Does this sound like you? “I want to learn English, but I just don’t have the time! I have too much to do.” Or, “I have too many people to take care of, and not enough time for me.” If it is, then today’s post is for you! In this video lesson, I am sharing 5 tips about how to study English when you don’t have time.

Today’s post was inspired by my own personal experience because I got a surprise 30 minutes of “free time” while my baby took an extra long nap. I thought, “well, what should I do?” “What can I complete” and ultimately, this led me to hop on YouTube and do a spontaneous live lesson connecting this experience to my English learners who struggle with some of these same questions.

So review today’s live lesson on YouTube, click here to subscribe so you don’t miss future lessons, and read the lesson notes below for links and reading practice.

How to Study English when you don’t have Time

1. Make English a priority
2. Make English something you WANT to do…and don’t want to procrastinate
3. Make English fun
4. Put English into your schedule (write it down and create the space)
5. Have materials ready that align (match) with your goals

Let’s go into some more detail…

1.  If you figure out why you need and want English, you can identify why it’s a priority. If you need it for work, then work & English become something that’s the same level on your priority list. If you need it for academics, the school and English become the same, etc…

2. If you find excuses to avoid studying, you’ll likely procrastinate (or wait to do it) whenever some free time becomes available. Instead, work on eliminating these excuses and finding ways to WANT English in your life.

3. If English becomes FUN, then it’ll be hard to avoid. Find your favorite teachers, materials, and ways to study that fit best with your lifestyle and interests. Here’s a very important point: think about how you’re studying now. If you don’t enjoy it…. change it! Change it into something you do enjoy as soon as you can.

4. When you put some English time into your schedule, it becomes a real, important part of your week, like any appointment that you write down. If you think, “I have no time”, then review your typical week and find at least 15 minutes during the week that you do something that’s not helpful for you. I am sure you can find a day to wake up 15 minutes earlier, or skip 1 TV show a week, or perhaps decrease your social media browsing. Only you can analyze your schedule and fit something in.

5. The worst thing that can happen is what happened to me today. You have time, you sit down to do something (like studying), and you’re overwhelmed because…. you don’t know where to begin! If you have materials ready for you, that align (match) with your goals, then the second you have free time – the materials will be ready to guide to towards your goal! The internet and all of the opportunities in the digital education world are great, but sometimes too much is not a good thing.

I can help you if you’re struggling with #3 and #5 today. I have a lot of resources that can make English fun and help you know exactly what to study to reach your goal.

If your goal is….

• …to improve speaking fluency, get more speaking practice with real conversations, increase vocabulary use of phrasal verbs, idioms, and expressions, and speak with more natural American English pronunciation, then check out my monthly fluency program: The Conversation Club

The Conversation Club offers audio, video, and PDF materials to help you with vocabulary, listening, reading, pronunciation, and natural English use. You’ll get new materials to help you understand more natural English and opportunities to practice English with real conversation in group calls and with a partner. You’ll connect with me, a teacher, in the group calls and other members with your partners and in our messaging community.

The focus is to give you more speaking practice to improve spoken/conversational fluency.

Today (December 22,) and through this weekend, Sunday (December 24) is the last time to enroll in my 1-week FREE trial of the club, review the materials and become a full member to receive all of December’s materials and January’s materials on the 1st of January (2018). After this weekend you can still join the trial; however, you’ll just have access to January when you become a full member.

*If you don’t want to stay in the club after your trial, you can cancel – no obligation, so give it a try today!

Click here to join the trial and learn with me today!

If your goal is….

• ….to practice American and British English, improve listening skills, and increase vocabulary use with natural expressions, then check out my English podcast: English Across the Pond

English Across the Pond offers free learning opportunities every week with a new episode every Friday on our website (www.englishacrossthepond.com) However, if you want to get even more out of the podcast and get 7-focused exericses for your English studying and routine, then you can become a GOLD member. Gold members get weekly study plans with 7 English exercises for listening skills, reading, writing, spelling, vocabulary, grammar/pronunciation/language focus, and help with overall fluency. You can get access to a free sample of these materials if you’d like to try first by clicking here… or Click here to become a Gold member today!

I hope this motivates you for extra English in your weekly routine, and until next time…

Happy Studying! ♥