Language Learning Weston Mauss Language Learning Weston Mauss

ATOMIC LANGUAGE HABITS

The book that’s helping me implement something better than good habits.

If I’m gonna game, I might as well be doing it in Spanish!

At the top of the year, I had a several goals that I wanted to focus on which all fit under one umbrella.

Be better.

This included being better at keeping promises to myself. For example, I said I was going to be reading more in 2025. Sadly, I'm one of those people who loves to buy books, but rarely reads them. Now, It maybe have taken a few months, but I sat my ass on the couch a few nights a week and read Atomic Habits by James Clear. Every productivity Youtuber had it at the top of their list, so I thought it must have something worth learning in it.

It's all about dissecting what habits are and the systems we've put in place that create them, shape them or break them. There were a few references to language learning in this book and it really got me thinking about my own systems when it comes to languages or if I even had one.

"Goals are about the results you want to achieve. Systems are about the processes that lead to those results." - James Clear

If my system was missing anything, it was that I didn't spend enough time engaging with the language on a personal level. I find myself thinking that I don't really sound like me. In English, I'm sarcastic and probably come off as being "not serious." In Spanish, I've been told that I sound "very correct", like a newscaster.

And I'm not sure how I feel about that.

In order to get myself to a place where my second and third languages are at a place I feel comfortable using them, I need to revamp my system.

Clear outlined his four laws to create a good habit and I'm going to build my system using pieces from this guide that I think would benefit my language learning journey.

  1. Make It Obvious

    “Design your environment. Make the cues of good habits obvious and visible.”

    I've brought as much Spanish into my environments as I can. All of my devices are in Spanish; phone, tablet, computer, tv, Xbox, watch...everything. I want to see as much Spanish as can (which is ironic as I continue to write all of this in English.)

  2. Make It Attractive

    “Use temptation bundling. Pair an action you want to do with an action you need to do.”

    I want to use more Spanish and I need to go grocery shopping, do house chores, take my dog for a walk, make dinner, etc. I can make my grocery and chores lists in Spanish, listen to a Spanish language podcast when I'm walking my dog, or reading a recipe (or following along on Youtube) in Spanish.

  3. Make It Easy

    “Master the decisive moment. Optimize the small choices that deliver outsized impact.”

    Being a remote worker has been such a blessing. But when I work from home and it's time for me to clock out, it's way too easy to lay down and take nap. In that moment, I know I have a hundred things I could be doing, but the power of a good nap is hard to resist! This is when I'd need to muster up some willpower and find a better way to use that time. Instead of shutting my brain off completely, perhaps it's my dedicated time to finally give Isla Verde the attention it deserves on Animal Crossing.

4. Make It Satisfying

“Never miss twice. When you forget to do a habit, make sure you get back on track immediately.”

  1. Duolingo and most gamified language learning apps have this covered. If you're wondering, at the time of writing this post, my Duolingo streak is 1,460 days. ¡Más de 4 años! Plenty of streak freezes were used in 2024, but I'm freeze free in 2025! I've also applied the idea of habit tracking to the gym. Each day I go, I add a little green "G" on my calendar. That way I can physically see all of the days I went (and not just feel that I went). I know a lot of people have strong feelings about Duolingo and whether or not it is a good way to learn a language. I can dig into that later, but it's hard to deny their impact when it comes to making learning free and entertaining.

Learning a language to me is a lot more than just a goal. It's a piece of my life that I don't want to lose, so by putting these systems in place, I can make sure it stays a part of my life and only grows with me.

-Weston

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Projects Weston Mauss Projects Weston Mauss

MIGHT (DID) DELETE LATER

And did….

Shot with my DJI Mini 4 Pro on a windy, warm, not-quite-spring day.

In the last post, I shared a video that I slapped together so I say I finally got a video up on my channel. My goal this is year is to start building a YouTube channel where I document my Spanish progress and, really, become a better creative overall. I’m proud that I was able to put that shoot, edit and upload that video in one day, but I know I could do better. I want to make sure I’m telling a story and that was far from that. So know that I didn’t delete that out of shame or embarrassment. It was more like a warm-up.

Recently, I’ve had a lot more clarity regarding where I’m really trying to end up in my life. I think the endgame has also been the same and I’ve always known what it is, but the getting over those hurdles hasn’t been easy. There has been a lot of personal growth that has taken place and I think I needed to get to that place before I really, truly didn’t give a fuck. Or maybe I realized I was running out of options? Either way, the goal is so much more clear now and I know I’ll get there by clearing one hurdle at a time.

Keeping up with my Spanish is a lifelong hurdle, but becoming an expert drone pilot, that’s the next challenge. If you’ve read my about me page, then you know I’m already a FAA-Certified Remote Pilot, so I’m already on my way. That also means I’m hirable ;)

But to re-kick things off, I’ll have the OFFICIAL first entry of the Spanish diary series out this month and I’ll be sharing a lot more photos on my instagram. I’m also quite active over on Bluesky, so feel free to follow me there too!

The work continues.

-WM

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Projects Weston Mauss Projects Weston Mauss

PRESS RECORD

¡Lo hicimos!…We did it!

Taken at the Minnesota Zoo.

My first video is up on my channel! I said I’d get it done, didn’t I?!*

In order for me to get this done, I really had to change my mindset. Whenever I’d start a project, I’d always first think, “What would [insert community] respond to?” I was always trying to make something that I thought I needed to do. I’d follow the pre-planned steps, try and present myself how I think I’d be best received and without fail, it’d fall apart. Every time.

This time I thought, “I send my friends ridiculous videos all the time about my thoughts, my experiences, my life…why not just do that, but share it with everyone?” I don’t know why that didn’t click sooner, but I found that by having that mindset, a lot of my fear just went away. That combined with the constant reminder that I’m on a path of improvement and knowing I’ll only get better, really helped me break down some mental blocks that I’ve been struggling with.

The most challenging part was doing this all in Spanish. Everything else just kind of happened. And with a new month starting tomorrow, I’ll have more than one day to put something better together. For now, I’m just happy that I’m back on track to finding my creative self.

-WM

*I thought for weeks that I had a 2nd blog post up. I wrote it all up, including an anecdote about why I relate to Alicia Keys and her ‘Put It In A Love Song’ video debacle and the struggle of striving for perfection. Only to discover that the final version was never published and it reverted back to draft form. Crazy…

Sigue la receta la próxima vez, por favor…

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Life Weston Mauss Life Weston Mauss

THE NICHE OF IT ALL

My branch of the niche tree.

Captured the fall colors in the Driftless Area along the Mississipi River between Minnesota and Wisconsin.

niche • /niCH,nēSH/

a subgroup of a broader target audience that shares specific needs, interests or characteristics.

It’s hard for a creative person with too many interests to pick a niche. My interests are my children, or whatever Daenerys said.

You can’t just pick one!

If there is a technical reason to choose a niche, it helps you focus on one thing at a time. It also makes things like SEO a lot easier, too. Being a creative hopefully means you’re sharing the things that you create, so it’d be nice if you made it easier for people to find you, right? But you don’t want to get so specific and put yourself left of left field, either! And what about being (in my Beyoncé voice) UNIQUE?! That has to count for something!

I wish it were as easy as putting all of your interests into a mixing bowl, dumping it in a square pan, popping it in the oven and in 20-25 minutes you’ve baked your perfect niche cake. Every interest and passion you have combined together that is tasty, interesting and easily digestible.

Unfortunately, I had to take the last delicious route and put pen to paper. Writing down what I enjoy, what are my passions and what makes me…me. I could list every interest and adjective I came up with, but I’ll spare you and just share a slice of the hypothetical niche cake. My niche is language learning, but with a cultural and inclusive twist.

By combining my love for languages (and the search for more Black people in the language learning community), personal growth, filmmaking and my personal life experiences, I think I have something that is familiar, yet has that little extra something that I can bring to the table.

There’ll be some projects I’ll be sharing on this site, like a Spanish diary Youtube channel as well as something I’ve been working on for a long time with my sister. So, so much to be excited about and I can’t wait to share it!

The work continues.

-WM

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