10 tips to stay motivated when learning English online

That is why in this article we are going to share 10 tips to stay motivated! Let’s dive right in.

If we brainstormed around the word English, we could have a list including at least the following details: the official language in more than 57 countries, the international language of business, the language of travelers, the language in which most of the contents on the Internet are written, the most frequently used language in sciences and academia, the official language of international organizations, and even one of the two languages spoken by astronauts at the International Space Station! Therefore, we can firmly state that nowadays learning English is a necessity and people who do not have an excellent command of it, seriously risk to lose great opportunities to advance their career.

So, what do people do to learn English?  There are plenty of options to accomplish this aim: you can go to a school language; take English classes at the university; hire a private teacher for home lessons; travel to an English speaking country for an immersion course; or you can do it on your own using different resources.  No doubt, all these solutions are valid and useful.

However, given our hectic life style, the ICT (Information and Communication Technology) resources for teaching, and the changes in the students’ needs, more and more people are choosing to enroll for online English courses, an alternative that mixes self-paced learning, flexible schedules, studying wherever you have access to an Internet connection, using any screen, and last but not least, the guidance of a teacher who has carefully prepared the material, corrections and videos, and structured lessons to teach you things with coherence. 

Here is how to keep your motivation.

GlobalExam’s advices

1. Forget about limiting beliefs, instead, build a positive self-image of yourself as an English learner

Low self-esteem is a barrier when learning any language, but especially English because when people need to learn it to accomplish a specific goal, there is usually some psychological and social pressure. If you think: “I’m so bad at writing”, “nobody understands my pronunciation”, you will end up believing these negative thoughts. As a consequence, your level of anxiety will grow and you will think it is not worth making any effort to improve your oral and writing skills. That is a big mistake! Remember that learning is like a trip, and every person is a different kind of traveler. Besides, if you have enrolled in an online course, you will learn at your own pace, so you won’t be tempted to compare yourself to others. It is your own learning journey, so be gentle with yourself and have fun!

2. Have clear objectives and break them down into smaller parts

It is important to establish general goals and specific objectives. For example, your general goal might be: “Next year, in February, I will get a Business English certification to apply for the job of…” OK, then, you must formulate specific objectives: “In order to develop my formal writing: I will practice e-mail greetings and farewells.” Each objective will support your learning goal. Breaking down your objectives allows you to focus your efforts, instead of only panicking because of the time limit.

3. Think positively and bring positive results to your e-learning process

It may sound mystical, but it works! What you think and how you talk to yourself influences your actions. Before you start your daily lesson, remember what your goal is, and imagine yourself accomplishing it. Then, tell yourself that the task you are up to, is another step you consciously take towards your dream. And, instead of telling yourself things like: “I’ll never understand a whole video-conference”, try something like: “Today, I’ll do this listening activity which will help me improve my oral comprehension”.

4. We do insist:  Learn from your mistakes.

If you consider mistakes as synonyms of failure, you have got the wrong picture. Get rid of the idea that making mistakes is something negative and humiliating. For instance, if you take one of our online training programs in Business English, you will have access to corrections and explanations. Reading them carefully  will allow you to understand why you got confused between two expressions, or what the right order of the sentence should have been. Mistakes have the power to clarify our doubts! Besides, once you have read the corrections, you can do the activity again until you can master it perfectly!

5. Measure your progress

Keep a learning journal where you take notes after every session, write how you felt, if you faced any difficulties (how you solved them or how you will try to), something you’ve got finally clear, etc. GlobalExam offers you the opportunity to keep record of your progress with statistics: this will certainly encourage you to go back and review what is still unclear, and to keep a record of what you have already achieved.

6. Small steps are still progress

There are days in which you do not really feel like taking your lesson, or simply you do not have the time. Well, neither pressure yourself to do it, nor do it without enthusiasm. So, remember that microlearning is also quite effective: you focus on information for a short span of time and you will be able to retain it for long-term. How about learning 3 Business English expressions or reading a blog article? That will make you feel you did something to accomplish your goal!

7. Take breaks without feeling guilty

Learning English online is like doing exercise to keep yourself healthy: it is highly recommended to do it as often as possible so that it becomes a habit. However, if you have a project due to next Friday and you know it will consume a great deal of your time, do not beat yourself up!  Establish the number of days you will need to take off and then commit yourself to continue your online sessions.

8. Challenge and reward yourself

When you reach an objective, do something symbolic to encourage your good job: go out with a friend to celebrate, eat something you love,  take a walk with your dog, buy yourself a plant… anything counts, the idea is to treat yourself to stay motivated and get ready for the next challenge.

9. Vary the activities

Some teachers at school would do exactly the same everyday: “open the book on page… exercise 1…” well, five minutes later, you were switching off from what they were saying, and fifteen minutes later, you were ready to press the snooze button. Variation is a must to keep motivation. E-learning offers you the chance to make something different every day: do some vocabulary, then some grammar, watch a video, write a short text. Don’t follow the same path to avoid getting bored. You can dedicate one day a week to improve your level of written English and another day to improve your level of spoken English.

10. Find materials in English about your favorite subjects

How about watching the biography of someone you admire on YouTube? Reading a short article about your hobby? Finding a blog about the sports you practice? Listening to a podcast about a film you love? Surely, you won’t understand every single word, but you will get familiar with vocabulary, with the pronunciation of certain tricky words, etc. This will allow you to realize how useful the knowledge you are getting is. Discover our tips for speaking English without an accent.

Put into practice all these tips by enrolling to our Business English program to improve different skills such as: email writing, convincing others, project management, business trips, recruitment, intercultural communication, sales and negotiation, among many others! GlobalExam offers you an online program especially designed for you! You will have an overview of your progress, and when you feel ready, pass our certification in Business English!

You can start now with the free version of the Business English’s online platform!