Use notebooks to practise and improve everyday English learning on your own
Do you have many unused notebooks lying around on your desk and no idea how to start using them? Perhaps you bought them to record notes for your English language classes. Or you bought them because you love cute stationery.
But, did you know that your little notebook could help you practise English on your own?
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10 Notebook Hacks to improve English Practice in your daily life:
1. Keep a Diary / Journal
2. Create Lists
3. Practise Daily Gratitude
4. Memory Keeper
5. Writing Prompts
6. Free Style Writing
7. Track your Tasks
8. Brainstorming Ideas
9. Make a Creative Notebook
10. Travelling Journal
1. Keep a Diary / Journal
Use your notebook as a diary or journal. Write about your day, your thoughts or feelings and daily experiences in English. Don't worry about vocabulary or grammar at this point. Just write what you know.
You can look at your entry at a later date and check for any grammar mistakes or new vocabulary you've learnt.
This way you can look back on how much progress you've made.
2. Create Lists
Notebooks are great for creating lists! Create all kinds of lists you can think of. Compile all your lists in one notebook. Don't forget to leave enough space between each list for adding more in the future.
Here are some ideas for lists to keep in your notebook:
- To-do list
- Shopping lists
- New English Vocabulary
- Movies to watch
- Places you want to visit
- English Grammar rules
- Books you want to read
- New cafes to check out
- Things to do
- Hobbies to start, etc.
3. Practise Daily Gratitude
A gratitude practice keeps you focused on the blessings in your life. Write down daily about the things you are thankful for.
This helps you stay more positive as you focus more on what you have and less on what's missing in your life.
Practise daily gratitude and start keeping a list. You can also use one of your notebooks as a gratitude journal.
Vocabulary Check!
gratitude (n.) = deep feeling of appreciation / thankfulness to someone or something
4. Memory Keeper
Start a memory-keeping journal. Your notebook can be used to record special memories. Note down current events, big and small things happening in your life. Include details, dates and times important to you that you want to remember.
You can also start compiling earlier memories or events that you don't want to forget.
Look at your old photos and think back to your earlier school days or childhood memories - write them down with as much details as you can.
Remember to update your memory journal each time you have a special new memory or anything you don't want to forget.
Add a picture, receipts or even tickets to your notes. Make it as memorable as you can.
Vocabulary Check!
compile (v.) = gather, collect
5. Writing Prompts
Using prompts will help guide you to write about a specific topic. You may not want to write about whatever comes to your mind so using prompts will be helpful. Sometimes, it may be difficult to fill your notebook when you're not sure what to write.
Here are some interesting prompts to get you started:
Example:
- Are you in a good mood today?
- Write about something good that happened to you recently.
- List 5 books you want to read.
- When was the last time you had a great time at the movies?
- If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?
- When was the last time you saw something funny?
6. Free Style Writing
This is a writing style which is one of the easiest ways to keep a journal going.
It's like transferring what's on your mind e.g. anxiety, stress or issues, etc. onto paper and might help you see things from a different perspective.
You can write about anything on your mind from:
- shopping list
- errands to run
- work issues
- future plans
- weekly / monthly goals
- what you've been thinking about
- any issues you're facing recently
7. Daily MITs Tracker
This is to track your daily Most Important Tasks that you need to get done to get you closer to your goal.
You may have other tasks but choose 1 to 3 most urgent ones that needs to get done by that day. Do those tasks first thing in the morning. This way you get the important tasks out of the way before your day gets busy.
Your notebook will be perfect for this. Make a check-list. Write down your tasks
and cross them out when you're done. You can even note down the steps taken to accomplish those tasks.
8. Brainstorming Ideas
Maybe you're thinking about how to keep improving your English Grammar. You know you need to practise more but you haven't found the 'study system' you need to help you continue your practice.
Use your notebook to brainstorm! You can write anything and everything you want on it. Draw boxes, keep a list or bullet points, make diagrams etc. You'll have all the ideas that you brainstormed for filing up your little book in no time.
9. Make a Creative Notebook
Turn your notebook into a creative one! You can include doodles, drawing or pictures.
Instead of just writing about what you had for lunch in your notebook you can draw a picture of your lunch.
Colour them too, with ink, coloured pencils or even crayons.
Fill your notes with lyrics of English songs, poems, quotes or anything that takes your fancy. Copy down recipes in English!
You can learn food and cooking vocabulary at the same time.
10. Travelling Journal
This is a wonderful way to keep a record of your memories of your trips and holidays. You can add in details e.g. location, date and time and any details you want to include.
You can also include your own drawings or photos to your travel journal entries.
Better still, why not take along your notebook with you on your trips?
This way you could easily add details while you're travelling on a train, when you're at a cafe or a beautiful castle.
We hope that with these 10 notebook hacks you'll be inspired enough to start using your notebooks in various ways to help you improve your English learning experience.
This way you'll have more chances to use English that you've learnt outside the classroom and in your daily life.
Thanks so much for reading & Happy learning!
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