Want to get fluent? Focus on daily habits

Your brain loves habits. Why? Because its job is to save energy by doing things automatically. That's why you keep translating in your head. It's simply a habit your brain created to help you feel safe. And it all comes from the way you practice learning the language in the first place. But neuroscience tells us something powerful. You can become fluent and think directly in English by changing that old habit of automatic translation. The problem is changing habits isn't easy. How many times have you decided to break an old habit and start a new one but failed? Maybe you tried to quit sugar, start waking up earlier, exercise more regularly, or stop procrastinating. But somehow you always went back to the old pattern. You may have been able to change the old habit for a short period, but it wasn't a lasting change. That's because changing habits is a skill that we need to learn. And this skill affects every area of your life. Whether it's replacing the habit of translating with directly thinking in English, or changing a daily routine that no longer serves you, the process is exactly the same. So in this video, we'll cover how habits really work, how to change a bad one, and what that really means for your speaking journey. So let's get started. Every habit you have, good or bad, follows a simple pattern called the habit loop. And it has three parts. The cue, the routine, the reward. Understanding this loop is the key to breaking bad habits and forming new ones. If you've ever failed to change a habit, it's likely because you didn't understand this loop. So let's break it down. Every habit your brain creates serves a purpose. Its main job is to save energy and keep you safe. So when your brain finds something that works, even if it's not healthy, it repeats it automatically. That means every bad habit is actually trying to help you in some way. Maybe it gives you comfort, relief, or a sense of safety. This means you can't just ignore a bad habit or stop it with willpower. So you first need to understand two important things about that bad habit. First, what starts the habit? This is the cue or trigger. It could be a feeling like stress, a place, a time, or a situation. For example, feeling stressed or bored might trigger eating snacks. Feeling anxious might trigger avoiding speaking up. Then the second thing you need to understand is what do you get from it? This is the reward. It can be comfort, relaxation, distraction from problems, or even a sense of safety. So once you understand the cue and the reward, you can start thinking about how to change the bad habit, which is the routine. So first, let's have a general example to understand the idea. If stress is your cue, your bad habit or routine is eating junk food, then your reward, the benefit your brain is searching, is the feeling of comfort or distraction from the problems. So if you try to stop the habit entirely, your brain resists this change because it feels like you're stopping the reward and it still needs it. So instead, you need to keep the same cue and reward, but only replace the routine with a healthier one. For example, when you feel stressed, try walking, deep breathing, or talking to a friend. In this way, you'll get the comfort your brain wants, but in a healthier way. And that's exactly where the real change begins. It's not about saying, I'm going to stop eating sugar or junk food. It's about finding a different, healthier habit to replace that old one. But what does this mean for your speaking journey? Translating in your head is just another habit loop. So let's take a look at it. Your cue is being in contact with English. The routine is automatically translating it into your native language, and the reward is feeling safe because you understand everything quickly. This routine may help you understand fast, but it slows you down when you want to speak. The solution is simple. Replace the routine of translation with a direct English to English process. So if you want to think directly in English, when you see a new word, don't translate it. Instead, check the meaning directly in English, using examples, visuals, or simple definitions. In this way, you're teaching your brain to go from English to English, not to your mother tongue. I know at first it might feel a bit slower to understand, but if you stick with this practice, you'll see a huge improvement over time with both your speaking and understanding. Think of it like pulling back an arrow. It may feel like you're going backward, but once released, you'll shoot much further and faster. That's exactly how your speaking improves once the new method becomes automatic. So another way to train your brain to directly think in English is to stop studying it like a subject and start using it to follow your curiosities in life, just like children do. They don't study their first language. They use it to learn about themselves and the world. That's how their brain naturally learns to think in that language. And you can do the same with English. Instead of only memorizing grammar and vocabulary, use English to explore something meaningful like personal growth, professional skills, and life lessons. This method gives you two powerful benefits at the same time. First, you expose yourself to the language and train your brain to think in English. And second, you use it to improve yourself and learn essential life skills. If you're interested in this method, I've created a very powerful book, Real Life Skills in Simple English. In this edition, I focus on changing habits. What we talked about in this video was actually a small part of this book about changing habits. This is one of the most important skills you can develop for your life and your speaking journey. If you want to dive deeper and also learn some proven techniques that you can use for building new habits and mastering this skill, check the link in the description. I collected all these techniques in one book that you can read and practice your English as well. Now, let me know in the comments your favorite part of this video. I love reading your comments. It gives me more ideas on what to talk about in the next video to help you more on your speaking journey. So, thank you so much for watching and see you in the next video.