Anders Ericsson, a professor of psychology and author of Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise, has spent 30 years studying people who are the best at something, including chess grandmasters. to the best virtuoso musicians in the world. His observations go against traditional beliefs. Ericsson discovered that if you want to become incredibly successful at something, it's not just the number of hours you spend practicing that matters, but also the quality of your hours.
The rule the masters use is called "selective practice" - a scientifically proven method that will help you become better at what you want.
But how does this “selectivity” manifest itself? For most skills and abilities, not all types of practice are created equal. Simple repetition (doing the same things over and over again) will help you develop a habit, but it won't always make you a better person.
Behavioral psychologist James Clear agrees with this point of view: “We often think that we become better at something just because we gain experience. In fact, this is how we simply strengthen our habits, rather than develop.”
Now let’s explain: the essence of electoral
practice is inherent in its name, that is, you need to approach the matter with certain intentions, goals and calculations. Every step you take must have a clear meaning, you must know exactly what to do on any given day, as well as how and when you will achieve your goal.
Here are some ways to incorporate selective practice into your daily life.
Uncovering the blinders
There was a period in my life when I voraciously read the magazines “Biography”, “Interview”, and watched the program “Stories in Detail”. I was interested in the ups and downs of life of famous personalities: our contemporaries and those who have been gone for a long time. It seemed that I was thinking about one thing: how to be a successful, more interesting person in every way?
And only after some time, having had enough of all this information, I understood why I was so interested in these destinies. These were people who went beyond the generally accepted norms of life. Some were persecuted by their contemporaries, others experienced several ups and downs. They, public and famous, tend to have a different way of thinking - daring, unconventional, and sometimes provocative. They live their lives in the same unconventional way.
We live in amazing times: numerous opportunities for growth and development are open to us, we have a wide variety of information. The boundaries of age, social status and financial security are gradually disappearing. The need to know ourselves, to find out why we came into this life comes to the fore.
Previous attitudes and stereotypes no longer work. Therefore, it is so important to learn something new, try yourself in different directions, turn hobbies into work, and work into hobbies - in a word, expand the scope of life. Start each day by asking, “How am I choosing to be today?” Maybe be kinder? More curious? More tolerant? Be more honest with yourself?
Focus on the goal
Analyze how much during the working day you are distracted by extraneous matters such as watching entertainment videos or pages on social networks. This seemingly harmless distraction from the main task creates unnecessary fatigue in the brain, which simply finds it difficult to do several things at the same time. So the energy goes into emptiness, and the planned task turns out to be unfulfilled or performed poorly. Therefore, try to control these habits during working hours.
Enjoying the process
Let's return to the goal for a moment. It's great if you already have it! It’s even better if the first step has already been taken, and you already know how to understand yourself and achieve success. But it would be a big mistake to turn your entire life into achieving a goal. I remember the good old cartoon based on the fairy tale of the same name by V. Kataev “The Pipe and the Jug.”
In it, the girl was at first too lazy to pick berries, but then, taught by the wise old man, she realized the whole thrill of the process and began to say: “I take one berry, look at another, notice the third, and see the fourth.”
And the focus on the result is, which is important, and enjoyment of the process of picking berries. This is very correct! Feeling yourself in every moment of life, celebrating even minor achievements, praising yourself and getting pleasure from it - this means growing, saturating your life with quality.
Artificial intelligence
In the modern world, many mathematical and various mechanical jobs can be performed by a robot. Computers can store so much information, and it is so structured, that the human brain cannot compete with them.
When it comes to mathematics, computers are the best professionals in their field. People who, several decades ago, could calculate the sums of four-digit terms and find the difference between numbers were considered geniuses and professionals. Now the need for such talent has sharply decreased.
But there are areas of life in which artificial intelligence cannot surpass humans - this is art. A computer can create something qualitatively new only with human hands.
Also, artificial intelligence is weak in matters of psychology and what concerns the emotional sphere of a person. Professionalism must be appropriate and useful for a particular era.
A little about free cheese
Do you understand, right? You have to pay for everything. If you decide to learn a new profession, be prepared to invest your time, effort, and money into it. Tune in to a new way of life - unfamiliar, unusual, sometimes squeezing all the juice out of you.
You are not Emelya and you will not lie on the stove and dream about how someone would do something for you and, at the same time, trying to get the main prize from life. You are already aware of the direction in which your thoughts are directed, and are slowly moving to a new level. So invest in yourself boldly! The return will follow sooner or later.
Invest in a trainer
At school, teachers taught us everything - after school we went to the swimming section, on Saturdays to dance classes, on Monday there was football training, and on Wednesday the violin teacher came home. As we grow older, we are more likely to learn new things on our own, but Anders Ericsson, the founder of the doctrine of selective practice, does not consider this desire for independence to be logical.
Film "Obsession"
If you want to become proficient at something, the first step is to find someone to learn from. The teacher will be able to provide you with the kind of feedback and criticism that you cannot provide yourself. A mentor will help you set the right goals and expectations, and will also be helpful when you do decide that you are ready to study on your own.
Cogito ergo sum
Rene Descartes' famous philosophical statement “I think, therefore I am” is universal in its essence. Within the framework of our topic, it is even more interesting. You still don't know how to rise to a higher level in life? Start practicing mental work. It is possible and necessary to work physically.
But what is the benefit of hard, exhausting physical labor throughout your life? The body wears out, the brain degrades. On the contrary, if you work with your mind, receive a good reward for it, alternate mental stress with physical stress, you will develop comprehensively, increase your self-esteem and prolong your life.
Anyone can become a first-class specialist!
Do you think talented and brilliant people become the best specialists in their field? No, being the best is an opportunity for every normal person! And you, Khabrozhitel, have this opportunity too! I have always thought that anyone can achieve excellent results if they set such a goal and persistently pursue it. And recently I heard about a wonderful book by Jeff Colvin called “Extraordinary Results. Talent has nothing to do with it!” (Talent is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everybody Else), which confirmed my point.
The essence of the book
The essence is clear from the title: the book says that the most ordinary person can achieve extraordinary results, but many naturally have questions: How?
Why? According to the author, talent does not have the most important influence on a person’s success in a particular area; success depends on a person’s efforts. There is nothing easier than pointing your finger at a successful person and saying: “He has a special talent, I can’t do that.” In fact, this successful man worked long and hard to become this way.
A simple example: what will happen if a child at an early age, say up to 12 years old, starts talking about the economy, its structure, laws (naturally, in an accessible way, with simple examples)? After that, until 15, talk about business and its structure, give business literature to read? And then send him to practice as an assistant manager? By the age of 20, such a person will understand business no worse than business consultants and will be called a “genius,” but in reality it is just hard work.
The author says that there is no evidence of special talent in people like Warren Buffett, Bill Gates and others. Great success comes from hard work and so-called “deliberate practice.”
Monstrous experiment
One Hungarian psychologist conducted an unusual experiment that clearly does not fit into the moral framework.
He studied the lives of successful people and came to the conclusion that their success is due to great concentration on the goal and long, painstaking work. Accordingly, successful people can be raised.
For the experiment, he found a woman, they made 3 children, who were taught to play chess from childhood (the result can be easily calculated according to the father).
All 3 children ended up becoming brilliant chess players.
5 rules
Jeff Colvin has come up with a magic formula for how to become successful in any field:
1. Improving the quality of work You must constantly think about what you are doing poorly and work on it.
2. Repetition of actions “Repetition is the mother of stuttering” - this is not about us. Any action must be repeated many times in order for it to be remembered. By the way, here you can recall memory studies, according to which a simple action is remembered for a long time after 7 repetitions, for 7 days.
3. Define the result You must clearly know what you want to achieve, so that later you know the criteria for improving the result.
4. Concentration For good results, you need deep concentration on work, about 4-5 hours a day to practice and improve results.
5. Perseverance Great achievements require great perseverance. I know from myself that from time to time there is a desire to give up everything and relax, sometimes it even leads to depression, but under no circumstances should this be done.
For young people: do not doubt your abilities, the author himself says “down with age”!
I’ll add on my own: develop your memory. There are many different exercises, for example, the “Cubes” exercise: you need to buy 10 dice of the same shape and color, take a few, to begin with, shake them in your hands, put them on the table, raise your palm for a couple of seconds, cover them again and name all the numbers that are there fell out. Gradually increase the number of cubes, and reduce the time of the raised palm. Do the exercise every day for 15 minutes. Memory will improve significantly in a month. This exercise is widely practiced by chess players.
Eventually:
if you want to achieve something, everything is in your hands. The book is a must-read for those who really want to become a first-class professional.
upd:
thanks for the karma
Author:
Nikita Semenov (Facebook, , LinkedIn) CEO / Internet Sales Technologies
Dreams Come True
“If you want something, the whole Universe will help make your wish come true.
Paulo Coelho"
Are you really ready to get what you want? Do you know you need it? Do you know what to do about it?
Often we passionately dream about something, directing all our thoughts in this direction. But when we get what we dreamed of, we are disappointed. Why is this happening? There was no readiness. There was no clear idea of how to live with this, how to be worthy of a good life.
New car? Get it! Prepare money for fuel, technical inspection, spare parts, tax. New housing? Please! The set includes new “problematic” neighbors, travel time to work and back. New job? How they ordered: more money, cooler office, nicer colleagues.
But, suddenly, I needed to master different skills, constantly think about how to succeed in everything, remember all my life and professional experiences... What, aren’t you ready? When ordering a desire, you always need to “live” it in all details, right down to sensations, touches and smells. Then, already at the “living” stage, it will be clear whether you need it or not.
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development | Work | work on yourself | favorite job | specialty | skills | abilities | public speaking skills | PR | Teen
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The law of sowing and reaping
If you already know for sure that the topic of “being successful and happy” is the most relevant for you, go for it! Improve yourself, master new skills, gain and apply new knowledge, strive for better, more, do not stop there...
But remember: when a seed is sown, it must ripen and then germinate. It needs to be looked after for some time - watered, hilled, weeded. And only then does the fruit grow and ripen. Don't chase quick results, give it time.
Grow gradually
"Be patient.
Self-development is a very subtle matter, it is holy ground. There is no way to find a shortcut and take a shortcut.” Stephen Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
Don't try to learn everything at once. It's better to practice one skill at a time, so you can gradually work your way up to something bigger (and it will definitely be worth it).
Break your new goal into segments - where should you start to continue your journey? Do you know how to read music so you can play the guitar you just bought? Have you learned how to properly warm up for the marathon you just signed up for? Master the matter little by little, and the end result will be much more solid than if you tackled everything at once.
Post-professionalism
People who have lived to retirement age reach this level. In the past, they were sought-after experts and know exactly how to become professionals in their field. Some share their experience with the younger generation, remaining constant gurus in their field, thereby further enhancing their professionalism.
Everyone lives this period of life differently: some continue to improve and mentor, while others acquire new hobbies and also achieve great success.
Professionals are smart people, and smart people live longer because their brains are more plastic, and their neural connections are stronger, which means their brains are of higher quality. And this is the very organ that controls the entire body.
Be careful with gossip
The magnetic pull of gossip is potentially dangerous to your career. Stay away from most of these group gatherings and their negative banter. However, it's worth keeping your ears and eyes open for the nuggets of truth often present in workplace gossip.
If you find out that people don't understand the firm's direction or its latest strategy, that's important information for your boss. Filter fact from fiction, but don't discount conversations that highlight organizational weaknesses and opportunities.
Quiet your ego
The hardest part about learning something new is accepting that you need to learn it. It's hard to admit your imperfections. However, instead of viewing it as a flaw, embrace it as an opportunity. The less space you leave for your ego, the more space there will be for new knowledge.
When you start to acquire some basic skills, you may think that you already know everything. I've made this mistake several times. It is very important to remember the “unknown unknowns” - the things you don’t know that you don’t know. As Richard Feynman, a theoretical physicist known for his work developing quantum mechanics and physics, said, “I'm smart enough to know that I'm dumb.”
The more you study, the more you realize how much more you need to study. Knowing this is a good indicator of success. No matter what your skill level, you are unlikely to ever feel like a perfect master. Most likely, you will simply realize that your old self, which thought it knew everything, actually knew nothing. When this thought comes to your mind, you can be sure that you have learned something.
Summary
Before you learn anything, make sure it helps you achieve your goals and that you enjoy learning. Only when you realize that you know less than you don’t know, you have achieved success. First learn the rules of the game (to play), and then figure out how to break them (to win). Practice and make mistakes to gain immunity from them in the future. Learn to learn and then you can become a master in any matter.
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Keywords:1LLL
Get an education
Therefore, the third stage will take you to the student's desk. Here you will expand and deepen the knowledge you have acquired yourself. You will begin to transform from an amateur into a real professional. Become competent.
Previously, textbooks were enough for you to develop in your chosen direction. Now, in order to move to a higher level, teachers and their invaluable experience are needed. Without systematic education, it is almost impossible to become an expert in your field. In addition, the need to attend lectures and seminars, participate in debates and conferences, write scientific papers, take tests and exams - all this disciplines. And it allows you to receive feedback and ratings from others.
Brief clarification
Research also points to the need for an experienced mentor. Thus, it was found that two conditions are necessary to achieve mastery, and they are equally important. The first is constant exercise (we are talking about music, sports, dancing, chess), that is, practicing skills (teaching), and the second is the guidance of an experienced teacher. At the university you will get both.
It is curious that such factors as ability and talent are by no means in the first positions. Although it’s impossible without him either. It turns out that the longer a person is engaged in self-improvement in his favorite activity, and even under the supervision of a knowledgeable specialist, the faster he will achieve success.
Pre-professionalism
Any person who dreams of becoming a master of his craft, a professional, goes through this stage. It is characterized by familiarization with a certain type of work, mastering the rules, norms, concepts, nuances and other mandatory components. This level of professional development is distinguished by its complexity and necessity, but at the same time ineffectiveness.
Pre-professionalism can be observed in trainees, young professionals or newcomers in any field of activity. This is that wonderful time when you are forgiven for your mistakes and mistakes, this is the moment when you can and should fill your own bumps and learn from the shortcomings of not only others, but also your own.
Oddly enough, the more mistakes a person makes at this stage, the more professional he will be in the future. The main thing is not to be disappointed in yourself and not to stop trying.
Stages of professionalism
You can define the following:
- Adaptation stage. This is the period of entering the profession, becoming familiar with the basic rules, methods, problems, techniques and techniques. The first year or two a person adapts to the new role of a performer. Studying is the process of absorbing knowledge, and work is the process of reproducing it in practice. This stage is often painful, and for some people it lasts for years.
- Self-actualization. Having felt himself in the profession, a person develops his own handwriting, style and algorithm of actions, he already knows about his strengths, and has learned to smooth out his weaknesses. At this stage, the personality develops through the means of the profession.
- Fluency. At this level, a person has mastered all the norms and rules of his profession, familiarized himself with all kinds of problems and their solutions. Carrying out your direct responsibilities no longer requires much effort.
