The First 20 Hours: How to Learn Anything

The inspiring TEDx talk called “The first 20 hours — how to learn anything” by Josh Kaufman embodies the premise upon which this site is built. It is indeed possible to learn skills much quicker than the general consensus among people tend to be, and with the right material, the best methods/approach and proper focus, you can accelerate your learning in any skill or field.

Josh Kaufman is the author of the international bestseller book, “The Personal MBA: Master the Art of Business“, “The First 20 Hours: How to Learn Anything… Fast!” and “How to Fight a Hydra: Face Your Fears, Pursue Your Ambitions, and Become the Hero You Are Destined to Be“. Josh specializes in teaching people from all walks of life how to master practical knowledge and skills.

Key Points

Through his research, K. Anders Ericsson, found that that it takes approx. 10 000 hours to reach world class expert level in a certain skill. This was further built upon and spread by Malcolm Gladwell’s book “Outliers: The Story of Success” (which is otherwise a great book, and highly recommended) and widely misinterpreted. However, when learning a skill, the learning curve very quickly reaches a plateau, and additional effort only returns marginal gains (diminishing rates of return). That is why it takes so much time to become an expert. Although getting to fairly good level, in other words just before the learning curve reaches the plateau, does not need to take more than about 20 hours of focused practice, according to Josh Kaufman.

1. Deconstruct the Skill
   • Decide exactly what you want to be able to do when you are done.
   • Look into the skill and break it into smaller pieces (as small as possible). What are the parts of this skill that would actually help you get to what you want? The more you can break apart the skill, the more you’re able to decide, and then practice those parts first.
   • Sequencing: you should practice the MOST IMPORTANT parts first, because it will help to improve performance in the least amount of time possible.
     
     
2. Learn Enough to Self-Correct
   • Do not procrastinate on practice, do not get 20 books then think “I’m gonna start learning how to play guitar when I complete these 20 books”.
   • Learn just enough that you can actually practice and self-correct as you practice.
     
     
3. Remove Practice Barriers
   • Use willpower to remove the distractions that are keeping you from practicing.
   • The major barrier to skill acquisition isn’t intellectual, it’s emotional.
     
     
4. Practice at Least 20 Hours
   • You only overcome the initial frustration barrier when you practice at least 20 hours.