How to learn anything: two models of skill acquisition. How to Learn Anything: Two Skill Acquisition Models How to Learn Anything in 20 Hours

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Josh Kaufman
First 20 hours. How To Quickly Learn… Anything

Dedicated Lele

THE FIRST 20 HOURS

How to Learn Anything. . Fast

All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.

This edition published by arrangement with Portfolio, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

Copyright © 2013 Worldly Wisdom Ventures LLC.

© Goldberg Yu., translation into Russian, 2014

© Design, edition in Russian. LLC Publishing Group Azbuka-Atticus, 2014

To the reader

Life is short, art - not to comprehend.

Geoffrey Chaucer, Parliament of the Birds

"I want so much... but I don't have much time." Here is the history of modern life.

Stop for a minute and think about what you would like to do. What's on your list? What is stopping you from fulfilling your desires?

Most likely, two things: time and lack of skills.

The truth is not very pleasant: the most interesting activities in life always require a certain skill. It takes time and effort to master it—time we don't have and effort we don't tend to put in.

"I'll deal with it later when I have a free moment."

Frankly, it's easier to sit in front of the TV or surf the World Wide Web, which is what most people do, whose desires for this reason remain in the realm of dreams.

And here's another ugly truth: many activities are not fun until you achieve some success in them. Each skill has its own, as I call it, frustration barrier- a period of time when nothing works out for you at all, and you acutely feel this fact. Why waste time when you know you can't learn it properly?

Wouldn't it be great if you knew a way to learn new skills without feeling that fear? Quickly overcome the barrier of frustration and move on to the stage that brings joy? Spend less time on the tedious struggle with confusion and doubt, and more time on pleasure?

Is it possible to acquire new skills without much pain, in a way that requires less time and effort?

My experience is: yes, it is possible.

This book is about my personal pursuit of art and science. rapid acquisition of skills– that is, how to learn something new as quickly as possible. The goal of this book is to help you master new skills in record time.

I've found from experience that it takes about 20 hours to get past the frustration barrier—that is, from not being able to do what you're trying to learn to making noticeable progress.

This book describes a systematic approach to acquiring new skills as quickly as possible. The proposed method is universal. It doesn't matter if you want to learn a foreign language, write a novel, paint a portrait, start a business or fly an airplane. After spending just 20 hours learning the basics of a skill, you will be surprised at the success you achieve.

We'll start with the principles of rapid skill acquisition: how to master a new skill in the shortest amount of time. The theory and practice are not very difficult, and learning will not take long.

Then I'll explain how to apply these principles in the real world, showing how I acquired six new skills in 20 hours or less each, with no more than an hour and a half per day.

– Development of an individual set of yoga exercises.

– Development of a computer program for an Internet application.

– Relearning typing on a computer using the blind method.

– Study of an ancient complex game.

- Playing a musical instrument.

– Windsurfing.

I hope this book will inspire you to dust off your old wish list, revisit it, and start learning something new.

Josh Kaufman

1
Portrait of the author as a fan of learning

Every morning I get up with the intention of changing the world and having a great time. Sometimes this makes it hard for me to plan my day.

My name is Josh Kaufman and I am an avid learning enthusiast.

The cupboards in my home and office are filled to overflowing with books, tools, and all sorts of unused equipment, which are slowly covered with a layer of dust.

My list of things to learn includes hundreds of items. My Amazon.com shopping cart currently contains 241 titles, all of which are books I would like to read. When I walk into a bookstore, I can't leave without three or four new books to supplement the 852 volumes I already have.

Every day an idea for another project or experiment comes to me, and I add it to an ever-growing list called “someday/maybe”. When I look at the list of everything I would like to learn, I get confused, so I don't do it very often.

I want to know how to improve the efficiency of my publishing business. I want to learn how to shoot and edit videos. I want to prepare an audio program. I want to understand how to improve my seminars and make my courses more effective.

I have ideas for a new product, but I don't know how to create it. I came up with new computer programs, but I don't know how to write them. There are so many plots of books in my head that I don’t have enough time or energy for them.

I want to learn how to draw. Learn to raft down the river in a kayak. Fly fish. I want to learn rock climbing, I want to be able to play guitar, ukulele, piano and electric violin.

I like some games, like Go, but I never learned how to play them. The rules of other games, chess in particular, are known to me, but I don't play them very well and therefore - without getting much pleasure - quite rarely.

I am attracted to golf, but every game turns into a training in fortitude, when I have to hide my confusion behind laughter. (I usually say I'm playing a golf marathon: by the end of the game I'm running a marathon distance.)

I get the impression that every day I add some new skill to the list of what I would like to be able to, ad infinitum1
Ad infinitum - to infinity (lat.). - Note. lane.

There is so much to learn and so little time!

By nature, I am one of those who do everything with their own hands. If there is a problem that needs to be solved, I would rather do it myself than ask for help. Even if someone does it faster and better, I don't want to deprive myself of the pleasure of learning something.

Complicating the situation is the fact that my wife, Kelsey, has her own business - developing continuing education courses for yoga teachers. We both enjoy doing business, and therefore are constantly busy.

And to make life even more interesting, we gave this world our daughter Lela. As I write these lines, Lele is nine months old.

Even before Lela was born, Kelsey and I decided that if we had children, then raising them should be the most important thing for us. One of the main reasons I left my job as a manager at a Fortune 500 corporation was the need for flexible hours, the desire to work from home, and manage my own time and spend as much of this time with my family as possible.

Kelsey and I share parenting responsibilities equally. Since there are two businesses in our family, Kelsey works in the mornings, while I take care of Lela. After lunch, the daughter is taken over by Kelsey, and I work until dinner. This gives me 25 working hours a week, plus the time I manage to find while Lela sleeps.

After the birth of Lela, I barely had time to cope with work, and there was no question of acquiring new skills. An avid lover of learning could be driven crazy. I didn't want to give up my studies and opportunities for personal growth completely, even after new family responsibilities emerged. I don't have a lot of free time, but I was going to use it as rationally as possible.

Thus, interest arose in what I call rapid skill acquisition, methods for quickly learning new skills.

I am sure you will understand me. How much “free” time do you have every day after work is done and family obligations are fulfilled? Don't you think that there should be 36 or 48 hours in a day so that you have time to sit down and learn something new?

There is a well-known expression: "work smart". It turned out that the process of acquiring a new skill is not related to the number of hours spent, but to what you spend those hours on.

Damn you, Malcolm Gladwell!

In 2008, Malcolm Gladwell wrote a book called Geniuses and Outsiders. Why is everything for some and nothing for others? 2
Gladwell M. Geniuses and outsiders. Why is everything for some and nothing for others? – M.: Mann, Ivanov and Ferber, 2013.

("Outliers: The Story of Success"). In it, the author tried to explain why some people are more successful than others.

One idea that Gladwell refers to over and over again is called the 10,000 hour rule. A study by Dr. C. Anders Erickson of Florida State University found that it takes an average of 10,000 hours of targeted training to achieve a high level of performance.

10,000 hours is equivalent to eight hours of daily practice for approximately three and a half years, without breaks, weekends or holidays. If we assume that there are 260 full-time working days in a year, then this is full employment for five years, provided that in all 100% of the time you invest 100% of your energy and strength.

In practice, this level of concentration requires extreme effort. Even the world-class masters of highly competitive professions (such as musicians and athletes) only have enough energy for about three and a half hours of intense daily practice. This means that it may take 10 years to achieve mastery.

In other words, Dr. Erickson's research indicates that if you want to learn a new skill, get ready for a long journey. To become the best in the world in any field, even for a short time, it will take years and years of hard training. If you do not want to spend so much time and effort, you will be eclipsed by those who are ready for it.

Geniuses and Outsiders skyrocketed to the top of the non-fiction bestseller lists and stayed there for three months. In the blink of an eye, the "10,000 hour rule" became a postulate.

Do you not only have to find the time to exercise... but you also have to spend exactly 10,000 hours on them? Most consider themselves lucky if they manage to carve out a few hours a week. Why even make all this mess if it takes so much time to learn?

Look at my great deeds! 3
Shelley P. B. Ozymandias / Per. K. Balmont. - Note. lane.

Before you step back, think about this.

There is one aspect of Dr. Erickson's research that is very easy to overlook: the high level of craftsmanship. If you are going to be the next Tiger Woods, then you will probably have to spend at least 10,000 hours intensively and systematically practicing all the elements of the game of golf. Almost all professional golfers started playing at a young age and practiced continuously for at least seven years. It takes time to become a world class player.

What if your goal is not to win a PGA tournament? If you just want to learn how to play so that you can look good on the course, feel comfortable, have fun and maybe have a chance of success at your local golf club?

This is a completely different matter. World-class craftsmanship may require 10,000 hours of hard training, but to master a skill, enough to meet your needs usually you don't have to put in that much effort.

This statement does not call into question the value of what Erickson calls "deliberate practice": intensive and systematic skill-improvement exercises. Intentional practice is the foundation of skill acquisition. The question is How many intentional practice is required to achieve the goal. Usually much less than you think.

Quality, not quantity

The key to rapid skill acquisition is the principle sufficiency. In this book, we will discuss the ability to do something, not world-class prowess. We will try to get to the steep part of the learning curve and climb it as quickly as possible.

Leave 10,000 hours to the professionals. We will start with 20 hours of dedicated, intelligent and focused efforts.

We want to achieve the desired results with minimal effort. You may never win a World Championship gold medal, but you'll get equally valuable awards in much less time.

If you later want to improve your skills, you will significantly increase the chances of success by starting with a quick acquisition of skills. By realizing what you're getting into, learning the basics, training intelligently, and developing a comfortable training schedule, you'll move faster and more confidently down the learning curve and reach mastery in record time.

What is Rapid Skill Acquisition?

Rapid skill acquisition is a process. You break down the skill you intend to master into the smallest possible elements, with the identification of these elements being the most important, and then purposefully practice them. Everything is simple.

Rapid skill acquisition can be summarized in four main steps.

● Split skill on the elements, the smallest possible.

● Study of each element - detailed enough to make training meaningful and to be able to correct errors.

● Troubleshooting physical, psychological and emotional barriers that interfere with training.

● Workout the most important items for at least 20 hours.

Like this. Rapid skill acquisition is not rocket technology. You simply choose what to train, determine the best training method, set aside time for it and practice until you reach the desired level of skill.

There is no magic here, only intelligent, long-term efforts directed at what you are interested in. A little preparation will allow you to master new skills quickly and with less effort.

This does not mean that the result will be instant. By the way, the desire for instant gratification is one of the main reasons why people are so slow to acquire new skills.

The Matrix Fallacy

Remember the scene from The Matrix when Keanu Reeves' character opens his eyes, blinks a few times and whispers, "I know kung fu"?

I have to disappoint you: the rapid acquisition of a skill is not so fast.

In this, Hollywood has done us a disservice. Of course, it would be great to learn how to fly a Bell 212 helicopter in five seconds by downloading the software directly to the brain, but modern science cannot keep up with science fiction.

Until brain programming becomes a reality, "fast" only means significantly less time than it takes to learn a skill in the way that most people usually do: blindly, haphazardly, and inconsistently.

One of the first professional skills that I mastered was the ability to develop a useful and workable website. Starting in 1996 with the basics at Angelfire.com, I learned to read and write HTML, use CSS, edit an image in Adobe Photoshop, configure web servers, and maintain the system that publishes my work.

I didn't learn all of this in high school or college. And although at the university we were given a basic course on information systems in business, lectures in the classroom and my current daily work practically do not overlap.

I have mastered the art of building websites through trial and error, learning as I go. When I came across a new technology or tool that could improve my site or make my job easier, I experimented. It took quite a long time before my skill grew.

However, even the unsystematic approach to acquiring the skill of creating sites has done its job: I received a job that required these skills, and now they, already acquired, help me earn a living. We can say that the goal has been achieved.

All of this was hard work for me. Without a doubt, my level of competence in this area can be achieved not in 15 years, but much faster if a systematic approach is applied. By planning your classes wisely, you will rise to my level of competence in about a month.

That's what I mean by rapid skill acquisition. If you can learn as much about web design as I do, not in 15 years, but in one month of focused effort, that's serious progress. And this is quite achievable.

The speed at which you acquire a new skill is largely determined by how much time you are willing to devote to intentional practice and intelligent experimentation, and how high the required skill level is.

Don't expect instant results. Just expect that the time spent will be much, much less than if you start the learning process without having a strategy.

Before looking at the method itself in detail, it is necessary to realize the following: rapid acquisition of a skill has nothing to do with how you were “taught to learn” in school. Theoretical classes and certification practically do not intersect with the acquisition of a skill, not to mention its rapid acquisition.

Skill Acquisition and Training

Like many American high school students, I studied a foreign language. Spanish was taught to me every day for several years. My grades were high - mostly fives.

Today I can only remember hola, cumo estbs and muy bien4
Hello, how are you, great (Spanish). - Note. lane.

And, for the life of me, unable to maintain a conversation in Spanish. (I don't even know how to say that I didn't have the best day.)

A counterexample is my friend Carlos Miseli, who grew up in Hispanic Argentina. In high school, Carlos decided that he needed to learn how to speak English fluently, and consciously tried to talk as much as possible with people for whom English was native. In the process of mastering the language, he discovered Skype and created his own website in order to be able to regularly practice written and spoken English.

Carlos did not study at the courses. He doesn't know the rules of English grammar. And I can't even explain how learned the language. But it does not matter. Carlos speaks and writes English fluently and nothing else matters.

Dr. Steven Krashen of the University of Southern California is a recognized expert in second language teaching. One of Krashen's main ideas is that assimilation language is different from learning language.

I learned a lot at school about Spanish. Learned thousands of Spanish words, verb conjugation, grammar rules. Learned everything necessary to pass the exams with flying colours.

However, these exams had nothing to do with my ability to speak Spanish meaningfully, nor to understand the natural pace of a Spanish speaker. If I wanted to become fluent, a few weeks of speaking Spanish would be better than four years of study.

However, at that time I did not set myself the goal of fluency in Spanish. My goal was to get the highest score on the final exam. Carlos, on the contrary, did not trouble himself with theory, but began immediately with practice. Instead of conjugating verbs, he practiced what is really important - to communicate with other people in English.

Undoubtedly, in terms of effectiveness and long-term results, Carlos' approach turned out to be much better than mine.

The True Value of Learning

This does not mean that you do not need theoretical knowledge about the skill you are acquiring. Learning can be extremely important, but in a slightly different, unexpected way. Theoretical knowledge about the subject of training helps to "edit" or "correct mistakes" in the process of training.

If you know how to conjugate Spanish verbs, it will be easier for you to form the correct phrase in a conversation with a person whose native language is Spanish. Knowing the words from the main dictionary, you will better understand the interlocutor, and if you get into a difficult situation, you will quickly select the right word or phrase.

Dr. Krashen calls this the "monitor hypothesis." Learning helps plan, edit, and correct errors in the process of mastering a skill. This is where the value of learning lies. The trouble is that we confuse learning with acquiring a skill.

If you want to learn a new skill, you need to practice in the right context. Learning makes practice more effective, but it does not replace it. When it comes to practical actions, training alone is not enough.

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We all want to be able to do many things - speak a foreign language fluently, play a musical instrument, create websites, know the best combinations in chess, perform yoga asanas correctly, and much more.

In addition, we want to spend as little effort as possible on acquiring these skills. And therefore, many of us will never achieve the goals that they set for themselves, because it takes a lot of time and effort to achieve them.

Most of us have heard that it takes 10,000 hours to master a certain craft, which is 8 hours of practice every day for 3.5 years. Few can afford it, especially if there is a job and a family.

Does this mean that the dreams of playing the guitar and French will remain unattainable?

Fortunately, there is a way out, and it consists in the system Josh Kaufman which is detailed in the book First 20 hours. How To Quickly Learn… Anything". As the name implies, with a properly organized approach, you can master a new business in 20 hours.

Choose an attractive project

Philosopher Karl Popper said many clever things, but one of his wisest statements is: “The best thing that can happen to a human being is to find a problem, fall in love with it and live trying to solve it, unless another problem arises, yet more attractive."

Focus on one skill

One of the first mistakes in the process of acquiring new skills is trying to master several skills at the same time. Choose one and only one new skill you wish to master. Concentrate all your free energy on acquiring this skill, and temporarily set aside the rest.

Determine your target skill level

Your target skill level is a short description of your desired skill level. Determining your target skill level depends primarily on why you decide to master that skill. If you want to have fun, then your goal is the moment when you stop being annoyed and begin to enjoy the activity itself. If your goal is mastery, then what is the minimum level of skill that will suit you at first?

Break down a skill into elements

Most of what we think of as skills is actually made up of smaller elements. Once you've chosen the skill you want to focus on, break it down into the smallest possible pieces. For example, the ability to play golf has many components: choosing the right club, hitting the first peg, hitting the sand pit, putting the ball in the hole, and so on.

Once a skill is properly broken down into its components, it's easier to isolate the most important element. By focusing on the main elements first, you will make more progress and use less effort.

Prepare everything you need for class

Before starting classes, do not be too lazy to identify critical equipment - this will save valuable time. By making sure you have the resources you need before class starts, you'll make the most of your time.

Eliminate barriers to exercise

On the way to the goal, you may encounter many obstacles that make it difficult to acquire a new skill. Here are some of the most common examples:

→ Putting in a lot of effort before starting classes. You have incorrectly positioned the instruments, selected them incorrectly, or did not fulfill the conditions for preliminary preparation.

→ Inconsistent availability of resources. For example, you rent equipment or your resource has a limited access time.

→ External distractions. It can be TV, phone calls, emails.

→ emotional barriers. Fear, doubt and confusion.

Relying on willpower alone to get you past these barriers is a losing strategy. Your daily supply of Will is limited, and it's best to use it wisely.

The best way to use willpower to acquire a new skill is to use it to remove obstacles that interfere with practice. By organizing your environment in such a way as to make it as easy as possible to start training, you will reduce the time to acquire a skill.

Set aside dedicated time for practice

The most effective approach to allocating time for skill acquisition is to identify when time is being spent with the least value, and then get rid of such pastimes.

We tell ourselves: I'll do it when I find the time.

But the fact is that it is impossible to "find" time - this is a myth.

No one ever miraculously "finds" the time, just as we accidentally find a 500-ruble bill forgotten in a jacket pocket.

If you hope that you will find time for something, it will remain undone. If you need time, you must create it.

Every day you can use 24 hours, or 1440 minutes - no more, no less. This is maximum. If you sleep approximately 8 hours a day, then you have 16 hours at your disposal. Part of this time you will spend on yourself and your loved ones. Another part - for the main work.

What will remain is the time to acquire skills. If you want to improve your skills as quickly as possible, then the longer the periods of time you can set aside for practice, the better.

Create fast feedback loops

Fast feedback means getting accurate information about your actions as quickly as possible.

The coach is an ideal, but not the only source of feedback. Recording devices such as video cameras can help you see yourself and your actions. Tools such as computer programs, tutorials, and other tools can also instantly point out where you made a mistake or slipped up.

The more sources of quick feedback you use during the course, the faster you will master the skill.

Exercise on a schedule, in short, intense intervals

The solution to this problem is to stick to a schedule. Set a timer for 20 minutes. There is only one rule here: having started the countdown, you must immediately begin classes and do not stop until the set time has elapsed. No exceptions.

This simple technique will allow you to cope with longer periods of uninterrupted activity, even when you are tired or unhappy with yourself.

The more continuous continuous practice, the faster you will master the skill.

Pay attention to quantity and speed

When you're just starting out with a new skill, being tempted to focus on achieving perfect technique is a path to frustration. Your technique, of course, will be far from ideal.

Today we have another book in the reader with an attractive and promising title, let's see if it is as good as it is called). And at the end of the post I will have an interesting offer for you!;) So, if you are interested, read on!

With his book The First 20 Hours. How to Quickly Learn... Anything, Josh Kaufman challenges Malcolm Gladwell, who came up with the famous "10,000 hour rule". If anyone hasn't heard, it's about the fact that in order to become a master of something, you need to practice it for 10,000 hours. That is, 5-10 years, depending on how you plow. This somehow inspires the weak minds with the idea that if you are not ready to devote ten years of your life to playing spoons, you should not even start.

In contrast, Josh suggests learning newbies at a level sufficient to meet their own needs. That is, if four chords are enough for you to play all the songs of the Kino group, then you have mastered playing the guitar (at the level you need). Well done, take a pie from the shelf.

Using this approach, Josh learned yoga, programming, playing Go, touch typing on a custom keyboard, playing the ukulele and windsurfing, spending no more than 20 hours on each lesson.

I was most struck by the programming example. A person from scratch mastered working with server programs, learned the Ruby language and wrote a couple of applications for his site. I quote further:

"Now I'm proud to say that my entire business uses software that I've created myself. My applications are able to accept credit card payments, subscribe, send emails and manage customer access to the Internet site. Having learned to code, I became the owner of his own small army of robots, following my orders.
How long did it take me to create all these programs? Approximately 90 hours, including the 20 detailed in this chapter."

He did not bother with a deep study of manuals, instead he immediately tried to solve practical problems. It reminded me how I studied web programming and wrote websites 10 years ago - it's boring to read a textbook, it's much more fun to take a ready-made example and remake it to fit your needs by clicking =) new language ... In general, respect to the author!

I was least inspired by the example of yoga. The target skill level was to learn Surya Namaskar and 20 more postures and memorize the sequence for a 25 minute workout. Josh writes that this is more than enough for him, and he is not going to throw his leg over his head. But somehow in my head it does not fit into the concept of "master yoga."

In general, one can argue about how appropriate the word "learn" is here - anyway, the necessary and sufficient level of skill will be different for everyone. The whole point is just to achieve the result you need yourself, without regard to standards, certifications, norms and other nonsense.

The first chapter just talks about the fact that studying at school / institute and getting a certificate has nothing to do with mastering a skill. Yes, it is useful to teach theory - but only as an auxiliary element. For example, if you want to speak Spanish, you first need to learn some phrases and start speaking. And only then you can learn the rules for the formation of tenses and the setting of articles - it will come in handy, but this is not the main thing.

Learning "quickly" here is given not in the sense of "instantly" (as in the movie "The Matrix", where all the necessary skills were simply downloaded to Keanu Reeves directly into the brain), but in the sense of "faster than a hell of a lot" of years. Why does it seem to many that learning new things is long and difficult? Because they spend time and energy incorrectly - they think about the skill for a long time, worry about it, get distracted ... but you just need to start mastering it using a systematic approach.

Here 10 principles that help you quickly acquire any skill:

1. Choose an attractive project.
2. Focus on one skill.
3. Determine your target skill level.
4. Break down the skill into elements.
5. Prepare everything you need for class.
6. Remove barriers to exercise.
7. Set aside special time for classes.
8. Create fast feedback loops.
9. Exercise on a schedule, in short, intense intervals.
10. Focus on quantity and speed.

For the most part, everything is pretty clear without additional comments, I think. Obstacles are understood as the inaccessibility of the necessary resources / information, as well as psychological difficulties - fear, uncertainty. Time for classes should be taken away from some less important things, because you will never have additional free time. Quick "feedback loops" are ways to get feedback on how well you're doing. It can be a coach who controls you, or a video camera on which you film your attempts. The faster you get this information, the faster you master the skill, because you can adjust your actions. Short work intervals using a timer help you stay focused. It is necessary to focus on quantity, which sooner or later will turn into quality, and not try to bring the work to perfection from the first attempts.

For me, the most difficult and incomprehensible is point number 3. How to break down into elements some new activity that you know nothing about, except that it's cool and you want to be able to do it? Let's say I want to learn how to sing and I know the terrible words "intonation" and "tonality", and that's it. Here are some of the elements to break down the ability to sing?

Point number 5 caused me the most rejection - not because it is wrong, but because in his examples Josh paints in great detail everything that he buys - and there is a lot of everything. It feels like in order to master something, you definitely need to spend a lot of dough, that's in no way without it. You can't master yoga without a stack of books. To play go, you definitely need to buy a high-quality board and stones, a ukulele must be made to order for several thousand dollars, a set of windsurfing equipment for three thousand dollars (despite the fact that the dude never lives on the ocean and will ride on the lake in forest)... If someone has a lot of extra money - ok. But the very idea bugs me. I don’t believe in the principle: the more you spend, the more motivation you have to do it. It will be a pity to quit what you started - yes. There will be regrets, guilt and hatred for this occupation, for which so much has been spent, but it does not go, infection! This is my personal opinion, sorry.

I liked the chapter 10 principles of effective teaching:

1. Learn the skill in question and related areas. (flip through books on the topic to pick up some recurring ideas)
2. Admit that you don't understand anything.
3. Define mental models and mental hooks. (key concepts in this area and analogies that help you understand and remember new concepts)
4. Imagine an outcome that is the opposite of what you want. (Inversion method. Imagine the worst that can happen in order to understand what you need to learn so that this worst does not happen)
5. Talk to the people who do it so you know what to expect. (Dispel illusions and form adequate expectations, be prepared for difficulties)
6. Eliminate everything that distracts you from your environment. (including family members)
7. Use spaced repetition and reinforcement to memorize. (if it is important to quickly remember information, for example, words of a foreign language)
8. Create support structures (rituals) and checklists (lists of things to do in each practice session)
9. Formulate and refine forecasts. (before starting a learning experiment, imagine the possible consequences, then compare the forecast with reality, draw conclusions and build a new forecast)
10. Respect your body. (don't forget to take breaks at least once every one and a half hours)

It is not necessary to apply all the principles at once to master the skill, you can choose the appropriate ones for the situation.

What I didn't like:

The first chapters, where the method is explained, occupy 1/6 of the book, the remaining 5/6 is a story about how it was used to master different skills. It seems to be good - it’s always clearer with examples, but large parts of some chapters, where they explain the basics of programming and Go, the history of creating different keyboard layouts, etc., seemed to me informative, but essentially useless, because not everyone the reader may find it interesting. It feels like they were written only to type the right amount of text in the book. I remember the parts where Josh talked more about his failures, doubts and emotions - about the difficulties of windsurfing, when he immediately got a mast on his forehead on the first try and fell into the water, for example.

Recommend with full confidence straight to everyone and everyone I can not. If you've been reading Cher and found out that you scanner- that suits you, I think. For lovers of deeper knowledge and immersion in the intricacies of the matter, the book will seem like nonsense. But you can always read, just to wonder what crazy things people do!

In conclusion, by tradition, my favorite quotes:

“Take, for example, an energetic and motivated person who wants to start a software development company. A basic course in computer science and computer engineering at a prestigious university usually takes at least four years to complete. During this time, a freshly minted specialist will spend thousands of hours studying algorithms and analyzing compilers, successfully passing a dozen exams, but not one step closer to creating his own company. Our unfortunate student will remember a lot of information about programming, but still won't know how to create the exact kind of computer program that people will find useful and want to buy."

“Popper said a lot of smart things, but one of the wisest, in my opinion, is the following statement of his: “The best thing that can happen to a human being is to find a problem, fall in love with it and live trying to solve it, unless there is another problem, even more attractive.
If you're looking for a formula to help you live a rich, productive life, use this one - you can't go wrong."

“I measure my progress in yoga not by the depth of the bend or turn, but by how I treat my wife and children.
T. K. V. Desikachar, famous yoga teacher"

“I had to learn how to write programs in C++ and I remember getting frustrated when I spent many hours looking for a missing semicolon that made my program not work. I also remember the words of the teacher: "You will never use bubble sort in real applications, but we will learn it anyway."

The main idea of ​​the book:

"You don't have to be a black belt in everything you do to enjoy life."

And finally, the promised interesting offer) even two)

I want to experiment and use the method from this book to try to master some new skill in 20 hours. Would you be interested in following this experiment? Can arrange a small reality show) You can just write about the results at the end. If interested, I propose to collectively choose what I should master. I have several options, but I'm not sure. My husband also wants to take part in this fun and learn the basics of photography and handling a SLR in 20 hours)

And the second suggestion. Who wants to learn something new too? Let's go crazy together)) It doesn't have to be something global, some dreams of a lifetime, as in "Success Teams". But everything is more fun in a company) We will support and motivate each other due to the effect of healthy competition)

Guys, we put our soul into the site. Thanks for that
for discovering this beauty. Thanks for the inspiration and goosebumps.
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Josh Kaufman, writer, founder and Internet project leader of PersonalMBA.com, began his career as a Brand Manager at Procter & Gamble Home Care. Later, in one of his books, he told how long it takes to master a new skill at a good level. Josh is convinced that it only takes 20 hours. He regularly conducts independent research, which has helped him learn four simple steps to quickly learn anything.

We are in website we decided to talk about these actions and show by example how you can learn to draw in 20 hours. And at the end, there is a bonus waiting for you, which will answer the question of how long it takes to become a pro in a narrow area with high competition.

1. Analyze the skill

No matter what skill you dream of acquiring, you need to decide exactly what exactly you want to learn to do in the end: draw animals beautifully, speak a foreign language fluently, read at a speed of 600 words per minute, or whatever. A clear end goal is essential.

After that, break the skill into components. These will be the small steps that you have to gradually master. One big task is much more intimidating than several small ones that seem easier to solve. In addition, such a division will help to more accurately understand what exactly you need to do in order to get what you want.

2. Find out the information you need to correct your mistakes

To learn something new, you need to have information about this skill. Find 3 to 5 different sources that will help you get the most useful knowledge - books, courses, instructional videos, etc.

It is important not to procrastinate, postponing the very moment of practice. Yes, it takes knowledge of the subject to get started, but reading 20 guitar books won't replace an hour of practice with it.

You need the amount of information that will allow you to start practicing and correct your mistakes yourself.

3. Remove all interference

For the practice to be effective, nothing should distract you. TV, smartphone, computer - all this can switch your attention to yourself at any time. Try to turn on willpower and give up interference in order to achieve your goal.

4. Spend 20 hours practicing

Almost everyone who wants to learn something new faces the so-called frustration barrier. This is the initial stage when you are just trying to master a new skill and feel like a layman. After all, none of us wants to look stupid. It is this barrier that does not allow you to sit down and do business. But practicing for 20 hours will overcome it.

20 hours is enough to learn how to do something well and not feel like a layman. This does not mean that you have to sit down and spend a day on mastering the skill. Spend 45-60 minutes a day and in 20-30 days you can make great progress.

How to apply this knowledge

Let's look at an example. Of course, this is a special case, but it will demonstrate how Josh Kaufman's 4 tips work in practice.

For example, you dream of learning to draw, but your artistic abilities are at the level of a 5-year-old kid. Here are 4 steps you need to take to fix the situation:

• Decide what exactly you want to learn how to draw: people, animals, landscapes. Let's say you stopped at people. Break a large task into several subtasks: learn how to draw the correct oval of the face, eyes, nose, lips, fingers, etc. Write a detailed step-by-step plan.
• The next step is to study the various existing techniques. You don't have to sign up for courses or spend tons of money buying books. The internet is full of free instructional videos. In addition, no one has canceled free libraries, where it is quite quiet and calm - a great place to practice.
• Turn off the TV and computer, put your phone on silent, ask your mom to babysit, and send your loved one to meet friends. In general, create an environment in which nothing will prevent you from drawing.
• Spend about an hour every day building a new skill.

Of course, in 20 hours you won't be drawing like a famous artist, but your skills will rise to a good level. And whether to develop them further - depends only on you.