S5E33: In still mode, but want to be in go mode

Full transcript:

Good morning and welcome to the LCP, the daily dose of language courage for people who love languages, and those who really don’t, but have to learn one anyway. And today’s episode is a continuation from yesterday’s episode called Still Mode or Go Mode?, so if you haven’t listened to yesterday’s yet, you might want to start there first, but it also does stand alone if you just want to stay here.

So yesterday, the question was,

Are you in still mode or go mode this autumn?

And yesterday we went into a lot more detail as to what each mode might mean for you, but in summary, Still mode, is getting quieter, getting cosier, getting more reflective and prioritising goals that mostly harvest the seeds we’ve planted throughout the year. Go mode is about getting motivated, getting inspired, driving ideas and progress and potentially starting big or high-intensity projects.

The problem is, a lot of us get caught in naturally needing to be in still mode, but being so attached to the idea of tangible results that go mode will bring. And that just creates a constant tug of war between what our body wants to do and what our brain is making it do and it leads us into quite a frustrating journey of procrastination, beating ourselves up about procrastinating, sitting at our desks and just not getting anything done and wondering why and just feeling like we’re not productive adults or we’re not behaving like a person with a goal.

But maybe it’s not resisting. Maybe it’s still mode and we’re not recognising it.

Because that’s the thing will still mode: it’s a time for a lot of inner work, a lot of reading and introspection and watching or reading content that heals us, but what it often doesn’t bring is immediate and visible tangible results. And that can lead us to think that the only mode that’s actually acceptable is go mode.

So today, if this is you, I just want to remind you that still mode is not useless. Far from it. Intangible results matter, healing matters, and having space for creativity and to come up with ideas, to reflect on how things are going and decide what really matters to you and what you want, it makes such a difference to your overall journey even if it can’t provide a neat box to tick off. So many of my podcast episodes come from random journaling and reflections from a year ago, or episodes from podcasts that I listen to that were never meant to be an act of tangible productivity. Having the space to be comfortable, mull over different things and just be a whole person again can be invaluable in thinking more creatively and looking at your goals from a more zoomed-out perspective down the line. Working from a place of wellbeing rather than burnout makes all the difference.

Still mode really doesn’t mean that nothing is happening. It just means it’s longer term investment and investment in you as a whole person. And you’r also not going to be here forever, this isn’t just who you are now. Still mode is a season, just like autumn and winter are, that paves the way for go mode again.  

So don’t feel guilty, language learners. Lean into it as far as life allows.

Have a wonderful day, and I will see you tomorrow.