10 ways to keep your Language Resolution

Copyright © 2003 Kit Lum

The time of the “R” word is upon us again as we unabashedly jostle each other about what our New Year’s resolution is.  We’ve all heard the familiar ones about losing weight and quitting smoking, even the ones about putting bad tempers away where they’ll never flare again.

With Malaysia’s current spotlight firmly focused on English proficiency, ‘improving my English’ seems to be high up on the resolution chart this year.  Now we all know, making a resolution is one thing, keeping it is another story altogether.  But fret not, here are 10 ways to see your resolution through the year:

1.     Break it down

So you say your resolution is to improve your English this year.  If you were to adopt the four-pronged approach by trying to improve your reading, speaking, listening and writing skills all at the same time, you may find the task a tad overwhelming.

Break your resolution down into bite-sized pieces that you can work on, one area at a time, over the course of the year. Let’s say you’ve identified these areas of proficiency to work on: your vocabulary, and your speaking and writing skills.

By narrowing the scope of your resolution from ‘improving my English’ to ‘improving my proficiency in the areas of vocabulary, speaking and writing’, you’ve made the task at hand seem much smaller, and more manageable.

Next develop an action plan for each area of weakness you have identified.  In doing so, you are then able to focus on one area, i.e. building your vocabulary as opposed to haphazardly trying to address multiple areas at once.

2.     Set measurable targets

Within your action plan, list down the activities that will help improve your vocabulary.  Be specific, and set measurable targets.

Say, you decide one of the activities is to read for an hour a day with a dictionary beside you for the next six months.  Specifying a timeframe for this event to happen makes it measurable.  You are then able to take stock and if you miss a day’s reading, you can easily get yourself back on track.

3.     Be realistic

Restrict your to-do list to doable and realistic targets. If your daily schedule is very hectic, and you can only spare an hour once or twice a week, then this idea of reading for an hour every day is almost doomed from the very start.  If you can devote only a half-hour a day, you’re better off with that than an hour a day ‘when you are free’, which to a lot of us means almost never.

4.     Commit in writing

Write down your action plan, date it, sign it and stick it where you’ll see it and be reminded to work at it.  Does this sound like a contract to you?  Well, it is.  If you’re serious about your resolution, having it in black and white will create a greater sense of commitment, and keep you focused in the long run.

5.     Keep an activity log

Now that you’ve made an action plan listing the activities and target dates, take your commitment one step further by creating an activity log that will help you track your own progress.  Each time you complete your target activity, make a note of it.

6.     Be excited

Don’t think of your resolution as a drag.  Look at it as a healthy challenge and be excited about it. If you set out with a positive frame of mind, you are more likely to stick with it.

7.     Start now!

Well, if you don’t get started now, you probably never will. It’s as simple as that. Procrastination is the biggest culprit in many a failed resolution.  The best of us have succumbed to procrastination at one point or another, but if you can find a way to beat it, half your battle is won.

Sticking with a resolution takes a lot of willpower.  If you don’t have the will, you’ll soon find yourself succumbing to lame excuses like ‘Ah, I’m too tired after a long day at work’.  Hold yourself accountable, and don’t let yourself get away with excuses when no one’s looking.

8.     Give yourself some space

Build some flexibility into your action plan to accommodate unforeseen circumstances.  Remember to save this flexibility only for genuine circumstances that need your attention such as a friend visiting from overseas.

9.     Reward yourself

Don’t be too harsh on yourself if you find yourself slacking off. Simply set yourself firmly back on track and keep going from there.  If you’ve been especially good, reward yourself.  This way, you will be motivated to keep up the good work.

10.  Find a buddy

Look for someone with a similar resolution that you can work with.  Since resolutions are so prone to fizzling out long before they reach fruition, there’s nothing like having a buddy to run alongside you -- to nag you when you stray, cheer you on as you pass each milestone, compare notes, swap stories, and keep you going.

In the case of learning English, having a buddy is definitely a plus point.  If you’re working on your communications skills such as speaking and writing, you can practise on your buddy.  You can exchange books, watch English movies, correct each other and look for new ways to improve your English.

If the recipe sounds like hard work, well, it’s a case of nothing ventured, nothing gained. Language equals practice, practice, practice if you wish to be truly proficient.  The good news is with the number of people out to improve their English this year, it looks like you won’t have any trouble finding a resolution buddy.

One last thing -- although I’ve used English proficiency as the example in this article, the above ‘recipe’ can be adapted to any resolution.  Good luck, stay focused, and here’s to your success with English!