Synopses & Reviews
Forget the 10,000 hour ruleand#151; what if itand#8217;s possible to learn the basics of any new skill in 20 hours or less? and#160;
Take a moment to consider how many things you want to learn to do. Whatand#8217;s on your list? Whatand#8217;s holding you back from getting started? Are you worried about the time and effort it takes to acquire new skillsand#151;time you donand#8217;t have and effort you canand#8217;t spare?
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Research suggests it takes 10,000 hours to develop a new skill. In this nonstop world when will you ever find that much time and energy? To make matters worse, the early hours of pracand#173;ticing something new are always the most frustrating. Thatand#8217;s why itand#8217;s difficult to learn how to speak a new language, play an instrument, hit a golf ball, or shoot great photos. Itand#8217;s so much easier to watch TV or surf the web . . .
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In The First 20 Hours, Josh Kaufman offers a systematic approach to rapid skill acquisitionand#151; how to learn any new skill as quickly as possible. His method shows you how to deconstruct comand#173;plex skills, maximize productive practice, and remove common learning barriers. By completand#173;ing just 20 hours of focused, deliberate practice youand#8217;ll go from knowing absolutely nothing to performing noticeably well.
and#160;
Kaufman personally field-tested the methand#173;ods in this book. Youand#8217;ll have a front row seat as he develops a personal yoga practice, writes his own web-based computer programs, teaches himself to touch type on a nonstandard keyand#173;board, explores the oldest and most complex board game in history, picks up the ukulele, and learns how to windsurf. Here are a few of the simand#173;ple techniques he teaches:
- Define your target performance level: Figand#173;ure out what your desired level of skill looks like, what youand#8217;re trying to achieve, and what youand#8217;ll be able to do when youand#8217;re done. The more specific, the better.
- Deconstruct the skill: Most of the things we think of as skills are actually bundles of smaller subskills. If you break down the subcompoand#173;nents, itand#8217;s easier to figure out which ones are most important and practice those first.
- Eliminate barriers to practice: Removing common distractions and unnecessary effort makes it much easier to sit down and focus on deliberate practice.
- Create fast feedback loops: Getting accuand#173;rate, real-time information about how well youand#8217;re performing during practice makes it much easier to improve.
Whether you want to paint a portrait, launch a start-up, fly an airplane, or juggle flaming chainand#173;saws,
The First 20 Hours will help you pick up the basics of any skill in record time . . . and have more fun along the way.
Review
"I've run across few people who conceptually 'grok' how to get things done better than Josh Kaufman."
-David Allen, author of Getting Things Done
"File this book under NO EXCUSES. After you've read it, you won't be open to people telling you that you're not smart enough, not insightful enough, or not learned enough to do work that matters. Josh takes you on a worthwhile tour of the key ideas in business."
-Seth Godin, author of Linchpin
"No matter what they tell you, an MBA is not essential. If you combine reading this book with actually trying stuff, you'll be far ahead in the business game."
-Kevin Kelly, founding executive editor, Wired, and author of What Technology Wants
"A creative, breakthrough approach to business education. I have an MBA from a top business school, and this book helped me understand business in a whole new way."
-Ali Safa vi, executive director of international sales and distribution, The Walt Disney Company
"An absolutely amazing book! I'm highly recommending this to all creative types, for the best overview of the modern business mind-set they need."
-Derek Sivers, founder, CD Baby, sivers.org
"Josh has synthesized the most important topics in business into a book that truly lives up to its title. It's rare to find complicated concepts explained with such clarity. Highly recommended."
-Ben Casnocha, author of My Start-Up Life
"An enterprising and thrifty way to hack business school. This is a fantastic resource for motivated autodidacts looking to get into business."
-Gina Trapani, founding editor, Lifehacker.com, and author of Upgrade Your Life
Review
and#8220;A blockbuster in the making,
The First 20 Hours breaks down the learning process into simple and effective steps with real-life examples that inspire. After reading this book, youand#8217;ll be ready to take on any number of skills and make progress on that big project youand#8217;ve been putting off for years.and#8221;
and#8212;CHRIS GUILLEBEAU, author of The $100 Startup
and#160;
and#8220;If youand#8217;re like me, youand#8217;ll get so inspired that youand#8217;ll stop reading to apply this approach to your own procrastinated project. After reading the first five chapters, I tried Joshand#8217;s technique to learn a new programming language, and Iand#8217;m blown away with how fast I became fluent.and#8221;
and#8212;DEREK SIVERS, founder, CD Baby, sivers.org
and#160;
and#8220;Great opportunities are worthless without skills. No more excuses! Kaufman proves that we all have the capacity to become experts.and#8221;
and#8212;SCOTT BELSKY, founder, Behance, and author of Making Ideas Happen
and#160;
and#8220;With the amount of information and change in the world today, the person who can adapt and learn the most quickly will be the most successful. Kaufman breaks down the science of learning in useful, entertaining, and fascinating ways. If you care about keeping your job, your business, or your edge, this book is for you.and#8221;
and#8212;PAMELA SLIM, author of Escape from Cubicle Nation
and#160;
and#8220;In this inspiring little book, Josh argues that you can get good enough at anything to enjoy yourself in just 20 hours. In other words, all thatand#8217;s standing between you and playing the ukulele is your TV time for the next two weeks. If Josh, a busy father and entrepreneur, can make the time, then the rest of us can too.and#8221;
and#8212;LAURA VANDERKAM, author of 168 Hours and What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast
and#160;
and#8220;Lots of books promise to change your life. This one actually will.and#8221;
and#8212;SETH GODIN, author of The Icarus Deception
Synopsis
Master the fundamentals, hone your business instincts, and save a fortune in tuition.
The consensus is clear: MBA programs are a waste of time and money. Even the elite schools offer outdated assembly-line educations about profit-and-loss statements and PowerPoint presentations. After two years poring over sanitized case studies, students are shuffled off into middle management to find out how business really works.
Josh Kaufman has made a business out of distilling the core principles of business and delivering them quickly and concisely to people at all stages of their careers. His blog has introduced hundreds of thousands of readers to the best business books and most powerful business concepts of all time. In The Personal MBA, he shares the essentials of sales, marketing, negotiation, strategy, and much more.
True leaders aren't made by business schools-they make themselves, seeking out the knowledge, skills, and experiences they need to succeed. Read this book and in one week you will learn the principles it takes most people a lifetime to master.
Synopsis
Master the fundamentals, hone your business instincts, and save a fortune in tuition.
The consensus is clear: MBA programs are a waste of time and money. Even the elite schools offer outdated assembly-line educations about profit-and-loss statements and PowerPoint presentations. After two years poring over sanitized case studies, students are shuffled off into middle management to find out how business really works.
Josh Kaufman has made a business out of distilling the core principles of business and delivering them quickly and concisely to people at all stages of their careers. His blog has introduced hundreds of thousands of readers to the best business books and most powerful business concepts of all time. In The Personal MBA, he shares the essentials of sales, marketing, negotiation, strategy, and much more.
True leaders aren't made by business schools-they make themselves, seeking out the knowledge, skills, and experiences they need to succeed. Read this book and in one week you will learn the principles it takes most people a lifetime to master.
Synopsis
andldquo;Learn anything . . . fast!andrdquo;and#160;Whatever you want to do with your life, you must master new skills. But where can you find the time? You are already busyandmdash;much too busy to spend the ten thousand hours authors like Malcolm Gladwell claim youandrsquo;ll need to master a new skill. Moreover, the early hours of practicing something new are always the most frustrating: If you canandrsquo;t make it through the first twenty hours, youandrsquo;ll never get to ten thousand.and#160;Josh Kaufman offers a systematic approach for acquiring new skills quickly with a small amount of practice each day. He shows how to deconstruct complex skills, maximize productive practice, and remove common learning barriers, creating a realistic framework for drastically cutting the time it takes to acquire any skill.and#160;Kaufman invites readers to join him as he field tests his approach by learning to program a Web application, play the ukulele, practice yoga, get the hang of windsurfing, create illustrations, and study the worldandrsquo;s oldest and most complex board game.
About the Author
Josh Kaufman is an independent business adviser and researcher who specializes in helping people make more money, get more done, and have more fun. Before creating PersonalMBA.com and writing
The Personal MBA, he worked as a marketing manager for Procter and Gamble. He lives in Colorado.and#160;Visit personalmba.com Follow @joshkaufman