The First 20 Hours: How to Learn Anything . . . Fast!

That’s what programming languages do: they give a human programmer a specific way to tell the computer when to start, what to do, and when to stop. They also allow the programmer to define what the inputs, processes, and outputs look like, and what to do when the program is done running.

Rapid skill acquisition requires choosing a lovable problem or project. The more excited you are about the skill you want to acquire, the more quickly you’ll acquire it.

It doesn’t take much practice at all to go from “very slow and grossly incompetent” to “reasonably fast and noticeably competent.”

The Great Transformation: The Beginning of Our Religious Traditions by Karen Armstrong (New York: Anchor, 2007).

Remember: once you start, you can’t stop until you reach your target performance level or the twenty-hour mark. Struggle if you must, but don’t stop. Show your grit, and keep pushing forward. You’ll get there: all it takes is practice.

Immersion works because it ensures that you complete the crucial first hours of practice without fail: you can’t escape your environment, so the practice happens automatically.

Sinatra is generally better suited for small projects.

Take the immersion opportunities as they come, but don’t count on them.

Pick one, and only one, new skill you wish to acquire. Put all of your spare focus and energy into acquiring that skill, and place other skills on temporary hold.