Replace the 10,000-Hour Rule With This Skill-Learning Mindset

Learning something new just got easier

Kelly D
Practice in Public

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little girl in martial arts’ stance
Photo by RDNE Stock project: https://www.pexels.com/photo/photo-of-a-child-wearing-red-dobok-7045495/

Made famous by Malcolm Gladwell in his bestselling book Outliers, the 10,000-hour rule has taken on a life of its own. What started as a study observing how experts got to the top of a mega-competitive niche has become diluted by media noise (surprise, surprise). What started as an interesting guidepost for greatness morphed into the idea that it takes 10,000 hours to become good at anything.

More people at this point have heard of the rule than read the book. Taken out of context, the 10,000-hour rule can be intimidating, even discouraging. I know it was for me. For some people it was inspiring, but for me, it made me feel like the skills I desperately wanted would be forever out of my grasp.

Maybe you’re like me, and this “rule” created doubts in your mind about improving a skill or learning something new. That’s no good.

So let’s break down the 4 big myths around this rule, shall we? Then, I’ll share this new mindset I found that made learning a new skill much more accessible.

You believe you don’t have the time

10,000 hours translates to working a full-time job for 5 years. Hot damn. That’s a big commitment for something…

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Kelly D
Practice in Public

Freelance Writer | Podcast & Video Editor | An introvert writing about books, travel, entrepreneurship, & holistic health | https://linktr.ee/kellydanahy