University of Minnesota - UMN Executive Leadership Insights
How to Learn Anything...Fast
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How to Learn Anything...Fast

Josh Kaufmann
RSA, 2013
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Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Applicable
  • For Beginners

Recommendation

According to an ancient Chinese proverb, “Learning is like rowing upstream: Not to advance is to drop back.” However, as business author Josh Kaufman points out, learning something new doesn’t have to be the excruciating upstream struggle that many people imagine. With clear insights and a ukulele solo, Kaufman expunges myths about learning and shares best practices in becoming proficient at any new activity. getAbstract recommends his charming presentation to anyone who has longed to take up a new instrument, language, sport or skill but dreads getting started.

Summary

A common misconception is that “it takes 10,000 hours to learn something.” This fallacy originally entered the public consciousness via psychologist K. Anders Ericsson’s studies of people who are leaders in their fields, such as chess grandmasters. These maestros, Ericsson found, excel by undergoing 10,000 hours of deliberate practice over the course of a decade. Yet most people who want to learn something new don’t aim to be world champions. In fact, if you follow the right process, you can become proficient at any new skill in just 20 hours, or 40 minutes every day for a month. To learn something quickly, take these five steps:

  1. Define what you ...

About the Speaker

Business adviser and author Josh Kaufman wrote The First 20 Hours: How to Learn Anything…Fast.

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