📈 7 Mistakes You Make In Your Language Habit Design (And How To Correct Them)

Hey Reader,

Most language learners fail not because of a lack of ability, time, or resources. They fail because of their language habits.

But by the end of this newsletter, you'll know how to avoid the seven worst mistakes related to what you should be doing.

If you've kept up with my recent newsletters, you should be:

ready for a new season of language mastery,
liberated from your autopilot,
done with your habit audit and journaling, and
eager to redesign your language habits

But before you make any course corrections, it's important to remind yourself that these habit design mistakes are not a who (e.g. you) problem. Your autopilot was only doing what it was programmed to do, so don't be too hard on yourself.

The problem is in the what, where, when, and why of your habits. In other words, the problem is in the habit design.

Over the last 12 years of language coaching, I've seen every mistake you can imagine, from grammar book obsessions to counterproductive Netflix settings and everything in between.

The one thing these habit mistakes have in common? They're not specific enough.

If you don't have clarity, you waste your time deciding what exactly to do, and get frustrated when you do the wrong thing.

So before you reprogram your autopilot, here are the 7 what mistakes you have to avoid when designing new language habits:

mistake #1

You Make It Too Difficult Or Complex To Start

"We first create artificial complexity in our minds to explain our failures or shortcomings."

– Nat Eliason, Decomplication 🧑🏼‍💻

Many of my students fall into a similar pattern at some point in their language journey:

They start a simple or easy habit
After building momentum, they decide it's too simple or easy
They add complexity or difficulty to the habit
They starting losing the habit because it's too challenging
They give up on the habit to avoid the feeling of failure

To be clear, there's nothing wrong with challenging yourself. In fact, it's a necessary ingredient and makes the journey more satisfying. But you shouldn't make the beginning of your habit so difficult or complex that you have to start skipping days.

Aim for a minimum viable habit, and make it simple enough to start on the worst of your days. You can challenge yourself more after you begin, but the most important thing is to be consistent, reaffirm your identity as a learner, and show up every day.

mistake #2

You Don't Create After You Consume

"Passive learning creates knowledge. Active practice creates skill."

– Scott Young, Ultralearning 📚

With infinite content to choose from, it's a wonderful time to be a language learner. It's also a dangerous time.

There will always be more things to consume and know, so it's easy to feel that you're not ready to use what you've learned. But if content alone was the solution, you'd be a polyglot by now.

The most important transformation you need to make in your language journey is to go from unconscious consumer to conscious creator.

You'll never feel ready if you don't start creating output with the language you already know. It's a leap of faith, but failing forward and practicing what you know, by speaking or writing it every day, is the only way to turn that knowledge into skill.

mistake #3

You Don't Track Your Progress

"If you can't measure it, you can't improve it."

– Peter Diamandis, Tools of Titans 📚

If you don't track your progress, you can't reflect on what's working and what isn't. That means your autopilot will assume everything is okay and you won't be able to course correct before you've wasted more time (again).

Luckily for you, this is a fun mistake to correct. Crossing things off is a satisfying reward, so try apps like Everyday or, if you have a printer, put this on your fridge or desk. Then go deeper by reflecting on it in your journal and with your teacher/coach.

mistake #4

You Optimize For The Wrong Result

"Learn by doing the thing you want to become good at. Don’t trade it off for other tasks, just because those are more convenient or comfortable."

– Scott Young, Ultralearning 📚

Here's a pop quiz: Does watching Netflix with subtitles help you improve your English?

The answer, similar to many language questions, is: It depends.

If you're trying to improve your speed-reading skills, then yes, it does.
If you're trying to improve your writing and vocabulary, it could.
If you're trying to improve your listening, it does not.

There are many ways to enjoy the things you consume and make them useful if you want. Just make sure these habits match your language goals and be conscious of the reason you're doing them.

mistake #5

You Don't Get Feedback

"Practice makes permanent."

– Barbara Oakley, A Mind for Numbers 📚

Using spaced repetition is one of the keys to sustainable learning, but if you practice mistakes, they'll become bad habits.

Thankfully, it's 2023, so there's a variety of ways to get instant feedback:

Test your vocabulary with flashcards on Quizlet or Anki
Use AI tools like Google Pronunciation, Grammarly, or Otter
Transcribe a YouTube video and compare it to the transcript
Work with a teacher or coach for human feedback

Refuse to repeat mistakes. Because practice doesn't make perfect. Practice makes permanent.

mistake #6

You Treat It Like A Task Or Obligation

"Positive emotions cultivate habits. Negative emotions destroy them."

– James Clear, Atomic Habits 📚

The last thing you want to do when you're done with a long day at work or school is more work or homework. But your language habits don't have to feel like tasks. You shouldn't be in a hurry to finish like it's a month-end report.

You'll go further in your language journey if you treat it like a mindful practice. It's a marathon, not a sprint, so slow and steady wins the race.

Start by doing the things you love to do, in English, until you learn to love doing them in English, too. That will create more windows of opportunity for your language habits, which makes them more sustainable and easier to immerse yourself in.

mistake #7

You Change Habits Without Changing Your Identity

"Beliefs make emotions. Emotions make actions. Actions come from emotions. Emotions come from beliefs. So choose whatever belief makes you take the action you want."

– Derek Sivers, A Daily Run, Part II (sive.rs) 🧑🏼‍🦲

Stop me if you've heard this one before: Your friend goes on a crash diet and changes their eating habits for 30 days to lose weight, look good for a vacation, or get a better blood test result. Then they go back to their old ways and reverse all the effects.

Identity conflict is the biggest challenge you face when trying to make new habits stick. You basically have two options:

Change your beliefs to make your actions and decisions easy
Keep the same beliefs and force yourself to make dozens of difficult decisions every day

If you believe you're a capable language learner, the decisions in those critical moments of resistance become easier. So next time the conditions aren't perfect or you start to doubt your ability, ask yourself the question:

What would a lifelong language learner do?

school cafeteria 🍔

Things I consumed consciously while writing this

"Your job is to collect good ideas. The more good ideas you collect, the more you can choose from to be influenced by."

– Austin Kleon, Steal Like An Artist 📚

📺 Jorge Luis Borges interview, William F. Buckley, Jr. (YouTube)

The part of the interview I've linked to shows the late, legendary writer Jorge Luis Borges sharing his love for English. It's a great reminder that as a learner of a second language, you can see the distinct qualities that a native speaker cannot.

📝 Decomplication, Nat Eliason (Substack)

I quoted from this blog post in 'Mistake #1' ("You Make It Too Difficult or Complex to Start"), but it's worth reading the whole thing. You might just recognize the patterns in your own habits and get the clarity you need to make them easier and simpler.

📝 A Daily Run, Part II, Derek Sivers (sive.rs)

I love writers that change my mind and Derek has probably done it more than any other writer. In this blog post, he argues that you should choose beliefs and identities because they're useful, not because they're true, and makes you rethink pretentiousness.

📺 Succession, Season 4 (HBO Max)

If you want to learn from others' mistakes and discover how to use the word fuck in every possible way, this is your show.

🏀 Giannis Antetokounmpo on Failure (YouTube/NBA)

This post-game interview response from one of the NBA's biggest stars went viral this week, and for good reason.

I love his passion and mindset here (as well as his confidence in his second language), but he could've delivered a more powerful message by not treating failure as a taboo.

Reframe your failures and mistakes as part of your journey, course correct, and keep going.

🔂 Borboletas, Maple Syrup (Spotify)

This week's deep work vibe: MPB vocals over Lo-fi beats.

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Have a great week!

– Juan

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