When most of us learn a new skill, we work to get just “good enough” and then we go on autopilot. We hit what journalist and bestselling author Joshua Foer calls the “OK Plateau,” where we have gained sufficient skills for our needs and we stop pushing ourselves. But experts do it differently. Looking at the research on everyone from incredible athletes to memory champions, Foer has extracted four principles that describe how to push through the OK Plateau to achieve true greatness. Watch this fantastic talk to learn strategies for developing expertise in any field.

Joshua Foer, Author

At a time when electronic devices have all but rendered our individual memory obsolete, Joshua Foer has made a compelling bid to resurrect the forgotten art of remembering with the bestselling book Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything.

Joshua was born in Washington, DC in 1982 and lives in New Haven, CT with his wife Dinah. His writing has appeared in National Geographic, Esquire, Slate, Outside, the New York Times, and other publications. He is the co-founder of the Atlas Obscura, an online guide to the world’s wonders and curiosities. He is also the co-founder of the architectural design competition, Sukkah City.