Lazy days | How to stay motivated over summer

In this episode we will be looking at my top motivational tips for August. When you just want to sip a beer on the beach, how can you motivate yourself to study English? 

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Good morning, everybody, and welcome to the Cambridge Advanced Accelerator podcast. My name is Cheryl, and I'm here to help you with all things connected to the Cambridge Advanced exam, and of course, getting your level up to C1 Advanced and even pushing through into C2 level. So today I'm recording this from a very, very hot Tenerife. For those of you who don't know, I live I live in Tenerife most of the year, but I've just got back from a holiday back home to Scotland where it was definitely not uh the same temperature as it is in Tenerife. We're up in the 40s at the moment, it's in a heat wave, it is absolutely roasting. Um, and to top it all off, my fan broke yesterday. Um, and I had to go and rush out to the shop to uh what we call in the UK BQ, the big hardware store. Here it's called Leroy Merlin, or Leroy Merlin, if I was gonna say it in English, Leroy Merlin. Uh I had to rush out to go get another fan um because I don't have aircon in the house. Rushed out to get another fan, of course, went to the fan section. There was like two fans left. Uh, both the like the most expensive fans in the shop were the ones that were left. But I was like, I do not care, I cannot sleep tonight without this fan. So I got my very expensive fan from Leroy or Leroy. Uh, and um and yeah, so I'm currently recording this. I don't know if you can hear in the background my fan blasting on the highest setting that it there is. Although you shouldn't be able to hear it because it was an expensive one and it's supposed to be noiseless. Anyway, so it's absolutely roasting here. I'm just back from my holidays, and guys, not gonna lie to you, this week has been tough for me motivationally to get back in the swing of things after a break, especially because it's it's August and I live in like a holiday destination, so every day I walk down the streets with the dogs, and I see all these people sipping beers in the bars, swimming in the sea, uh having fun on their holidays, and I'm like, ah, I could do that, that'd be nice, just go stop and have a little beer, and it's very easy to kind of talk yourself into um these habits that are are not going to be great for well for me, for my business, or for any goals that we have, and I think we easily do this in in the summer months. We we find it very easy to talk ourselves out of uh learning English or whatever our goals are. It's too hot, is one I've heard a lot. It's too hot to learn English. I can't study, I can't concentrate, I'm too hot, or the kids are off school, so I'm busy, or uh I'm gonna be down at the beach all day. We've got endless excuses. But the thing is, these tend to be just our summer excuses because once we start back in September, back to school, uh, we're gonna be coming up for the Christmas excuses uh are gonna start coming in. They're like, ah, you know, Christmas is coming, I need to get ready, I need to organize, get presents, I need to help the kids back to school, I need to help them with their homework. We always have something that we tell ourselves to get out of doing the hard things, the uncomfortable things. Like our brain is trying to protect us. Our brain loves the comfort zone, our brain hates being uncomfortable, so it will do everything it can to kind of keep you in that comfort zone, even if it's things you want, like uh, I want to earn over 10,000 euros a month, or I want to lose 20 kilos in weight. Your brain is automatically, if you say that, it's gonna start looking not for like how to do that, it's gonna start looking for like, oh, that's a bit scary. If you, you know, if you uh earn that much money, oh, you're gonna have to like maybe hire someone, you're gonna have to uh pay more taxes, you're gonna have to do this, you're gonna have to do that, and it looks for ways to make that scary to keep you in your comfort zone. If it's losing weight, it's the same. It starts thinking about all the all the nice summery pints of beer beside the beach that you won't be able to have, uh, that it's gonna take ages, all the chocolate that you can't eat, all the events that you're gonna miss. Your brain starts looking for these things with English and passing the Cambridge Advanced exam. Your brains start doing the same. They're like, oh my god, it's so difficult. There's it's such a big task, there's so many things to learn. There's technique, there's grammar, there's vocabulary. Oh, I'm gonna have to go to speaking sessions, I'm gonna have to speak to people I don't know, I'm gonna have to do this exam where people will be watching me. Your brain starts thinking of all the things to keep you safe in the place that you are now. So I think being able to recognize in this in yourself is really important to catch yourself when you find that you're making excuses or being hard on yourself, like criticizing yourself, being negative towards yourself, catching yourself in this moment and changing our mindset on it. So either having or either asking yourself the question rather than just saying, I want to pass a Cambridge Advanced exam, and letting your brain look for reasons that would be hard, just slightly changing the question you ask yourself in your brain to what would it mean to me if I passed this exam? Or what doors would it open for me if I pass this exam? If it's uh losing weight, how will I feel once I've lost that weight? Or what benefits will that have for me? Looking like changing the question that your brain's looking for the answer for to a positive thing can help train your brain to start thinking in a more positive way and start or stop it trying to protect you and keep you inside this comfort bubble, okay? Because if you want to pass this exam, you're going to have to get comfortable being uncomfortable, okay. Uncomfortable is going to be your new norm for anything that you want to achieve in life that's like a big goal. These are difficult things, and you will have to push outside your comfort zone, okay? So we need to train our brain how to do that, and that's just one small thing that we can do is ask the more positive questions to our brain and catch yourself when we're doing these negative thinkings. Another thing I like to do is write down a list or have a vision board if you're more kind of um uh if you're a more kind of visual person, um have a list of your reasons why. So, why are you doing the Cambridge Advanced Exam? What's that gonna do? Is it going to get your promotion at work? Are you going to earn more money? Are you going to become a teacher? Are you going to move to the UK? Uh, are you going to give a presentation in English? Be more confident in your meetings, just start listing all the reasons why you're doing it, or with anything that you're doing, losing weight, earning more money, whatever it is, starting your own business. Or if you have the list or have a vision board. Um, I do both personally. I have a vision board and I put it as my um uh my background on my uh computer screen. Uh I put it there so that uh I see it every morning. I see it, and I kind of um I'm reminded of my reasons why and my goals. So whenever I'm feeling a bit demotivated, I'm like, oh, I don't want to do this. I can look at that, and that really kind of gives me that momentum again. It reminds me of why I'm doing things and it turns my brain into a more positive thinking way of doing things. So this is something that I think could be beneficial for uh a lot of you. It sounds a bit simple. Um there is a huge amount of like fancy science behind that. Um, but the the simple way is you know, thinking more positively, getting outside being comfortable, being uncomfortable, getting outside that comfort bubble, and catching yourself with your negative thinking. Another thing that really helps me kind of, or what I noticed this week, kind of trying to get back into the swing of things, is that because it's so hot and because I notice that this is general with me, around 3 p.m., 3 to 4 p.m., I always have a low, I always get really sleepy. I have a like slump. Um a slump is there, uh, for example, with a football team, if um they're in a slump, they're they keep on losing all their games, they're not in a winning streak, they're in a losing streak, they're in a slump. Okay, um, so um I find that I have a slump in the day, like a low of energy, my lowest point of the day around 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. And a couple of days ago I was sitting and I was trying to make study plans for my students. We had lots of new students starting this week, and I will or last week, and I was um making their personalized study plan for them. Now, this like creating study plans, they take me a long time, and it's a very kind of um focused activity for me. It takes a lot of my brain power, it takes a lot of my energy because I want to make the best possible plans for for each student and give them kind of personal feedback, personal videos, uh kind of explaining everything. So it takes a lot of energy and takes a lot of power, uh, brain power. So I was kind of looking at my schedule and thinking, Cheryl, this is really stupid because you've taken the the task that is the most important task for you to get done today, and the one that is the most taxing. If I say the most taxing, I mean it uses the most energy, it's a difficult task. So the most taxing task that uses a lot of your energy, and you've scheduled it at the time where you have the lowest energy in the day. It's like Cheryl, that is just a bit silly. So this is something I want you guys to think about for yourself. Is there a time of day that you notice with yourself that you have your personal slump in the day? When are your energy levels the highest? And when are they the lowest? For some people, like me, the morning until about 12 o'clock, I am on fire. This is my like highest energy performing part of the day. This is this is where I should be doing all my taxing tasks, my creative tasks, the most important tasks that need to get done. I should be doing them in the morning because that's when I have the most energy. For some people, it's the opposite, it's the evening. But for you guys, I want to think you to think about if you're preparing for the exam, don't do your exam tasks or your tasks that are going to be taking a lot of your brain power and energy and focus, which is the Cambridge exam. Don't do them in your slump time. Okay, whatever your slump time is, do not do tasks in that time. Okay. Find think about when your high energy time is and try if you can, try and put your tasks in there. I think that will really help you a lot with um uh with your energy levels and your ability to just even score better in tasks because you're able to concentrate better. Another thing I find really useful is that if I do have to do tasks when I have like zero motivation, my vision board does not help me, I'm still feeling like, oh god, I just want to go and join the tourists on the beach and go have a beer and sit in the sun. If I'm feeling like that, like uh today uh I'm recording this on a Sunday, it's like 40 degrees, it's roasting hot. I just want to go sit by my paddling pool and read my book. Um, that's what I want to do. But I know I have to get this done. So what tips can I give you when you feel like you're you don't want to study, it's scheduled, but you just don't want to do it. So the first thing that really helps me is from the book, Eat the Frog. Okay, so Eat the Frog basically says that if you really don't want to do something, just do it for five minutes, and once you start doing that thing, you'll probably continue with the task afterwards. Because the most difficult thing, the thing we procrastinate about, is just getting started with the task. That's the most difficult thing. But once we're there, it's usually fine. We continue with it, like going to the gym or going for a walk. It's the idea of like getting out of your bed and you're oh god, I can't be bothered, I don't want to do it. But once you're there, you've done it for five minutes, you're not gonna stop and go home again because you've made the biggest effort is just the starting of the thing. It's like trying to, like if you're trying to like those strong men trying to push a car or push something heavy, uh, just getting it started is the the most difficult thing. But once it's moving, then it's much easier. And it's the same with any task. The getting started is the most difficult. So that's why if you just eat the frog and say to again to mentally trick your brain, I'm just gonna go for five minutes and then I can stop if I want to. And chances are 99% of the time you won't stop. But this is why things are difficult when we we stop and start and stop and start. If you take a break, if you take a holiday and you need to start again, it's like that car has stopped, that heavy object has stopped, and it takes a lot of effort to keep it moving, uh, to get it moving again. But once it's moving, things become much easier. So for me this week, that's why it's been such an effort to get things done, because I was in Scotland for two weeks. I stopped completely, which I never do. I usually do something all the time. Um, so it's taken me time to get that ball rolling again, to get the car moving. But now, guys, fear not, it's moving. I'm back again. Um, and things are much, much easier. So this would be my my kind of second tip. So eat the frog. Okay, try it for five minutes to trick your brain. Don't stop and start with your studying, because that stopping, starting, stopping, starting, stopping, starting means you have to get that car moving again every time, and you have to make that monumental massive effort every time. Whereas if you just maintain, even if it's just doing a very, very small amount to keep the car moving very, very slowly, but even if you just do that, it's going to make it much, much easier for you when you have time again in the future. Okay. So a lot of people have been coming to me and asking that oh, August, I just want to take August off and do nothing. For me, this is a huge mistake. Taking August off and doing nothing and coming back in September because September is gonna be a bitch uh to get that car moving again. Much better rather than take a complete break, reduce, reduce down to 15-20 minutes a day, keep that ball rolling, keep that car moving, and then in September it's gonna be really easy to push, keep the push the car, and it's gonna um go faster and faster very, very easily again. I'm not sure if this is the best analogy, a strong man pushing a car, but it's the first one that popped into my mind, so that's the one I'm going with here. Okay, so eat the frog. Um don't stop and start, especially for long periods of time, okay, makes it much more difficult to get back into routine. And my final thing that really helps me, um, especially if I'm in my 3 to 4 p.m. slump, is changing my situation, changing where I work. So if, for example, you normally do your um your your English activities, uh, you normally do them in home. Uh in home. That was terrible English, Cheryl. At home, uh prepositions, uh in your office at home. That's what I was trying to say. Uh so for me I have uh uh the spare room uh on my house. Um this is my my office slash spare room. We have a I have a sofa bed behind me. Um so if I want to perk my energy levels up, one thing I do is just change room or I go sit outside in the garden uh and do my work there if possible. Obviously, if I have speaking sessions with you guys, I don't do that. Uh but if I am creating study plans or uh something else, then I change and go sit in the garden, or maybe I go grab a coffee and go work in a coffee shop, or go to the library, or just go somewhere else to change to change things a little bit. We often say a change is as good as a rest, so that can really help to boost your energy levels and revive you and help you when you are in a slump. I also like to I have a standing desk, so I just stand up if I need to boost my energy levels. Uh, I have a walking pad under my desk, and I have a standing desk. So even just doing that can really help. Or just going for a walk. Going for a walk. Uh I've started going for a walk after lunch to try and stop my 3 to 4 p.m. slump. Um, and this is something you can do if you come home from work and you're really tired and exhausted, uh, but you're supposed to be learning uh or studying English, then just going for a quick walk before it, before you start, or having a cold shower, something to just wake you up a little bit can be really beneficial for um for energizing you before you study. Um and the final thing that helps me is having accountability. Uh so having someone basically kick my bum and tell me to do things. Um, so for my business, I have a business coach who makes me like like I make uh for my students a personal study plan showing them what to do. Uh my business coach does the same for me for my business, and I check in with them every single week. Um, so just having that accountability of like, oh god, I need to get that thing done because they're going to be checking on me. Um, this can be uh very motivational and can give you that kind of push that you need to keep going. Uh in the gym, I have a personal trainer. We have group sessions in the gym with a personal trainer who's always kind of checking on you when I'm on that air bike, assault bike that I hate, making sure that I'm not just uh going really slowly, uh making sure that I'm going at the correct speed, making sure that I'm not cheating with my weights or anything, and making sure that I actually get to the gym and turn up, people message me if I if I don't go. So just having that someone holding you accountable can be very, very powerful as well. Um, with all my students, you know, just being part of the course and knowing that they have someone checking in on them, uh knowing that they have a plan. Uh this in itself can um can be the make or break for a lot of people. Knowing that you paid money for something can be the make or break. Um I often find this with uh uh with free things. I could give you this whole course for free or I could give you it for £10,000. This the course is not £10,000, but just as an example. Course is free, the course is £10,000. It's exactly the same course. Who's gonna get more benefit from it? Guarantee it's gonna be the people who paid £10,000 for it because they're gonna be more likely to complete it, they're gonna be more likely to push themselves, they're gonna be more likely to use all the things that they paid for because they put that money into it. It gave them that accountability, it gave them that push to do the thing. Whereas the people who got it for free, chances are most of them haven't even opened it yet. I'll do it later, because it was free. Um, so it doesn't give them that same push and motivation. So often just having the skin in the game, we say, which is to pay money for something, often that is accountability enough to uh to keep you going. This is why, again, every time I lose weight, I have um a coach, I have someone that I pay to uh number one kick my bum and make sure I stay motivated, but just again, paying that money kind of um makes me do it. I'm like God, I've uh I just paid like 250 quid a month for someone to uh to kick my bum. I better bloody do it. So uh so yeah, this is uh just food for thought for you guys. Um take from today the things that are useful for for you. So some things, some people might find that absolutely everything there was mind-blowing and you're gonna implement it. You might just want to take one or two things uh that's uh you personally find useful. But if you want to continue this chat or you need a bit of a motivational kick up the bum, guys, I am here for you. Uh let me know. Um, and uh send me any comments or questions that you have. So that's it from me for for today from Roasty Toasty Tenerife. I will see you guys next week in the next episode. Take care.