What to do if you lose motivation to learn English

Motivation is a cyclical phenomenon, with ups, peaks and valleys. It is impossible to always be at the peak, it is important to understand and accept this.

Motivation can go away for several reasons:

• Change of focus. A new activity, for example English, inspires and pushes into the background the standard areas of life – family, work, study, health, hobbies. But gradually other tasks return.
• Unforeseen circumstances. Stress, unplanned deadlines at work, illness or emotional problems.
• Lack of interest. If you do something out of necessity, without interest, it will quickly become boring.
• The onset of a plateau. When you start learning a language, any achievements feel significant. And the higher the level, the more difficult it is to see the result. In this case, a plateau may occur: a feeling that there is no progress.

If you don’t quit during a downturn, you will definitely reach a new level, regain your strength and desire to learn. At this stage, your main assistants will be small steps, recording successes and variety.

Small steps. Do what you have the strength to do now. For example, 15 minutes of practice in a vocabulary trainer or one task to repeat irregular verbs. The most important thing is not to reproach yourself, but to accept that this is how it is now, and this is normal.

The main mistake is to start studying even more. For example, two hours every day instead of one. This will take away the remaining strength, will not produce results, and will cause feelings of guilt and powerlessness.

Recording successes. When it seems that learning is in vain, there is no result, an outside perspective will help: record your result in the moment, remember what you were like at the beginning of your journey, and compare it with what you can do now.

Diversity. Doing the same tasks over and over is boring. Add new formats. Ask the teacher to diversify the lessons, add something new: watch and discuss an interesting video, analyze your favorite song, talk about topics that particularly concern you.

If you are learning a language without a teacher, find channels, blogs and social media accounts in English. You can also join a conversation club: the game form and new acquaintances also fuel motivation.

A systematic approach to learning will help you move forward even when motivation declines. In English courses from Yandex Practicum, students study according to a clearly structured plan and use a system of “small steps”. Each lesson takes 30 minutes – this is enough for progress, and it is easier to allocate time.

Students record their progress through regular tests and feedback from the teacher. And variety is provided by an interactive simulator, free conversation clubs and communication with foreign teachers.

Sound interesting? Sign up for a free lesson with a teacher.

A full-fledged lesson awaits you during the lesson. You will find out your language level, analyze a grammatical topic, practice speaking, and also get acquainted with the simulator. And at the end you will choose a suitable course.

Learn more about English courses from Yandex Praktikum