With just 20 hours of focused, deliberate practice, you can go from knowing absolutely nothing to performing noticeably well. That's the message from Josh Kaufman, author of The First 20 Hours. In the video above, he reveals the four steps to learning any new skill, fast.


It's a long, 20-minute TEDx Talk, but entertaining and enlightening too. The four steps in Kaufman's method are:

Deconstruct the skill: Break down the parts and find the most important things to practice first. If you were learning to play a musical instrument, for example, knowing just a few chords gives you access to tons of songs. If you want to learn a new language Self-correct: Use reference materials to learn enough that you know when you make a mistake so you can correct yourself. Remove barriers to learning: Identify and remove anything that distracts you from focusing on the skill you want to learn. Practice at least 20 hours.

20 hours amounts to just 40 minutes a day for a month, so what are you waiting for?


The First 20 Hours