Skip navigation
Step Outside Your Comfort Zone and Study Yourself Failing
Video

Step Outside Your Comfort Zone and Study Yourself Failing

99U, 2011


Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Applicable

Recommendation

Journalist Joshua Foer became interested in skill acquisition when he decided to train for the US Memory Championship, which he won. Through his research, he discovered that experts in various fields all use similar training methods to excel. Foer adroitly explains how you can apply these techniques to hone just about any skill. You may think you’ve peaked, but getAbstract believes Foer’s presentation will convince you that you can go higher.

Summary

Many jobs entail spending hours every day typing on a computer keyboard. Yet despite long hours of practice, most people’s typing speed and accuracy rarely improve. Once you become proficient at a skill, your learning curve levels off. Behavioral psychologists have identified three stages of coming to grips with a new craft:

  1. “Cognitive stage” – You focus on your performance, but you make mistakes.
  2. “Associative stage” – You practice, become more comfortable and make fewer errors.
  3. “Autonomous stage” – You switch to autopilot once you can perform a task with a competence...

About the Speaker

Journalist Joshua Foer wrote Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything.


Comment on this summary or Start Discussion

More on this topic

Learners who read this summary also read

Related Channels