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I do believe this, but how did these elite develop this capacity? For me it is a juggling act right now. I am working full-time, in addition to side projects th

I do believe this, but how did these elite develop this capacity? For me it is a juggling act right now. I am working full-time, in addition to side projects that I hope will take off. If I were to graph it, it would probably looks something like this, ▁▁▃▂███, in terms of hours/effort, in the years timescale. You start off small, working your 8-4 job, realize you need to develop this capability to work on side project, there is an uptick in hours/effort till you can transition to your next gig. Then it tappers off as you make the transition. I hope it will looks something like this in a couple years ▁▁▃▂███▃▂▂▂▂. Where you are in life also make a massive difference. If you have the wherewithal to just transition, and weather the storm, then you are probably much better off. I like to race sailboats. It is amazing how mistakes/achievements can snowball quickly. Your goal is to get the snow ball going to the right direction ;)

cwp 14y ago
Well, I'd start with "don't do side projects." Remember, these are full-time students. They've put aside all other pursuits to dedicate themselves to learning to play the violin. They work hard at practicing violin and relax when they're not practicing violin.
nostrademons 14y ago
Project selection is pretty key to making this work. Your day job should teach you something new and give you opportunities for deliberate practice. If it doesn't, you're wasting 8 hours of your day. Worse, you're tiring yourself out for those 8 hours so that you can't effectively practice in your side projects. A coworker of mine described it as the "monkeybars" approach to career development: you hold onto the last skill you developed and use that as leverage to get you a position that will stretch you and teach you new skills. You're never starting from scratch - you can always provide value to your employer - but at the same time you're continually stretching your capabilities.

cwp 14y ago

Well, I'd start with "don't do side projects." Remember, these are full-time students. They've put aside all other pursuits to dedicate themselves to learning to play the violin. They work hard at practicing violin and relax when they're not practicing violin.

nostrademons 14y ago

Project selection is pretty key to making this work. Your day job should teach you something new and give you opportunities for deliberate practice. If it doesn't, you're wasting 8 hours of your day. Worse, you're tiring yourself out for those 8 hours so that you can't effectively practice in your side projects. A coworker of mine described it as the "monkeybars" approach to career development: you hold onto the last skill you developed and use that as leverage to get you a position that will stretch you and teach you new skills. You're never starting from scratch - you can always provide value to your employer - but at the same time you're continually stretching your capabilities.