10,000 Hours to Mastery, But 20 Hours Gets You Started!

The "10,000 Hour Rule," popularized by Malcolm Gladwell, suggests mastering a skill requires about 10,000 hours of dedicated practice. For example, a guitarist might reach mastery after years of focused daily practice, embodying the blend of commitment and quality practice needed to excel.

The 10,000-hour rule emphasizes the extensive effort and deliberate practice required for high-level expertise (although it doesn't guarantee mastery).

Learning a language, becoming a chess master, coding, becoming a professional athlete, playing jazz guitar….

You get the picture.

If you practice with intention, 4 hours a day, 5 days a week (or 3 hours a day every day) takes 10 years to achieve a level of mastery of your craft. This is a daunting amount of time and effort for most of us, but don’t be dissuaded!

After just 20 hours of practice, you can achieve a remarkable level of competence in any of these endeavors. In other words, the journey begins with your first steps. Leaping and leaning into the process is the way we begin any meaningful journey.

You can also consider the "18-minute rule" as a daily micro-commitment before even putting in 20 hours.

If you want to make progress in something meaningful to you, spend 18 minutes per day on it. 18 minutes per day, every day for three months, translates to over 20 hours of practice (27 hours, to be precise).

An 18 minutes per day translates to just over 100 hours a year.

But what if you can’t, or simply don't, devote 18 minutes per day to something you think is important to you? Well, it probably isn't that important to you, which is a very valuable thing to learn before you continue trying to reach the 10,000 hours necessary for mastery or even the 20 hours it takes to achieve competence.

So, here's a thought. If you have an instinct or intuition about a skill or habit you want to explore, give it 18 minutes for a week. If you sustain that, go for a month. Still on it? See if you can keep it up for 90 days. That gives you over the 20 hours necessary for earned competence (and confidence).

Practicing something for over 20 hours over 90 days also validates that you have enough interest and passion in that enterprise to justify continuing to lean in and pursue the 100 hours necessary to distinguish you from 95% of the population who also made an attempt at developing that skill.

Passion compels us to begin a new adventure, but purpose is what drives us to continue when things get difficult. And things always get difficult!

For instance, take guitar lessons for three months (with a dedicated, knowledgeable, and patient teacher) and practice at least 18 minutes every day, and by the end of the three months, you'll have put in just over 20 hours of practice, and you’ll be strumming along and singing a few of your favorite songs.

If you continue to practice guitar for 100 hours, you will be better at it than 95% of people who take up guitar playing.

The journey has begun, and you have some positive results that demonstrate that you can do this.

The journey to mastery is daunting, but it begins with simple, actionable steps. Start with the "18-minute rule" to gently ease into your pursuit. Committing to this daily practice builds momentum and quickly accumulates to significant milestones—27 hours in 90 days and 100 hours within a year, marking your progression from novice to being more skilled than 95% of beginners.

This approach validates your dedication and interest, making goals within reach. So, take that first step today i an endeavor that matters to you with just 18 minutes of focused practice. Embrace these milestones as your stepping stones to mastery, and watch how quickly you can transform your passion into competence and beyond.

Scott Perry, Chief Difference-Maker at Creative on Purpose

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