Firstly, if you want to practise key vocabulary and read this article using the Duocards app (where you can tap on a word you don’t understand and it will show you the meaning), you need to join my email list. I will share these links there. Join here.
Vital words for understanding
- Necessity – Something essential or unavoidable that you can’t do without.
- Negotiations – Discussions aimed at reaching an agreement, especially in business.
- Hit the glass ceiling – Reach a limit in your career that’s hard to go beyond.
- Passion project – Something you do because you love it, not because you have to.
- Approach – The way you choose to deal with or think about something.
- Chore – A task that feels boring or like an obligation.
- Performance – How well you do something, especially in work or learning.
- Bother – A feeling of discomfort or worry about something not going well.
- Willpower – The mental strength to do something difficult even when you don’t feel like it.
- Trickery – Clever or playful use of tactics to get a better result.
- Crave – To strongly want or desire something.
- Novelty – The quality of being new, fresh, or different.
- Resists – Fights against or avoids doing something.
- Vary – To differ or change depending on the situation or person.
- Whisper – To speak very quietly, often to yourself or someone close.
- Trigger – To cause something to start or happen (often suddenly).
- Predictable – Easy to expect or know in advance.
- Habit stacking – A strategy where you connect a new habit to an existing one.
- Punishing – Being harsh or too demanding on yourself.
- Gently – In a soft, kind, and non-aggressive way.
- Encourage – To support and give someone confidence to keep going.
- Desire – A deep wish or motivation to have or do something.
For many of you, English isn’t a hobby. It’s a necessity. It’s the thing you need to survive in corporate life — in meetings, negotiations, and in conversations with foreign colleagues, when there’s simply no other way to communicate.
At some point in your career, your professional knowledge, your qualities, and your experience are no longer enough. You need English — a skill that, unlike your expertise, is learned gradually, across years. It takes time. It takes energy. And when that moment comes, you’re left with two options: hit the glass ceiling, or start learning.
Many of you choose to learn. But here’s the thing — it’s not your passion project. It’s not something you’d do for fun. You approach it more like a chore than something you truly want to do. And yet, you are hard-working, ambitious, motivated. You usually keep up with English for a while. And then it comes:
– I know I should, but…
– I’m tired, I’ll do it tomorrow… (and you don’t)
– I’m too busy for homework…
– I’ve got no energy left, I’m sorry…
Recognise yourself?
I know you don’t feel good about your performance. I know it bothers you.
But what if I told you… it’s not about willpower? What if your brain just needed a bit of smart trickery?
Here’s the truth about motivation: it isn’t about wanting to do something — it’s about your brain expecting a reward. The key player is dopamine, and interestingly, dopamine isn’t released when the reward arrives. It’s released when your brain anticipates it.
Your brain doesn’t crave hard work. It craves small wins, novelty, and the feeling of progress. So to stay motivated, you don’t need more discipline — you need to help your brain look forward to it.
Right now, your brain links English with effort, correction, and stress. So when you sit down to practise, your brain says no thanks. And it’s not because you’re lazy — it’s actually your brain trying to protect you from discomfort. It resistsbecause it remembers: English = hard work.
Why does this happen? The reasons vary. For some, it’s unclear progress. For others, long sessions, repeated failure, the lack of an instant reward… or simply bad memories from school. But whatever the reason — we can work with it.
Here’s how:
1. Make it tiny.
Try micro-practice (30 seconds to 5 minutes). One word. One sentence. Whisper it while walking. Answer a message in English. These micro wins trigger dopamine. They feel doable. And your brain starts to want more.
2. Make it predictable.
Use habit stacking. Add English to something you already do: coffee time = vocab review. It’s not about deciding — it’s about connecting. Once it becomes automatic, your brain relaxes. It feels easier.
3. Make it fun — and personal.
Translate your favourite memes. Shadow a YouTube video. Talk to your dog. Read about your hobbies. If it feels like you, and emotions are involved, your brain pays more attention. And memory improves.
4. Make it visible.
Use notebooks, apps, whiteboards — whatever helps you see progress. Brains love visual feedback. It makes success feel real.
5. Reframe it.
Stop punishing yourself. Stop thinking “I should”. Just see it for what it is: biology. You’re not broken. You’re not lazy. Your brain just needs a different strategy. Trick it gently. Encourage it. Don’t pressure it.
And my last piece of advice?
Don’t build discipline. Build desire.
You can’t force yourself forever. But you can create a system your brain actually likes.
Tiny steps. Tiny wins. That’s how motivation returns.