With
just 20 hours of focused, deliberate practice, you can go from knowing
absolutely nothing to performing noticeably well. 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.

1. Deconstruct the skill: Break down
   the parts and find the most important things to practice first. If you
   were learning to play a musical instrument, for example, knowing just a
   few chords gives you access to tons of songs. If you want to learn a new
   language, learn the most common 2,000 words and you’ll have 80% text
   coverage.
2. Self-correct: Use reference
   materials to learn enough that you know when you make a mistake so you can
   correct yourself.
3. Remove barriers to learning:
   Identify and remove anything that distracts you from focusing on the skill
   you want to learn.
4. Practice at least 20 hours.