The First 20 Hours: Master Any Skill Quickly and Efficiently

Ever dreamt of picking up a new hobby or mastering a new skill, only to be discouraged by the thought of spending countless hours just to get decent at it? In The First 20 Hours, Josh Kaufman challenges this daunting assumption by introducing a powerful approach known as “rapid skill acquisition.” This method allows you to develop any skill in just 20 hours of focused practice. In this summary of The First 20 Hours, we’ll explore how you can drastically shorten your learning curve by following four key steps and essential learning principles.

What Is The First 20 Hours About?

Before you can become proficient in any skill, you must first acquire a basic level of competence. This “good enough” stage is crucial to start seeing results and gaining confidence. However, the initial phase of learning can be frustrating because you’re often not very good at it. Kaufman addresses this challenge with a method designed to help time-strapped individuals achieve meaningful progress in just 20 hours.

The Concept of Rapid Skill Acquisition

Josh Kaufman, a self-professed learning enthusiast, found himself overwhelmed by the number of skills he wanted to learn versus the time he had available. Through his experimentation, he developed the process of rapid skill acquisition—a technique that enables anyone to become reasonably good at a skill with just 20 hours of deliberate, focused practice.

This process is grounded in four main steps, supported by 10 principles of effective learning and 10 principles specific to rapid skill acquisition. Let’s dive into the core ideas.

Understanding Skills Acquisition vs. Learning, Education, and Training

What Is Skills Acquisition?

Skill acquisition is all about gaining the ability to perform a new task or activity that you couldn’t do before. It’s a hands-on process that involves trying things out, making mistakes, and refining your technique until you get it right.

How It Differs from Learning, Education, and Training

• Learning: This is about gaining knowledge or understanding concepts. For instance, reading about how a bicycle works gives you knowledge, but not necessarily the ability to ride it.
• Education: A structured form of learning, often culminating in credentials that prove your understanding. For example, attending a cycling course and earning a certificate as a qualified instructor.
• Training: The next step after acquiring a skill, where you work to refine and enhance your abilities. For example, training for a bike race involves sharpening your existing biking skills.

The Goal: Learn Just Enough

The objective of rapid skill acquisition isn’t to become an expert, but to get to a point where you can use the skill effectively. In Outliers: The Story of Success, Malcolm Gladwell popularized the idea that it takes 10,000 hours to achieve mastery in a skill. This figure, based on research by Dr. Anders Ericsson, pertains to reaching world-class levels of performance.

However, Kaufman argues that for most practical purposes, you don’t need to be a world-class expert. Instead, you just need to be good enough to achieve your specific goals, which can often be accomplished with 20 hours of smart, focused practice.

The 4 Steps for Rapid Skill Acquisition

Kaufman’s method revolves around breaking down a skill into its smallest components, identifying the most critical parts, and practicing them deliberately. Here’s how you can do it:

1. Deconstruct the Skill

Break the skill down into its smallest possible subskills. Understanding these individual components makes it easier to focus on what’s most important.

2. Learn Just Enough to Practice

Research the subskills and learn just enough about each to begin practicing. The goal is to start practicing as soon as possible while being able to self-correct.

3. Remove Barriers to Practice

Identify and eliminate anything that might hinder your practice, such as distractions, fears, or discomfort. This might involve setting up a dedicated practice space or removing digital distractions.

4. Commit to 20 Hours of Deliberate Practice

Dedicate at least 20 hours to focused, deliberate practice, concentrating on the most critical subskills. By committing this time, you’ll push through the initial discomfort and reach a level of proficiency.

Additional Insights: 10 Principles for Rapid Skill Acquisition and Learning

To maximize your learning efficiency, Kaufman recommends using two checklists:

1. 10 Principles for Rapid Skill Acquisition: These principles guide your approach to quickly acquiring new skills.
2. 10 Principles for Effective Learning: These principles help you absorb new information more effectively.

These principles, combined with the four steps outlined above, provide a robust framework for learning any skill in a fraction of the usual time.

Applying the Method in Real Life

Kaufman didn’t just theorize about rapid skill acquisition; he put it into practice by learning six different skills, ranging from cognitive to physical activities. In each case, he selected a specific goal, deconstructed the skill into manageable parts, and dedicated focused time to practicing them.

Example: Learning Yoga

Kaufman wanted to incorporate yoga into his daily routine to improve his physical strength and flexibility. After some research, he set a goal to learn a series of postures (asanas) that he could practice at home.

• Equipment: A yoga mat, a strap, and a block.
• Training: Spent a few hours with a yoga teacher to grasp the basics, focusing on the Sun Salutation sequence and 10 common poses.
• Practice: Dedicated 25 minutes each morning to practice, eventually learning the sequence by heart.

Other Examples

In our full summary of The First 20 Hours, we explore how Kaufman applied his method to learn:

• Programming: Developed a simple web application.
• Touch-Typing: Relearned typing using a different keyboard layout (Colemak instead of QWERTY).
• Playing GO: Mastered the basics of this complex strategy board game.
• Playing the Ukulele: Learned to play his favorite songs.
• Windsurfing: Although he spent more time paddle-boarding due to lack of wind, he gained practical experience in water sports.

How to Get the Most from The First 20 Hours

By dedicating just an hour a day to focused practice, Kaufman managed to learn six new, complex skills within a year. Even more importantly, he developed a habit of continuous learning and gained the confidence to tackle new challenges.

Steps to Follow

1. Choose a Skill: Select a skill that you genuinely want to learn and are willing to commit to.
2. Allocate Time: Set aside about an hour each day for the next month.
3. Deconstruct and Research: Break down the skill into smaller parts and identify key components to focus on.
4. Practice and Adjust: If you hit a roadblock, try a new approach. Keep practicing until you reach your desired performance level or the 20-hour mark.

Ready to start learning a new skill quickly? Delve deeper into the four steps, 10 principles, and real-life examples with our complete book summary bundle. This bundle includes an infographic, a 12-page text summary, and a 26-minute audio summary.

Quotes

1. “This book is a systematic approach to acquiring new skills as quickly as possible.”
2. “The true test of useful learning is prediction. Based on what you know, can you guess how a change or experiment will turn out before you do it?”
3. “When it comes to learning something new, there’s no sense in making it more difficult than it really needs to be.”
4. “If you want to acquire a new skill, you have to practice. There is no other way.”
5. “Complex things are simple when you break them down.”
6. “Remember, time is never found: it’s made.”
7. “If you don’t want to do something you’re currently doing, make it impossible to do. If you can’t make the behavior impossible, make it as difficult, expensive, or prohibitive as you possibly can.”

About the Author of The First 20 Hours

The First 20 Hours: How to Learn Anything…Fast is written by Josh Kaufman, an author, speaker, and business coach. He specializes in topics such as business, entrepreneurship, productivity, and behavioral psychology, focusing on helping individuals learn how to make more money, get more done, and enjoy life. For more information, visit his website at joshkaufman.net.

Further Reading

If you’re eager to learn more about mastering new skills, consider checking out our summaries for Ultralearning and Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning. These books offer additional strategies to enhance your learning journey.