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Daniel – Thanks for commenting. I agree it would be misleading, which is why I do not claim that in the article. Nor do any of the sources. “10,000 hours” is generally viewed as necessary, but not sufficient for achieving excellence. I recognize also that there are exceptions, but as it usually the case, those only tend to prove the rule.
You may also want to see: https://www.missiontolearn.com/2011/11/why-practice-practice-practice-may-not-get-you-to-carnegie-hall/
Jeff
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And 1 more thing,what about all the prodigies who were expert at some difficult task by the time they were 4 years old? Kinda dispells the 10 year theory!
Reply I think it is misleading to tell individuals they can become expert at anything,and that congenital factors can not limit them.When you consider the facts, the concept of all individuals having the same ultimate potential becomes impossible to endorse. Theres a lot going around about this 10 000 hour deliberate practice business,but other research suggests most people who do 10 000 hours of deliberate practice do not acheive expertise as a result.
Why is it that we all accept outright that once you are over a certain age,it is impossible to pursue elite sport such as tennis or football.We understand that age produces certain changes within the body that simply forbid us performing in a way that a young person can.No system of effort or strategy can overcome this.We accept that once these changes have taken place,it is all over. Now consider that congenital and genetic factors produce differences in a human mind and body which are no less significant than the differences between young and old individuals.Why is it impossible to accept that these differences place absolute boundaries on what level we can perform at,just as we know that optimism or perserverence can not counter the effects of age and the biological changes it brings? There is absolutely no trainer in the world who will take on a 50 year old swimming student,simply because they know there are biological factors that mean the individual will simply be able to perform to standard.They know they are wasting their time.
Why would it be different for young people with varying degrees of neurological and physiological development?
[…] your craft for thousands of hours until you’re a master. This gels with Ericsson‘s work on deliberate practice, and the well-known (thanks to Malcolm Gladwell) idea that it takes 10,000 hours of deliberate […]
Reply I’m not convinced we can, George. The motivation for deliberate practice has to be intrinsic – at least at its core. We can help people find their motivation, and once they have found it, support them in pursuing it. If we can inspire them, it is probably only through our own example. My two cents. – Jeff
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I agree with all 8 points made above. My question is how do we inspire people to practice deliberately? Most of the things above don’t sound that fun…
Reply […] Proses ini harus dilakukan dengan fokus dan konsentrasi yang optimal. Lengkapnya, sila kunjungi ini. Jadi, aku menghargai waktu sebagai upaya pencarian dan pengasahan expertise. Aku tak ingin […]
Reply […] How Do You Get to Carnegie Hall? 8 Keys to Deliberate Practice. is from Mission to Learn. […]
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Pinned your blog. pinterest.com/pin/147141112796008442/ Good luck.
Reply […] you the patient type who can easily spend their time putting in their 10,000 hours of practice to reach excellence? Or would you rather find a magic lamp tomorrow and suddenly have success […]
Reply […] if you practice? Are interpreters born or made? In cognitive psychology there is a concept called deliberate practice. Deliberate practice a common denominator for experts, it means that you not only practice […]
Reply […] from years of the daily grind (both hard work and “smart” work). It’s all about deliberate practice in whatever field you wish to master. So it’s not about some grand plans or undertakings. […]
Reply […] A key skill to develop if you really want to drive your performance forward and improve is to have goal-directed practice. Setting goals before practice helps you be deliberate about what you want to improve and how you […]
Reply […] also become a believer in dedicated, deliberate practice. One can constantly reuse the same patterns and never really push themselves to get better. […]
Reply […] las pas geleden een heel interessant stuk dat ging over het fenomeen ‘delibrate practice’ oftewel opzettelijk oefenen. Dat wil zoveel zeggen dat als je iets nieuws wil leren je niet […]
Reply […] Spend a minimum of 5 hours per week on “deliberate practice” relating to overcoming anxiety and depression. That may involve getting various types of […]
Reply […] Proses ini harus dilakukan dengan fokus dan konsentrasi yang optimal. Lengkapnya, sila kunjungi ini. Jadi, aku menghargai waktu sebagai upaya pencarian dan pengasahan expertise. Aku tak ingin […]
Reply […] just practice that matters but how you practice, you need to practice deliberately. He calls it deliberate practice and it […]
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I have just blogged about the same topic the past two days! I used an article by K. Anders Ericsson.
The thing that intrigued me about the linked article was that there was a section on expert teams.
At one time I was looking into incentive mechanisms for individuals and teams and ran across an article that was critical of the practice of rotating “star” or “high potential” folks through different positions. This article noted that the best indicator of team performance was length of time it had spent together. This seems like another way of saying that for a team to become expert it needs to spend 10,000 hours together.
Nice post, thank you.
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As a former competitive athlete, where repetition is critical, and now a competitive business man I firmly support the seventh key feature in this offering.
By repeatedly placing yourself in situations (10,00 hours) you will face on the playing field or the board room you gain awareness of situations that will arise allowing yourself to assess and “switch gears” in the moment.
Whether you believe there is a “choke effect” or an “in the zone effect”, I personally believe you can avoid the first and summons the latter by being conscious of the moment you are in and making the proper adjustments immediately.
Reply […] would also like to post this article which summarizes this essay on what it takes to have deliberate practice. The 8 Key features […]
Reply Denis – Thanks for commenting. I think the difference between practice and performance is critical. Obviously, I’m just reporting on the research here, but I agree with the researchers that self-observation and reflection during and after practice are critical. During actual performance, on the other hand – and it is performance that Lehrer addresses – “second guessing the skills that have been honed through years of diligent practice” can indeed lead to choking. – Jeff
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An interesting read, but the 7th point is doubtable:
7. It involves self-observation and self-reflection.
As you practice, you need to be continually aware of your own performance and be focused on correcting and adapting as appropriate. This kind of in-the-moment self-assessment is critical regardless of whether a teacher is involved.
I remember teachers, my karate trainer telling me that I had to go there and perform, not analyzing too much inside the experience. Have you heard about the “choke” effect described by Jonah Lehrer in the book “How we decide”, I guess?
Doing your homework and post-analysis are important, thinking too much while you perform may “choke” you.
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Tony Buzan iterated much of this with his TEFCAS model of learning – Trials, Events, Feedback, Checks, Adjustments and Success. He doesn’t talk of 10,000 hours of practice though.
Reply […] Note: Even though the memories of Anders Ericsson’s students look like those of experts, they are not. Remember, to become an expert in any field, one needs at least 10,000 hours of practice (about 10 years). But just rehearsing is not the way to become a world champion. Deliberate practice is the key, found Anders Ericsson. Read more about how to become an expert here. […]
Reply […] for my next post on memory techniques on the Vitamins for Memory blog, I came across this very interesting article on deliberate practice. Deliberate practice has – amongst […]
Reply […] They say it takes 10 years/10,000 hours of deliberate practice to become an expert in an area. What better reason to pick an arbitrary date? […]
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Jeff..this article is very true.. i learned this from my Marketing class and my Management class. It inspired to finish my college. I have to ask you this though because it often happened to me. How do you handle the temptations like party, girls, etc. Do i have to give up those kinda stuff just to achieved my goal?
Reply […] How Do You Get to Carnegie Hall? 8 Keys to Deliberate Practice. “A New Yorker… is approached in the street near Carnegie Hall, and asked, ‘Pardon me sir, how do I get to Carnegie Hall?’ He replies, ‘Practice, practice, practice.’” […]
Reply […] we need to do is to perform “Deliberate Practice” and Colvin is at his best is laying out this concept for us, with examples. As I read I […]
Reply John – I do have to wonder – as it sounds like you are – if the whole concept of practice is suffering amidst all the potential distractions we have these days. (Like reading blogs!) As your comment suggests, you definitely have to have a certain amount of faith that it will get you somewhere, even if the specifics are not always so clear. Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts. – Jeff
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Practice is a commitment which is getting rarer these days Jeff. You got to keep on keeping on – just ask atheletes training for the Olympics for years with no guarantee of return. Many practice only if they know what results they will get – the best practice because it’s the thing to do and will lead to achievement sometime. They just know it will lead somewhere. So, to me, practice is a form of personal dedication.
Reply […] is Clean Code: A Handbook of Agile Software Craftsmanship by Robert C. Martin. If you want some deliberate practice to make you a better professional, you can’t go wrong with this […]
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