Either do it, or shut tf up.

You’re reading this for one of three reasons:

1. You want to learn another language.
2. You feel like you should’ve learned one already.
3. You barely have any hope left of learning one.

Regardless of which one it is, ask yourself:

If someone spent a day with you, would they be able to tell?

Would they see you spending time with the language?

Watching videos, looking up words, repeating them…?

Alex Hormozi said “We’re the result of our actions, not our aspirations”.

Are your actions truly taking you to fluency?

If you’re inconsistent, distracted and unfocused…

Stick around.

Let me show you how to actually become fluent.

Here’s what your daily life needs to look like from this point forward.

Because you don’t get fluent by wanting.

You get fluent by engineering your environment, your habits, and your priorities.

Let’s break it down.

Before we talk about your routine, you need to understand this:

You will never become fluent if you keep seeing yourself as someone who “isn’t good at languages”, “gets distracted”, or “gives up eventually”.

Your identity has to change first.

As James Clear says in the book Atomic Habits:

“Your behaviors are usually a reflection of your identity. What you do is an indication of the type of person you believe that you are—either consciously or nonconsciously.”

That means you need to reprogram yourself psychologically.

Your behavior follows your self-image. Change the image, and the behavior follows.

Do NOT forget this.

Now, let’s talk action.

1. Redesign Your Phone

Your phone is either your fluency tool or your fluency killer.

Here’s what you do:

• Change your phone’s system language to the language you’re learning.

  Yes, you’ll feel dumb for 3 days. But then you’ll adapt.

• Unfollow creators in your native language (or mute them temporarily).

  Follow only people who post in your target language.

• Reorganize your apps. Every app you open daily should have the language you’re trying to learn:

  • YouTube in Spanish? Good.
  • Instagram memes in French? Even better.
  • TikTok comedy in German? Krass.

Every scroll is a decision:

Am I reinforcing the language I want to speak, or escaping into the one I already know?

2. Create a Daily Fluency Loop

You don’t need more motivation.

You need a repeatable system you can stick to every single day no matter what.

Here’s a rough idea:

Morning:

• Input: Start the day listening to a radio station, podcast, news show, or YouTube video in the other language while getting ready.
• Active listening: Write down (phone or notebook) 3 to 5 words or phrases you don’t know.
• Quick review: Open your notebook or notes app from yesterday. Re-read and repeat out loud what you noted.

“But I don’t have time in the morning.”

Then wake up earlier or do it any other time.

Period.

Afternoon:

• During breaks, open a short video in your target language.

  Watch with subtitles, then without.

• Keep track on your phone.

  Every time you find a useful sentence or don’t understand something, write it down.

For example: “Phrase in the language – Meaning; Example where you found it.”

Use this as your personalized fluency log.

The more you feed it, the better you’ll get.

Evening:

• Output: Talk to someone.
  • Use language exchange apps (HelloTalk, Tandem, Free4talk).
  • Talk to an AI and ask for correction (ChatGPT, CharacterAI, LingoLooper).
  • Read something out loud and record yourself.

Then — and this is the key — go back, listen to your audio, and compare it to a native speaker.

Ask yourself:

“Would a native say it like this?”

“Where did I sound unnatural?”

“How can I say this better next time?”

Seriously work on it, and you’ll see progress like never before.

3. Track the Right Things

Stop obsessing over how many days you’ve studied.

Track things that actually move you forward:

• How many new sentences you’ve added to your log today
• How many times you’ve used them in writing or speaking
• How many conversations you had this week (even short ones)

Tracking this will actually help you.

So do it.

4. Surround Yourself With the Language

Fluency comes from exposure.

You didn’t learn your first language by studying grammar for 30 minutes a day.

You learned it because it was everywhere.

You need to recreate that:

• Watch a TV show in the language — one episode a day, no exceptions.
• Change your phone, Spotify, Netflix, and computer settings to the language.
• Narrate your day out loud.

“I’m making coffee.” → “Estoy haciendo café.”

This is how you rewire your brain.

Being “annoying” about it.

Also, quick tip:

Annoying is just a codeword uncommitted people use to refer to those who actually give a sht.*

5. Make Mistakes On Purpose

You cannot speak perfectly before you speak poorly.

Stop waiting to feel “ready.”

Start speaking even if your sentences are broken and awkward.

That’s why I recommended talking to AI and asking for feedback.

“Correct my grammar.”

“Give me a more natural way to say this.”

“Would a native speaker say it this way?”

Talking to people online helps a lot for the same reason.

Use italki, HelloTalk, Tandem, Reddit, WhatsApp groups etc.

Notice the patterns, make mistakes, get corrected, and repeat.

The person who messes up 1000 times will always beat the one waiting for perfection.

That’s precisely why you have to understand this:

You will not become fluent if you keep choosing comfort.

You will not become fluent if you keep watching shows in your native language because it’s easier.

You will not become fluent if every time you’re tired, distracted, or insecure — you quit.

This is about resolve.

Fluency is not a goal.

It’s the byproduct of thousands of small choices made daily.

You either:

• Choose to scroll Instagram in English

  or

• Do it in Portuguese

You either:

• Choose to rewatch The Office in English

  or

• Do it in Portuguese with subtitles in Portuguese

The language wins… or it doesn’t.

Your future self is watching.

And it knows you don’t need talent.

Nor 10 hours of study a day.

You need this:

• An unshakable decision that you will speak the language
• A routine that keeps you immersed
• The courage to look dumb for a while
• The discipline to show up every day
• And the resolve to keep going when it doesn’t feel as exciting

Anyone can dream about fluency.

But dreams don’t change your life.

Daily actions do.

So either do it…

Or stop lying to yourself.

Want help turning this into a system you can follow step by step?

I have a visual routine planner that comes with my polyglot AI optimized for language learning.

Check the link below if you’re interested.

https://beyondwithjohn.com/mre-2025/

Go live the language, my friend.

References:

• Alex Hormozi – Live For Yourself, Not For Others (9:19) – https://youtu.be/qqjGxVW-Ae0?si=8xOF3quPq-j4bbKn
• James Clear’s book “Atomic Habits”.