Becoming an expert isn’t just about practising for 10,000 hours on the same skill. Deliberate practice matters more than the hours themselves. It’s also important to understand that success among expert performers isn’t primarily due to innate talent. Instead, it comes from consistent, purposeful practice. This means daily dedication to finding new ways of doing things and refining details to perform better.
Remember, simply spending a lot of time on an activity won’t lead to improvement if you’re just going through the motions without deliberate practice. Think about spending years commuting – it won’t magically turn you into a professional race driver, no matter how much time you spend.
To truly get better, you need to change your approach. It’s not just about practising a skill but also about trying a new way of doing things. Consider the problem carefully and explore different solutions. Being persistent means more than working hard; it means working smart. So, instead of increasing effort, think about changing your approach to tasks for better results.
Examples of deliberate practice
Deliberate practice involves focused and targeted efforts to improve specific aspects of a skill. Here are some examples of deliberate practice in learning a new skill.
- Music Instrument Mastery
Practising scales, challenging melodies, and specific techniques to enhance proficiency on a musical instrument. - Language Learning
Engaging in focused language exercises, such as practising pronunciation, grammar rules, and vocabulary building. - Sports Performance
Repeatedly practising specific movements, like a golf swing or a basketball free throw, to improve accuracy and consistency. - Artistic Skill Development
Repeatedly sketching a particular object or focusing on specific shading techniques to refine drawing abilities. - Public Speaking Improvement
Delivering speeches while focusing on vocal modulation, body language, and effective storytelling techniques. - Chess Strategy
Repeatedly analyzing past games and studying specific opening sequences to enhance strategic thinking and decision-making. - Coding Proficiency
Working on challenging coding problems to build problem-solving skills and deepen understanding of programming languages. - Cooking Expertise
Repeatedly preparing complex recipes and focusing on specific culinary techniques to improve cooking skills. - Writing Skill Enhancement
Regularly tackling writing prompts, focusing on different writing styles, grammar rules, and vocabulary usage to refine writing abilities.
In each of these examples, deliberate practice involves breaking down the skill into specific components, setting clear goals, and consistently pushing oneself to improve in a targeted manner.