The first 20 hours -- how to learn anything | Josh Kaufman | TEDxCSU
TEDx Talks
19 min, 27 sec
Josh Kaufman shares his personal experience and research on rapid skill acquisition, debunking the 10,000-hour rule and presenting a method to learn any new skill in 20 hours.
Summary
- Josh Kaufman introduces his experience of becoming a new parent and the impact on his time for learning new skills.
- He investigates how long it takes to acquire a new skill, challenging the popularized 10,000-hour rule.
- Kaufman discovers that 20 hours of deliberate practice can lead to significant skill acquisition.
- He provides a four-step method for efficient learning and demonstrates it by learning to play the ukulele.
- Kaufman emphasizes the emotional barriers to learning and encourages embracing the discomfort of feeling incompetent at the start.
Chapter 1
Josh Kaufman talks about the life-changing experience of becoming a new parent and its effects on his time.
- Josh and his wife Kelsey welcomed their daughter Lela, which significantly changed their lives and priorities.
- Becoming a parent was an amazing yet overwhelming experience that involved learning many new things, such as how to dress a child.
Chapter 2
Josh discusses the challenges of working from home with a new baby and his realization about free time.
- Both Josh and Kelsey work from home and run their own businesses, which made life busier with a newborn.
- Josh had an epiphany about the scarcity of free time with the new parental responsibilities, leading him to question his ability to learn new skills.
Chapter 3
Josh investigates the time needed to learn a new skill and finds the 10,000-hour rule to be a misconception.
- In search of how to learn quickly, Josh finds the 10,000-hour rule, which suggests that it takes 10,000 hours to master a skill.
- He realizes that the rule is based on studies of expert-level performance and has been misinterpreted over time.
Chapter 4
Josh presents his findings on rapid skill acquisition and introduces the concept of learning curves.
- Actual research on skill acquisition shows that significant improvements can be made with just a little practice.
- Josh's research suggests that with 20 hours of focused, deliberate practice, one can achieve a reasonable level of skill.
Chapter 5
Josh details his four-step method for effective learning.
- Deconstruct the skill into the smallest possible sub-skills and practice the most important ones first.
- Learn enough to self-correct during practice by using a few resources as guides.
- Remove barriers to practice, such as distractions, to make it easier to get started.
- Commit to practicing for at least 20 hours to overcome the initial frustration barrier.
Chapter 6
Josh shares his personal experience of learning to play the ukulele using the 20-hour method.
- To demonstrate his method, Josh chose to learn the ukulele, an instrument he has always wanted to play.
- He deconstructed the skill by focusing on learning four chords, which allowed him to play many pop songs.
- Josh concludes his talk by performing a medley of pop songs on the ukulele, marking his 20th hour of practice.
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