The 10-minute think-in-English routine

Translating in your head costs three seconds a sentence — that pause is what feels like ‘I can’t speak’. Ten minutes a day of thinking directly in English removes the pause. No book, no app, no teacher needed.

1. Morning narration (5 min): describe what you see as you wake up and get ready — ‘The fan is on. My tea is hot. The bus is late again.’ If you don’t know a word, describe it: ‘the thing for the rain’ instead of stopping.
2. Thinking pauses (5 min, spread out): while waiting or washing up, ask yourself a simple question in English and answer it in your head — ‘What am I doing? What do I want for lunch? What’s next?’
3. Emotion check-ins (a few seconds, several times): name the feeling in a full sentence with a reason — ‘I’m nervous because the meeting is at four.’ Feelings make words stick.

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Right now: describe five things you can see, out loud. Then ask yourself ‘What do I want to do tonight?’ and answer in English.