Stop Learning New Things and Practice What You Know

Lately, I’ve been thinking about the way I learn English. I always feel like I need to learn something new everyday. New vocab, new grammar, new expressions, and so on. But honestly, sometimes I feel like I’m learning too much and not practicing enough.

There are many English words that I already know, but when I try to speak, somehow I just forget them. It’s kinda funny actually. I can understand them when I read or hear them, but when I need to use them in a conversation... my mind goes blank lol.

So I think maybe I should stop learning new things for a while. Instead, I wanna focus on the English that I already know. I don’t need to memorize 10 or 20 new words everyday. Maybe it’s better to take a few words and actually use them in real conversations.

For example, I already know expressions like “I think,” “In my opinion,” “It depends,” and “As far as I’m concerned.” They’re simple, but they’re actually really useful. I just need to practice using them more often until they come naturally.

I also wanna practice talking about simple things. My work, my daily routine, my hobbies, my plans, or just something that happened today. I don’t need fancy vocabulary. I just need to explain what I mean with the words I already have.

Sometimes I also translate everything from Indonesian to English in my head before speaking. And yeah, that makes me speak slower. I know it’s not easy to stop doing that, but maybe with more practice, I can start thinking in English little by little.

Another thing I need to remember is that making mistakes is totally normal. I used to worry too much about grammar and pronunciation. Sometimes I was afraid to speak because I didn’t wanna sound stupid. But if I keep thinking like that, how am I supposed to improve?

So, for now, I just wanna practice more and learn less. I wanna repeat the things I already know, use them in conversations, and make English a part of my daily life. In love with tgis quote:

“Stop learning new things for a while and practice the ones you already know.”

It sounds simple, but I think there’s a lot of truth in it. Maybe I don’t need more knowledge right now. Maybe I just need to use what I already have.

At the end of the day, learning English isn’t only about knowing more words. It’s about being able to use those words when you need them. And tbh, that’s what I really want to improve.