Starting
“Start every day off with a smile and get it over with. ” - W.C. Fields
With all that in mind, let’s talk about the best thing you can possibly do to get out of “The Dip.” That thing is “starting.” Yep, that’s right. It’s the act of getting started.
If you think about it, it’s always hard to begin something – once you start something, it’s easy to keep going. So, what can you do to get started (besides your cold, rock-hard will?).
Here’s some things that I do:
- Promise yourself you’ll only do something for 15 minutes. A lot of times, you keep going beyond this.
- Similar to the previous tip but different enough… use the 30-30 schedule to trick your mind into wanting to study more.
- Get someone to keep you accountable. Make it their job to make sure you start studying every day (and that’s it).
- Just do it. Sometimes you have to push through and make it happen yourself.
Either way, just remember… Starting is the biggest challenge. Continuing after you start, not so much. Do things in small batches to lower resistance, and soon you’ll find yourself reaching the other side of “The Dip” and Japanese language learning more and more rewarding.
What can you start right now?