The first 20 hours -- how to learn anything | Josh Kaufman | TEDxCSU

Summary

Author Drew Dudley shares how he overcame the fear that he would never have time to learn new skills after having a daughter. Research shows it takes 10,000 hours to reach expert-level mastery, but Dudley discovered it only takes 20 hours of focused practice to become reasonably good at a new skill. He breaks down the simple 4-step method he used to teach himself the ukulele, emphasizing that the biggest barrier is emotional rather than intellectual. Dudley inspires the audience to identify their passions and commit just 20 hours to obtain a new ability.

Takeaways

• 😀 It takes 10,000 hours of deliberate practice to reach expert-level performance in highly competitive fields, not to merely learn a new skill
• 👶 Having a new baby is an amazing but chaotic experience that makes you question if you'll ever have free time again
• 📚 You can become reasonably good at a new skill with just 20 hours of focused, deliberate practice
• 🔬 Skill acquisition research shows we improve very quickly at first, then reach a plateau where additional gains are slower
• 📈 The early phase of practicing a new skill brings fast improvement from gross incompetence to reasonable competence
• 🧠 Deconstruct the skill, learn enough to self-correct, remove barriers to practice, and commit to at least 20 hours
• 🎸 The speaker learned to play a song mashup on ukulele after 20 hours of practice, overcoming initial frustration
• 😊 The main barrier to learning something new is emotional (feeling stupid), not intellectual
• 💡 Put 20 hours into learning what lights you up - whether it's languages, cooking, drawing, anything
• 🌟 You can learn amazing things with focused effort in as little as 20 hours of practice

Q & A

What was the initial thought that concerned the speaker about learning new things after having a child?

The speaker was concerned that with all the new responsibilities of having a child and working from home, he would never have free time again to learn new things.

Where did the '10,000 hour rule' for mastering a skill come from originally?

The 10,000 hour rule originated from research by Professor K. Anders Ericsson, who studied professional athletes, musicians, and chess masters to determine how long it takes to reach an expert level of performance in highly competitive fields.

How did the meaning of the '10,000 hour rule' change as it became popularized?

As the 10,000 hour rule spread, it evolved from meaning the time needed to reach an expert level at the peak of an ultra-competitive field, to simply the time needed to become reasonably good at something.

What is the learning curve and what does it demonstrate?

The learning curve shows that when starting a new skill, improvement happens quickly at first as you practice and then plateaus over time. It demonstrates that you can become reasonably good at something with just a little practice.

What are the four steps outlined to efficiently learn a new skill?

The four steps are: 1) Deconstruct the skill into smaller pieces, 2) Learn enough to self-correct while practicing, 3) Remove barriers that prevent practice, and 4) Practice for at least 20 hours.

What is the frustration barrier and why is it important?

The frustration barrier refers to the feeling of incompetence when starting to learn something new. Pushing past this barrier by committing to practice for 20 hours helps you stick with practicing long enough to see results.

What did the speaker use as an example to test applying 20 hours of practice to learning something new?

The speaker used learning to play the ukulele as an example. He breaks down getting set up, researching, and practicing a song to demonstrate applying the steps to efficient practice.

What four chords make up many popular songs according to Axis of Awesome?

Axis of Awesome showed that the chords G, D, Em, and C can be used to play many popular songs from the last few decades.

How did the speaker conclude his TED talk?

After playing a 20-hour medley of pop songs on the ukulele, the speaker concluded that the major barrier to learning is emotional rather than intellectual, but 20 hours of practice can get you reasonably good at almost anything.

What was the speaker's main message for the audience?

The main message was that the idea that it takes 10,000 hours to learn a new skill is a myth. With focused practice, you can learn valuable skills in as little as 20 hours.