500 days

500 days

Today is the 500th day of our Morning Reading Club(kləb)! As I mentioned the other day, we also recently passed 100,000 subscribers(səbˈskrībər). I wanted to take a moment to say thank you, and to share some of what I’ve learned.

So, first of all: thanks! I’m truly(ˈtro͞olē) grateful(ˈgrātfəl) for each and every(ˈevrē) reader, for each and every comment. I’m excited(ikˈsītid) to know that the material(məˈti(ə)rēəl) I share here has been helpful for you on your journey(ˈjərnē) of learning(ˈlərniNG) English.

Now, here are some things I’ve learned:

1) Persistence(pərˈsistəns) matters(ˈmatər)

I’ve never persisted(pərˈsist) in a daily(ˈdālē) habit(ˈhabit) as long as I have with the Morning Reading Club. But posting something each day has been so important in growing the community here. There have been a couple(ˈkəpəl) of events that have added a lot of new subscribers all at once (thanks, Xiaolai!), but mostly the growth has been fairly(ˈfe(ə)rlē) steady(ˈstedē), and I’m sure that is due to the daily, consistent nature(ˈnāCHər) of the posts. That said, I should do a better job of promotion!

Persistence also matters for you as well. I get feedback from readers all the time, and the ones who have truly built a habit of daily practice(ˈpraktəs) are the ones who have seen impressive(imˈpresiv) results.

2) Regularity(ˌregyəˈlaritē) matters

I’ve learned that it’s important to share at a regular time each day, otherwise it’s hard for readers to build their own practice habit. I used to get up in the morning to record, but that meant that the posts didn’t go out at a regular time. Now I usually record in advance(ədˈvans), and we set the posts to automatically post at 6:15am.

Regularity is also important for building your own practice habit. You don’t have to practice in the morning, but in general(ˈjenərəl) it’s good to have a specific(spəˈsifik) time of day when you practice. I’ve heard from readers who practice first thing in the morning, right before they go to bed, while they go to the bathroom, while they walk to work or school, while they cook, and so on, and it’s generally the readers who have chosen(ˈCHōzən) a specific time to practice who are able to build up the habit.

3) One size doesn’t fit all

I try to choose a variety(vəˈrīətē) of materials(məˈti(ə)rēəl) and levels for our daily practice materials, and I truly believe that anyone, no matter their level, can benefit(ˈbenəfit) from practicing what I share(SHe(ə)r) here. However, I’ve learned that sometimes difficulty(ˈdifikəltē) can be a barrier(ˈbarēər) that prevents(priˈvent) people from persisting with the practice, and so I think in the future(ˈfyo͞oCHər) I should provide some alternate materials for more basic(ˈbāsik) learners.

These are just a few things that I’ve learned. I’m sure that I’ll keep learning on the way, and I always appreciate(əˈprēSHēˌāt) the feedback and suggestions(sə(g)ˈjesCHən) that you give me.

Thank you for joining me on this journey. Will you still be here on day 1,000?