.

ENThe goal is to become a reader.

ENThe goal is not to pass an exam.

ENThe goal is to become a learner.

ENNow let's get practical.

ENHow do we actually build these new habits?

ENJames Clear suggests a technique called habit stacking.

ENThe formula is very simple.

ENAfter I do current habit, I will do new habit.

ENThis works because you use your existing neural networks.

ENYou already have strong habits.

ENYou brush your teeth.

ENYou make coffee.

ENYou sit on the sofa.

ENWe do these things without thinking.

ENExactly.

ENSo we attach the new English habit to the old one.

ENCan you give us an example?

ENSure.

ENInstead of saying, I will listen to English today, be specific.

ENSay, after I pour my morning coffee, I will press play on the podcast.

ENI like that.

ENThe coffee is the trigger.

ENOr, after I get into my car, I will repeat

ENone sentence aloud.

ENOr, after I brush my teeth at night, I will read one page of an English book.

ENThe key is specificity.

ENMost people fail because their intention is too vague.

ENThey wait for the right time.

ENBut the right time never comes.

ENYou have to design it.

ENPart 6.

ENEnvironment Design Another powerful concept is environment design.

ENThis means changing your physical space to make the habit easier.

ENMotivation is overrated.

ENEnvironment is underrated.

ENIf you want

ENto eat more fruit, put a bowl of apples on the table.

ENIf you hide them in the fridge, you will forget them.

ENSo, if I want to read in English...

ENPut the book on your pillow.

ENWhen you go to bed, you cannot ignore it.

ENIf I want to listen more...

ENPut your headphones on top of your keys.

ENMake the cue obvious.

ENWe are visual creatures.

ENIf the cue is invisible, the habit will not happen.

ENIt sounds

ENalmost too simple.

ENWe think learning a language requires complex suffering.

ENThat is a limiting belief.

ENWe think it must be hard to be valuable, but James Clear says, make it easy.

ENReduce the friction.

ENIf you have to search for your book, search for your pen, and find your glasses, you have too much friction.

ENYou will probably give up before you start.

ENSo prepare everything the night before.

ENMake the path of least resistance the path of learning.

ENPart 7.

ENThe Two-Minute Rule.

ENThis brings us to the final rule.

ENThe Two-Minute Rule.

ENThis is the best rule for lazy days.

ENAnd we all have lazy days.

ENThe rule states, when you start a new habit, it should take less than two minutes to do.

ENWait, two minutes of English?

ENIs that enough?

ENThe point is not the duration.

ENThe point is the showing up.

ENYou need to master the art of showing up.

ENA habit must be

ENestablished before it can be improved.

ENSo, if I want to read, I just read one page?

ENJust one page, or even one paragraph.

ENIf you want to study vocabulary, just review one card.

ENIt feels like cheating.

ENIt is not cheating.

ENIt is psychology.

ENOnce you start, it is much easier to continue.

ENThe hardest part is the first two minutes.

ENIt is the inertia.

ENExactly.

ENYou are breaking the static energy, and even if you stop after two

ENminutes, you did something.

ENYou kept the identity alive.

ENYou were the person who showed up.

ENThat is better than the person who planned to study for an hour and did nothing.

ENMuch better.

ENA zero day destroys your confidence.

ENA two-minute day keeps your momentum.

ENPart 8.

ENConclusion.

ENSo, friends, let's recap.

ENWe don't need massive goals.

ENWe need tiny systems.

ENWe don't focus on the result.

ENWe focus on the identity.

ENYou are not learning English.

ENYou are

ENan English speaker.

ENUse habit stacking.

ENConnect English to your coffee, your car, or your toothbrush.

ENDesign your environment.

ENMake it obvious.

ENAnd use the two-minute rule.

ENMake it so easy that you cannot say no.

ENEnglish is not a mountain you climb once.

ENIt is a garden you water every day.

ENSome days you water it a lot.

ENSome days just a little.

ENBut you never let it dry out.

ENI feel much calmer thinking about it this way.

ENThe pressure is gone.

ENThat is the point.

ENWhen the fear goes away, the learning begins.

ENYou are capable of this.

ENYou are already doing it right now.

ENPart 9.

ENFarewell.

ENIf you enjoyed this episode, please write a small comment before you go.

ENYour comments show the platforms that our community is real, active, and growing.

ENThis support is crucial for us to continue creating new episodes every week.

ENTell us, what is one tiny atomic habit you will

ENstart today?

ENWill you listen while you cook?

ENWill you read before you sleep?

ENWe need your comments because your voice is more important than ours.

ENYour voice and comments will show us the right path.

ENThank you for listening.

ENSee you in the next episode!