Apr 9

Apr 9 BZ Book Review 23: <The First 20 Hours> by Josh Kaufman

Key Takeaways

1. Learn the basics of anything in 20 hours by using rapid skill acquisition.

2. Focus all your energy on learning your favorite chosen skill. You are only allowed to focus on one skill during a period of time. One and only one. Make a list of skills you want to acquire, rank them by your interest and priority. Pick the one at the top to start. It is 20 hours, so you can focus.

3. Determine your target performance level of the skill, basically how good you want to become. Imagine and visualize how good you want your performance to look like, you will have an easier time getting there.,

4. Break your target skills into smaller parts that you can tackle individually. By dividing it up into sub-skills, progress will be easier and faster.

5. Ensure you have all the tools you need.

6. Identify the potential barrier that might interfere with acquiring your new skill. Those include emotional holdbacks and distractions. Try to eliminate them.

7. Make time to practice your skills. It is not about finding time cause there could be easily another thing that are more attractive to do. You need to make the time and schedule to learn the skills. Identify other activities in you life that you are not fond of and then substitute those with those new skills learning.

8. Get feedback on your progress. Find a coach or mentor.

9. Practice in short spurts is the best way to make progresses. Use timer to set 20-minutes time frame for yourself.

10. Focus on practicing a lot and quickly, not on attaining perfection. If you prioritize quantity and speed, you will find that you are less likely to become irritated and demotivated due to the inevitable setbacks you’ll encounter.