Achieving greatness can be done on many different levels. One of the most recent methods of mastering a skill is known as the 10,000 hour rule that has been popularized by Malcolm Gladwell.
10,000 hours is equivalent to just about 417 days, but nobody can spend 24 hours a day mastering a skill. Realistically, it would take you anywhere from 3-4 years to master a skill with the 10,000 hour rule (assuming you spend 8-10 hours a day on it).
However, 3-4 years seems to be a pretty long time to master something. I might just be saying that since I’m young, but I’d want to master something within 6-12 months.
While I’ve been able to accomplish quite a bit in my life thus far, I only really dived into entrepreneurship about 3 1/2 years ago. Considering that entrepreneurship is a lifestyle, I can say that I probably spend anywhere from 12-16 hours a day on it.
However, I started seeing some waves of success after about 1 year. While I was in no way a master nor am I today, I feel like you can achieve quite a bit without the 10,000 hour rule.
In this article, I’m going to share tips on how to master things in less than 10,000 hours:
1. Shorten The Learning Curve
Before we can master something, we must learn new things along the way. From the foundations to the advanced techniques, we have to be familiar with the way things work before we can execute them.
A few simple ways to shorten the learning curve can include finding a mentor or surrounding yourself with others who are trying to master the same skills. Regardless of what your skill is, having a mentor (someone who has mastered it) can be extremely helpful in finding your own success.
Not only that, but creating a group of other like-minded individuals striving to achieve the same things is a great way to shorten your learning curve. You can share the lessons you learn and hear about the discoveries others make helping you with your journey.
2. Set Stricter Deadlines
Ever since the release of Malcolm Gladwell’s 10,000 hour rule, everyone automatically assumes it will take them that long to master something. In school, my teachers would give me projects or essays that were due 3 weeks later.
Truthfully, I didn’t need 3 weeks to finish that essay. I could finish it in 1 night (which is what I usually did), but my teachers still didn’t see my paper until the 3rd week. Why? Because my deadline was so far away.
When you think it will take you 10,000 hours to master a skill, your brain automatically starts to progress and digest it at that pace. If you push yourself to master a skill in 3 months instead, you’ll be surprised how much farther along you will be.
3. Practice How You Would Perform
If you want to master something, you must perfect the way you practice. Something that takes 10,000 hours to learn can take 1,000 hours instead if you maximize your time practicing it.
I’ve always been a strong believer of working smarter, not harder. Many companies are fixated on keeping their employees in the office for 8 hours a day regardless of what their results are. However, I don’t care how much time you spend in the office.
I care about the results you provide. I give you a task and expect it done. I could care less if it took the person 8 hours or 30 minutes to finish it as long as it’s done right. Regardless of what your skill is, practice how you would expect to perform it.
4. Nail Down The Basics
Regardless of what you’re trying to master, there are some foundational basics that must be perfected. Whether you’re trying to learn to play a ukelele or race cars, there are some fundamental things you must know.
Instead of worrying about the product, focus on the process. My basketball coach always told me that I had to learn to shoot the ball right before I could make it. My friends were making more shots, but their form was wrong. Guess who didn’t make the basketball team?
Form, function and processes are extremely important in the early stages. The more you practice those things, the quicker you’ll be able to master the skills necessary to develop amazing finished products.
5. Enjoy It
Even if I had spent 10,000 hours learning to be a good student, I wouldn’t be one just because I didn’t enjoy it. When it came to starting and running a business, I mastered it a lot faster simply because I was passionate about it.
Regardless of what you’re trying to master, make sure that you’re passionate to do so. Many studies have shown over the years that the brain is more adaptive to learning new things when it is happy doing something.
Happiness has a direct correlation with mastering skills. If you enjoy it, you will find yourself mastering it quicker than you would if you didn’t.
Conclusion
Regardless of what you plan to master, try using these tips mentioned above to learn something new in less than 10,000 hours.
photo credit: Marco Gomes via photopin cc
