4 ms·

I think the 10,000h thing should have a caveat that you also must do the 10,000 with the purpose of improving that skill, and not just doing something for 10,00

by mtgx 9y ago

I think the 10,000h thing should have a caveat that you also must do the 10,000 with the purpose of improving that skill, and not just doing something for 10,000 hours absent-minded. So if you wanted to improve your driving then you'd do 10,000h of driving in which you'd try to become better than the last hour in every one of those hours. Similarly, runners don't just do "running for fun" when they try to improve their skill, or count walking as part of their 10,000 hours. They try to beat their previous scores when they train.

epicide 9y ago
This is exactly what Cal Newport talks about in So Good They Can't Ignore You. He calls it "deliberate practice" and gives the examples of playing guitar. He (Cal) started playing around the same time as [professional guitarist] and claims to have likely played around the same number of hours. The difference was that he stuck to songs he was comfortable with. If he ever tried to learn a song that was out of his reach, he would give up and learn a different song. Contrast with the other guy, who would constantly push himself to not only play songs just outside of his comfort zone, but push himself to play them faster. I believe he used a phrase that really stuck with me: the idea of "being comfortable with being uncomfortable".