A few weeks ago, I realized that I've successfully gotten out of my intermediate English plateau. I'm going to try to collect the winning strategies so I can share them with others, and also apply them again in other areas like sports.
So I tried to improve my English between 2022 and 2024, but I kinda got stuck. I immediately realized that I had hit the dreaded intermediate plateau. As of 2025, however, I've realized that I've reached my original goal.
First, I'll tell you what steps I took that made me reach my language learning goals:
- Writing on Journaly.com
- Cambridge Dictionary
- Public Speaking
- Boldvoice - This was the final nail in my plateau coffin
And now, I'll share what I learned from them:
Tip 1: You need a lot of immediate, consistent, external feedback because you and your shortcomings are holding you back.
You are your own person, with your own learned habits, beliefs, and shortcomings; Most of the time, you don't even realize that you have them. You need external feedback that calls you out on your mistakes, so you can change them, even if it's painful. Different AI apps can help you a lot, but also ask for human feedback since AI makes a lot of mistakes; don't learn those
Tip 2: Change Methods. YouTube was always my go-to language learning method, but once I hit the plateau, it was basically useless. I needed to move to Cambridge Dictionary, and then to Boldvoice.
Tip 3: Consistent active practice - You can't just consume content, you need to create output.
Tip 4: Address Your Biggest Mind Blockers. If a thought is completely stuck in your mind and blocking your thinking, focus directly on it to "massage" it out. This process can bring relief, which will then improve your general performance. example, correcting a certain faulty grammar point, or certain sounds you're not happy with.
Tip 5: The Price of Obsession. How much are you willing to sacrifice? Some pursuits can cost you everything, even your life. The critical question remains: Is it really worth it? Know the difference between goals and obsession — there's a thin line between them. You can achieve everything. But is the sacrifice worth it? Be it time, money, or anything else.
To be continued...
Headline image by highorbitmedia on Unsplash
Excellent work! That plateau is no fun. You just get stuck watching video after video on YouTube and consider that enough. For me, I had to start writing again. And as for YouTube, I decided I'd only watch videos by Russian males who spoke so fast that I had to watch several of their videos before I got used to their voice and speed, and once I did, I'd go back and shadow them. And when I got too comfortable with one, I'd find a new one to mix things up. That was an enormous help. Great post!
Thank you. I just realized my English got a bit less complex compared to when I was writing daily. Do you have any strategies to improve writing skills besides writing daily?
You're welcome. I can't think of any writing strategies except to write about what you want to improve. It's it's conversational skills, write dialogs. If it's vocabulary in a certain field, write about that.