The first 20 hours -- how to learn anything | Josh Kaufman | TEDxCSU
TEDx Talks・13 minutes read
Becoming parents prompted Gustavo Rocha to explore the 10,000-hour rule for skill acquisition, but he found that focused practice for just 20 hours could lead to significant improvement, leading him to successfully learn to play the ukulele and showcasing the effectiveness of deliberate practice for acquiring new skills.
Insights
- Learning a new skill effectively doesn't always require thousands of hours of practice; significant improvement can be achieved in just 20 hours of focused, deliberate practice, breaking down the skill into manageable parts and committing to self-correction and minimal distractions.
- The emotional barrier, rather than intellectual limitations, often hinders individuals from acquiring new skills; dedicating 20 hours of deliberate practice to pursue passions like learning a language, playing an instrument, or cooking can lead to tangible progress and personal growth.
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Recent questions
How did becoming parents impact Gustavo and Kelsey?
Their priorities and routines drastically changed.
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Summary
00:00
Parenting Entrepreneurs Master New Skills Quickly
- Gustavo Rocha and his wife Kelsey welcomed their daughter Lela two years ago, leading to a significant shift in their lives.
- Becoming parents altered their priorities and daily routines drastically, requiring them to learn new skills like dressing their child.
- Both Gustavo and Kelsey work from home as entrepreneurs, managing their own businesses while caring for their infant daughter.
- Gustavo, a self-proclaimed geek, values learning and was concerned about losing free time for personal growth due to parenting responsibilities.
- Research led Gustavo to the 10,000-hour rule, popularized by Malcolm Gladwell, suggesting extensive practice is needed to excel in competitive fields.
- However, further investigation revealed that for personal skill acquisition, the learning curve is more efficient, with significant improvement achievable in just 20 hours of focused practice.
- Gustavo's research emphasized the importance of deliberate practice, breaking down skills into manageable parts, self-correction, removing distractions, and committing to at least 20 hours of practice.
- To test this theory, Gustavo decided to learn to play the ukulele, starting with acquiring the instrument and familiarizing himself with its basics.
- He discovered that mastering a few essential chords and techniques was key to playing songs effectively, highlighting the simplicity behind acquiring new skills.
- Gustavo's experience with learning the ukulele validated the effectiveness of focused practice, demonstrating that significant progress can be made in a relatively short time with the right approach.
15:06
"Four Chords Unlock Decades of Pop"
- Axis of Awesome claims that by knowing just four chords - G, D, Em, and C - one can play almost any pop song from the last five decades, as demonstrated by a medley of popular songs performed.
- The speaker shares their experience of learning to play the ukulele by practicing for 20 hours, emphasizing that the main obstacle to learning something new is not intellectual but emotional, encouraging others to dedicate 20 hours to pursue their passions, whether it's learning a language, cooking, drawing, or any other interest.
