How to Learn Anything... Fast - Josh Kaufman

RSA・2 minutes read

The 10,000-hour rule by Malcolm Gladwell has been misinterpreted, as research shows that proficiency in a skill can be achieved in around 20 hours of focused practice with proper techniques and strategies. By committing to at least 20 hours of deliberate practice, breaking down skills into sub-skills, and removing barriers to practice, efficient learning and skill improvement can be achieved in a short timeframe.

Insights

  • Contrary to the popular 10,000-hour rule, research suggests that proficiency in a skill can be achieved with just 20 hours of focused practice, emphasizing the importance of deliberate and efficient learning methods.
  • Deconstructing skills into manageable sub-skills, committing to a minimum of 20 hours of deliberate practice, and removing barriers to focused learning are key strategies for efficient skill acquisition, allowing individuals to make significant progress in a short timeframe.

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Recent questions

  • What is the 10,000-hour rule?

    The 10,000-hour rule suggests it takes 10,000 hours of deliberate practice to excel in a skill, but it has been misunderstood in society.

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Summary

00:00

Mastering Skills: The 20-Hour Rule

  • The 10,000-hour rule, popularized by Malcolm Gladwell, suggests it takes 10,000 hours of deliberate practice to excel in a skill, based on research by K Anders Ericsson.
  • However, the idea has been misconstrued in society, leading to the belief that 10,000 hours are needed to master or learn something, which is not accurate.
  • Contrary to the 10,000-hour rule, research indicates that going from knowing nothing to being proficient in a skill can take around 20 hours of focused practice.
  • To effectively learn a new skill in a short time, a method involving five steps is proposed: defining a clear performance goal, breaking down the skill into sub-skills, researching key sub-skills, removing practice barriers, and committing to at least 20 hours of deliberate practice.
  • Deconstructing a skill involves identifying and practicing the most crucial sub-skills that contribute to overall proficiency, rather than tackling the skill as a whole.
  • Researching involves finding resources to aid in understanding and practicing key sub-skills, without allowing research to become a form of procrastination.
  • Removing barriers to practice includes eliminating distractions and making it easy to engage in focused practice, such as pre-committing to practice for at least 20 hours.
  • Pre-committing to 20 hours of practice serves as a check on commitment, helps push through initial frustrating stages of learning, and is a strategic timeframe for seeing significant improvement.
  • Learning a new skill efficiently involves focused, strategic effort, removing barriers to practice, and committing to deliberate practice, which can save time and energy.
  • Learning motor skills, like playing the guitar, can benefit from practicing shortly before sleeping to enhance skill consolidation and performance improvement the next day.

17:09

Mastering Guitar: Four Chords to Success

  • Comedy rock band, Axis of Awesome, has a song called "Four Chords" where they humorously demonstrate that knowing four chords and how to switch between them allows you to play numerous pop songs.
  • Learning to play the guitar involves starting with basic chords and practicing them until they become automatic, then progressing to more complex songs that require moving up and down the fretboard.
  • The concept of "The First 20 Hours" emphasizes committing to practicing a new skill for at least 20 hours before deciding whether to continue, enabling a manageable timeframe for improvement and evaluation.
  • Research indicates that the initial hours of learning any skill are crucial for rapid improvement, known as the power law of practice, but there is limited guidance on balancing pushing oneself out of the comfort zone versus incremental progress in skill acquisition.
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