Practice Perfect

In theory, it takes 10,000 hours of practice to become an expert in a subject, a sport or a musical instrument. But if you spend these 10,000 hours practicing without feedback or coaching, you will probably plateau at a rather average level. You will only end up entrenching inefficient habits or bad moves.

How can you take inspiration from the practices of champions and make these hours of practice truly effective to make progress and achieve excellence? The authors, professionals in the field of education, identified 42 good practices to considerably improve the quality of learning in any discipline. One of the main principles is to isolate a small activity, whereas our natural tendency is to move too quickly to mastering the entire process. Observe what the champions in your discipline do, identify their best practices, then rehearse relentlessly. But most importantly, be sure to get feedback—through a coach, by filming yourself, by practicing in pairs, etc. Don’t hesitate to use assessment tools, if applicable for the activity you are practicing. How many words a minute did you say in your introduction? Was this your desired pace? Then, once you have reached your objective, move on to another facet of the skill and start all over again!

This book shows how much we can advance our manner of improving. Reading it will be highly beneficial for anyone who thinks they aren’t naturally gifted for a particular activity. Through methodical and systematic practice, you will progress more quickly than people who wouldn’t know how to capitalize on the aptitudes they already possess!