“ The best thing that can happen to the human being is to find a problem, to fall in love with that problem, and live trying to solve that problem, unless another problem even, more lovable appears.
_ Josh Kaufman.
Your future depends upon the skill you learn today. Whether it may be social, professional, or just a lovable skill. Learning a new language is a skill. It might seem to us like a mere skill, but, you don’t know when it will help you meet your ends. Maybe as an entrepreneur or as a traveler, it will help you.
For, an entrepreneur, being able to communicate with a client in his mother tongue is something excellent. Because in that way he would be able to explain the deal and it’s requirements clearly and precisely. For, a traveler knowing the regional language will not create any obstacle. He will be able to communicate and oblique.
Why multiple skills?
I know many people believe. “ It is good to be a master of a single skill rather than the jack of many skills.” But: in today’s diverse and multi-dynamic world it is good to know as many as skills you could. You don’t know in which situation you are going to land in the next second. Where your skill would be helpful when?
So, always try to learn as many related skills. If you are an entrepreneur then you need to acquire public speaking skills, different languages, and multi-dynamic personality traits. Once, you acquire these skills, for sure your every deal is going to be path-breaking.
If you are someone who wants to live a tranquil life then, you should need to have the skill to choose happiness. Believe me, “choosing happiness” is a skill. Also, yoga, meditation, and calmness are required. These all are skills that eventually with practice become the habits.
You know the wonderful thing about the above things is that we all know. What are the required skills of our profession? What do we need to bring in practice to improve the quality of our life? But, we all make an excuse, “I don’t have time.” ‘I am a very busy person.” “ This skill will require much time. Let’s think about it any other time.”
How much time does it take to acquire a new skill?
Well, in this context, many people misquote Malcolm Gladwell. He is a Canadian journalist and writer known best for his unique perspective on popular cultures.
The professor at the Florida university- K. Anders Ericsson was the originator of 10,000 hours rule. He had explained that rule from the viewpoint of expertise. It may be professional golf, music performance, or learning a new language. K. Anders Ericsson was the curator of the law but it was popularized by Malcolm Gladwell through his book,’ Outliners: the story of success.’
The 10,000 hours rule.
Malcolm Gladwell also said that you have to have 10000 hours in a subject to be an expert in it.
Here, people often think in the order as if he said it takes 10000 hours to learn a thing. That’s not the case, he mentions,’ If you wish to be an expert in the field, then you have to dedicate those 10000 hours.’
Gladwell explains that reaching the 10,000–Hour Rule, which he considers the key to success in any field, is simply a matter of practicing a specific task that can be accomplished with 20 hours of work a week for 10 years. Gladwell addresses this thing in terms of individuals who have mastered their skills. They have expertise in their craft.
In the above context, Josh Kaufman quotes it well,
Trouble comes when we confuse learning with new skill acquisition. If you want to acquire a new skill, you must practice it in context. Learning enhances practice, but it doesn’t replicate it. If performance matters, learning alone is enough.
Rapid skill Acquisition.
If you want to learn any skill you wish, you can learn it in 20 hours. I know it’s hard to believe.
Many skills can be learned to a satisfactory level with 20 hours of directed, strategic effort. According to self-described “ Learning addict”, Josh Kaufman’s, ‘ The first 20 hours: How to learn anything….Fast, You can learn just about any skill to a sufficient level with twenty hours of focused effort.
Josh Kaufman says, “ In my experience, it takes around twenty hours of practice ….. To go from knowing absolutely nothing about what you’re trying to do to performing noticeably well… It doesn’t matter whether you want to learn a language, write a novel, paint a portrait, or start a business. If you invest as a little as twenty hours in learning the basics of the skill, you’ll be surprised at how good you can become.”
The first 20 hours….How to learn anything…Fast.
One of the genuine challenges for fast skill acquisition according to the first 20 hours, is to get past the beginner’s barricade, which is the disappointment that transpires when learning something that doesn’t come as you’d hope.
Above happens with all of us including me too. Here, I would like to share the thing that I experienced. I was learning french. In the beginning, I didn’t have any clue about language. When I started, the level of enthusiasm was very high. Like, everyone, else I thought, I will attain masters in one or two days. But; that doesn’t happen. The problems like an ascent, grammar, speaking, reading, and writing will come across the path of any beginner. So, they came to mine too. And as a result, I quit learning a new language ( French ) in just three days.
Does it work?
Everyone would be probably thinking, and certainly, they should think. Does this technique work?
So, let me tell you, this method works. And it is scientifically proven.
Researchers have noticed a common study pattern, in the hypothetical studies of cognitive and motor skill acquirement. That is when subject associates start to practice a new skill, their performance always uplifts dramatically in a very short time.
It doesn’t take much training at all to go from “Being beginner and steady inexperienced ” to “Fairly quick and noticeably experienced”.In literature, this law emerged repeatedly but caught the attention of skill acquisition researchers from 1926. This law is referred to as the’ “ Power law of practice”
Learning curves.
Academic studies draw the ‘ power of practice in a below-given way. The curve represents the ‘ Performance time’ on the Y-axis and ‘ Practice events ‘ on the X-axis.
In the below-given graph, time is the quantity that increases, the curve slopes down. With practice, it takes less time to complete a given task.
In contrast, we can see the below-given graph. It is the opposite of what is given above.
If you relabel the y-axis as “how good you are”, the result is the known learning curve: Isn’t that interesting.
So, it’s your choice what learning graph do you wish to have? Do you want to go on the path of progress? I am not saying that, don’t ask yourself, ‘ How good you are at a particular skill? But ask that question to yourself once you have completed 20 hours of skill acquisition.
Rapid skill acquisition has 4 steps.
Rapid skill acquisition is not rocket science. Below are the guidelines for acquiring any skill in just four simple steps. For your better understanding let’s take an example. “ Learning a new language. Say french.
As I said, I quit learning french in just three days. But: later on, I started learning it once again. I followed the ideology of Josh Kaufman. It worked and the outcomes were amazing. So, Let’s take a glance at each step of rapid skill acquisition through the above example.
1. Deconstructing a skill into the smallest possible sub-skills.
Breaking your skills into worthy tiny manageable pieces is the most crucial thing in acquiring any skill. Deconstruct your task into subskills. By focusing on the critical sub-skills first, you’ll make more progress with less effort. By understanding the crucial subskills you’ll be able to invest more of your time and energy mastering the critical sub-skills first.
The first 20 hours tell you how to use fundamental learning time to maximize effect and have an abrupt learning curve as possible. To learn the skill, you must deconstruct the skill to be able to practice effectively and discipline.
When I was learning french. Being able to speak the french was the most root skill. And for that improving my listening ability was of more significance. Then, Later came on an ascent, grammar, speaking, reading, and writing the french. At first, I am meant to listen and understand calmly, what the tutor is teaching me. Followed by learning ascent and so on. So, in that way, I deconstructed the whole skill into its smallest possible subskills.
2. Learning enough about each sub-skill to be able to practice intelligently and self-correct during practice.
It becomes crucial to know everything about the skill you are learning. If you wish to acquire skills in the correct approach, then you need to learn enough about each subskill. So that your 20 hours dedication to the skill would be worth it.
To understand the ascent, I should listen to the pronunciations made by my tutor. Listen to interviews and podcasts in French. So, the same in the case of speaking french. For, being able to read it. Some literature, magazines, and books must be read. At the same time, grammar should be applied in every single sentence.
Understanding each subskill well sets you in the correct direction.
3. Removing physical, mental, and emotional barriers that get in the way of practice.
Removing the barriers whether they be emotional or environmental is most important. Because maybe you would be able to acquire a skill. But; you won’t be able to extract and absorb all of it.
Here, Josh Kaufman best explains the barriers coming your way. The way to tackle them is something you need to find. Because you know the best about what is best for you.
Significant pre-practice effort. Such as confusing your tools, Unable to acquire appropriate tools in pre-practice hours, and leaping set-up requirements.
Intermittent resource availability. Borrowing the main resource requirements. Relying on the resources that cannot be operated for long terms.
Environmental distractions. Such as television, ringing phones, and incoming e-mail.
Emotional blocks. Fear, self-doubt, low self-esteem.
4. Practicing the most important sub-skill for at least twenty hours.
“Finding time is the myth” and no wonder we potentially believe in that. If you cannot hold back yourself from your regular enjoyment then you will end up only learning the skill. You will never be able to efficiently learn and acquire it.
Practicing what you have learned is most important of all. And of course, we all know,” Practice makes a man perfect”. So, hold back from enjoyment and make time for practicing the important subskill.
Such as for french, speaking, reading and writing are important subskills. I will have to practice a single text many times, revise a grammar book multiple times. For writing, I should learn the script, practice The consonants, words, and then sentences.
Skill acquisition happens in three stages.
1. Cognitive ( early ) stage -Researching, Understanding, and thinking about the skills. Breaking it into manageable skills.
2. Associative ( Intermediate ) stage – Practicing, Noticing feedback, and adjusting practice based on feedback.
3. Autonomous ( late ) stage – Effectively and efficiently performing the skill with little thinking or attention required.
Nine principles of rapid skill acquistion.
In skill acquisition, the author Josh Kaufman shares the nine principles that everyone needs to follow. If you want to learn most of the level of skill. If you want to discover how good you can be in a specific thing then, I would suggest you, follow the below-given principles.
Nine principles of rapid skill acquisition:
- Choose a winsome project.
- Concentrate on a single skill at a time.
- Set the target performance levels.
- Deconstruct the skill into its small constituents.
- Obtain significant skills.
- Remove obstacles
- Create fast feedback loops.
- Practice by the time in short spates.
- Feature quantity over quality in beginning.
Among all nine principles of rapid skill acquisition, the first one that is choosing a loveable project is of great importance. Just ask your mind, “ Can I give 20 dedicated hours of my life to this thing?” If your answer is yes and you hardly want the thing to happen. Then you must continue.
It’s important because you cannot give your best until you choose the best. When you will follow the first thing, then you are going to get the other nine things in your pocket. Skills and abilities grow with practice and persistence. And you are going to get motivation for that only in case you chose the work you love.
The author’s skills acquisition.
The author not only claims about the 20 hours method but has practiced and implemented it. He has acquired many skills in 20 hours or sometimes less. The below given are some skills that the author that Acquired.
Developing a personal yoga practice
Writing a web-based computer program
Relearning to touch-type
Exploring the oldest and most complex board game in history
Playing a musical instrument
Windsurfing
Ten major principles of effective learning:
As Author and entrepreneur, Josh Kaufman gave us ten principles for rapid skill acquistion. So, he gives us a list of ten major principles for effective learning. Learning is a far different p from skill acquisition. But, they share a thing in common that is ‘skill’.
Learning enhances your practice, in the way that you spend more of your practice time concentrating on the significant sub-skill first. Don’t make simple things complicated with ease as they don’t need to be that way.
Below given are ten major principles for effective learning.
- Investigate about the skill and related topics.
- Jump in over your head.
- Identify mental samples and hooks.
- Visualize the contrast of what you wish.
- Discuss with experts to set expectations.
- Remove distractions from the surrounding.
- Interval routine and brace for memorization.
- Make frameworks and checklists.
- Create and examine foresight.
- Sanctify your biology.
Start to acquire the skills you wish from the present moment. If you agree with the above text, then I hope you will no longer give any excuse. Use your time wisely. No sooner you will discover the master and learning enthusiast in yourself.
