253. Small Steps Matter

Big success does not happen overnight. It’s the result of consistent small steps practised over time. How does it work? I will explain in my examples below.

5 Second Rule

When you hear the alarm and continue staying in bed, telling yourself that another 10 minutes will not matter, you program and train your body and brain to procrastinate. But, if instead of staying in bed, you count ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR, FIVE and get up, you train yourself to win the battle with yourself.

Cold Shower

Taking a cold shower lasts only 30 seconds, yet it feels incredibly difficult. But it's so difficult because we start thinking about how unpleasant and scary it will be.

Stop negotiating with yourself - just do it. When I started cold water swimming, the hardest part wasn’t the water itself, but overcoming the fear of it. Once I stopped thinking and simply acted, everything changed. Now it's my addiction. I love it so much because after swimming in cold water, I feel high energy.

Unpleasant Phone Call

We often delay making that one phone call we dread—maybe because we’re afraid of upsetting someone. We hope the problem will disappear if we avoid it long enough. But it never does.

In fact, the longer we wait, the worse it usually gets. Make the call as soon as possible, and you’ll feel lighter and relieved for the rest of the day.

5-minute speech exercises daily

Great speaking skills aren’t built in a single training session. They come from small, consistent daily practice.

Just 5 minutes a day of reading out loud and doing articulation exercises will make a remarkable difference over time. Start it today with the app Elocution Lessons!

Small actions create big change.

Do the little things daily, and the big results will follow.

Start now - your future self is waiting.

Warmly

Olga Smith

www.batcsglobal.com

244. How Long Does It Take to Get Rid of an Accent?

This is one of the most common questions we hear from people starting our elocution lessons.

The answer depends on two main factors:

 1. Your ear for language – how well you can hear and imitate sounds.

2. Your commitment – whether you can dedicate 15–45 minutes a day to focused practice.

People with a naturally good ear often make faster progress. However, the second factor is far more important. Accent reduction is not just about listening — it’s about retraining your speech organs (your tongue, lips, and jaw) to produce the correct English sounds consistently.

Like any physical skill, it takes regular, mindful practice. The more you train, the faster your muscles and mind adapt — and the sooner you’ll sound clear, confident, and natural.

You can start your practice today with our apps:

Get Rid of your Accent (British English, RP)

American Accent App (American English)

Warmly

Olga Smith

www.batcsglobal.com