As you might have read in my previous posts – I’m a big believer in homework. Getting students to touch English outside of the classroom isn’t just important, it’s necessary for improvement. So each week, regardless of the students level, I ask them to do something for me. It could be few sentences, write an essay, watch a dvd or whatever comes to mind that day. Most students moan at first but then it becomes part of their routine and in time they can see their own progress which is what motivates them to work even harder. However the dreaded reply does come up. We’ve all heard it before, heck, we use it all the time. “I didn’t have the time.” I find this sentence quite funny and honestly most of the time it’s said it’s a lie. What I wish more people would say is “I chose to spend my time doing something else other than homework.” Now that’s more like it. I think that using the standard “I didn’t have time” allows you to lay the blame elsewhere. Your customer did this or your boss did that but the bottomline is at the end of the day you probably spent part of your week doing something you wanted (rather than NEEDED) to do. I’m guilty as sin when it comes to this – TV, music, internet surfing, magic study, books, sleeping (boy do I love that). So each day I make a choice; to study or to sleep, to listen to music or to study business. So whether you’re looking to improve your Japanese or master a magic trick all that’s needed is a choice and each day you make one. What will you choose today?
Adrian
So true! “I didn’t have the time” should really be “Well, it was the last thing that I really wanted to do so I didn’t do it” . Honesty…..is hardly ever heard… Anyway, as you know, if you keep trying to get them to do it and they make the effort, they will see why it is important by themselves. Until then they will not have a clue. The old adage, “You can lead sheep to water but you cannot make them drink” is so true, don’t you think?
Al
Adrian, Very wise words indeed. In an similar vain, at a recent Smith’s School free training seminar I spoke of the difference between being busy and being constructive. As I sit typing this comment I stopped and asked myself to think back over the last week and identify any time I spent being busy but no constructive. In all honesty I couldn’t find any. I have been following my own rules for so long now that they are habit. In fact I become genuinely panicky whenever I find myself in a “busy / non constructive” situation and exit as quickly as possible. I observe the KIS principle in my life and apply just a few simple rules to everything I do. So in my simple opinion if you are Internet surfing ask yourself why? If there is no constructive reason, exit. If you are reading ask yourself why? If the answer is no constructive reason exit. Some may ask “….but Mark when do I rest?” Your know “all work and no play makes jack a dull boy” and all that stuff. My response is always make sure you love your job and it will not feel like work. Moreover unless you already have enough money set aside for retirement can you really afford to relax in this day and age? I suggest if you follow the sheep and relax today at a young age you may well live to regret that in your golden years. I am 51 now and have just started to take on some “hobbies” but even within those hobbies I am stretching myself to be the best at each chosen hobby (discipline). I have a hunting dog that I came by as a 5 week old puppy. I bought books on training pheasant hunting gun dogs and then tucked myself in under a couple of mentors to check my progress at regular intervals.I am proud to say that I did indeed training a pheasant hunting dog.I trained that dog myself to the point where we took third prize in the Hyogo Ken gun dog competition in 2007, now I am training myself to be one the best “off shore sailing” yacht racers in Japan. Never give up guys. Never be busy without purpose. Always be constructive.
P.S. you may ask what will happen to my gun dog while I am studying to be a yacht racer? Don’t worry if you are in the mood get up at 5:00am and join us on the mountains and you will se he is as happy as can be. I was out there just this morning with my dog Toby. Glorious time of the day.