Getting in the zone

There's definitely a mood that you have to get into for language studying. A sort of zone - like a sprinter I suppose, or an artist painting a picture - when you're in the zone it's all so easy: words come readily into your head, recognizing kanji is like reading the alphabet, communication is just plain simple.

I think there are probably a number of factors that contribute to whether or not you are in the zone, but the obvious one for me is confidence. I've noticed that after particularly successful lessons, or conversations, my ability to study and absorb the language is heightened. It seems obvious to say, but after a bad lesson, or an occasion where you found you couldn't even utter a sentence, the motivation to study just isn't there at all - for me anyway.

What I want to do is try and find a way to place myself in the zone without having to wait for some fortuitous circumstance to put me there. Maybe a I need to start boiling potions or something. Try to find the elusive elixir of second language acquisition. My goodness, I'd probably make a fortune.