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HOW TO BECOME AN EXPERT AT ANYTHING?

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HOW TO BECOME AN EXPERT AT ANYTHING?

We often ask ourselves “What does it take to become an expert at something”? Whether it’s art, music, science, programming, or any field on the face of this earth. The answer is mostly – “it depends on several factors”.

The amount of practice needed to gain expertise has been considered more subjective than objective. In 2008 however, Malcolm Gladwell published his bestselling book “Outliers”, where he popularized the idea that it takes 10,000 hours of practice to reach greatness. In other words, if you practice a skill for 2 hours a day, it will take you about 14 years to reach your goal. If you exclude weekends and holidays, the tenure will stretch up to 20 years. 

Gladwell cites several examples in his book to prove his idea. He explains how Beatles performed on-stage almost every day for a total of 1200 performances, each lasting approx. 8 hours. He gives another example of Bill Gates and how he got exposure to computers at an early age during his school years in Seattle. This was back in 1968 when computers were a rarity. Once Bill started, he never stopped programming. Before he founded Microsoft, he had been practicing programming for seven consecutive years for approx 30 hours a week. This sums up to way past 10 thousand hours. 

Gladwell’s idea became extremely popular for many reasons. For one, he put a number on something that was considered immeasurable. Secondly, he showed a path to become the maestro at almost anything. But soon people started to realize that 10K hours is almost unreal. Honestly, it’s a lifetime! But if you think again, what Gladwell is talking about is to reach absolute greatness. It’s about becoming the best that mankind has ever seen. It’s about becoming a Beatles-like best. 

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This is certainly an extreme end of the spectrum. The other end of the spectrum is where mere mortals like us stand. The question is – can we become an expert that would land us in the top 10% of the competition in almost any field?

What does it take to become an expert at anything?

man in black and white crew-neck t-shirt sitting on black wheelchair

1500 hours. Yes, that’s it! It takes 1500 hours to become an expert to the level that would land you at the top of the competition. Anything beyond that would be a bonus. Let’s break it down to understand it better.

Let’s assume you are a working professional and you plan to up-skill on a topic, for example, Java. To keep a less aggressive target, let’s say you plan to study 6 days a week excluding holidays & Sundays. That will give you about 300 days a year. If you spend 2.5 hours a day, it will take you slightly more than 2 years to complete the 1500 hours landmark. At the end of it, you will have the expertise that can get you a high-paying job in the top software companies. Alternatively, if you spend 5 hours a day, you will be able to achieve the expertise in just one year. Let’s be clear that we are talking about focused, goal-oriented, and dedicated practice hours. It may sound astounding, but if you think of it the other way, this isn’t a bad deal at all. You slog once and change your life forever!

Let’s take another example. Let’s say you are an undergraduate and you are aspiring to be a scientist in quantum physics. This is a highly complex field of study. Only the best can survive and thrive in this field. If you start at the beginning of your undergraduate program and set aside 1.5 hours every day for 300 days a year, by the time you come out of college, you would have slogged for about 1800 hours. This will put you in a position to get a seat in the top universities of the world.

Similarly, if you aspire to get into IITs, you decide to put in a dedicated effort of just 2.5 hours a day, you will be able to cover 1500 hours in 2 years of your senior secondary years. At the end of it, you will be a top contender in a highly coveted exam. You might think that 2.5 hours a day is quite low for (one of the) toughest exams in the world but actually it’s not. Despite all the hype and halla,2.5 hours of hard work a day is all it takes to achieve your dream. 

1500 hours to completely change your life doesn’t sound like a lot. But what does it mean though? It means consistency. It means zeal. It means grit to get what you want. It requires a realistic plan and flawless execution with absolute focus and dedication. You gotta get up and practice every day whether it rains or shines. You have to avoid any hindrance that may come your way. The effort has to be high quality. Just counting hours wouldn’t help. 

You can be whatever you want to be, as long as you dedicate 1500 hours of your life to it. But before you start your journey from novice to expert, you must plan carefully. Here are some pointers that will help:

           >>Decide your goal. Figure out what you want to be or what you want to get. The goal must be clear and specific. Be realistic and practical about it. Whatever you decide, it will have a lasting effect so choose wisely. 

           >>Make a routine that you are most likely to be able to follow. Consider your personal and professional commitments and then decide what will work for you. Do not try to over-commit because you will wear out soon. 

           >>Do not copy others because it just doesn’t work. Be original and be yourself. You can be inspired by others but do not try to be them. 

           >>Identify the right resources. Find out what you need to maximize your learning. For example, which books you want to read. Read the reviews, consult people, read the forums to find out what are the best options available, and choose the one that is best. This will ensure that you get the most from your efforts.

           >>Get help. Whether it’s a coach, a tutor or a mentor. They will guide you in the right direction and avoid waste. Find the one that’s available and approachable.

          >>Avoid distractions. It will take some practice but you will start to get better at it. For example, stay away from the internet and phone while studying.  Despite your best efforts, you might still slip from your daily target but make sure to catch up soon enough.

A dream means nothing if you don’t take the right step to achieve it. Be fearless and start today to go from a zero to a hero. 

Disclaimer: suggestion above is based on personal experience and observation. It is not backed by science.

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