The fiddly thing about practice, whether at programming, exercising, playing the trumpet, drawing, or anything else, is that you rarely notice improvement between one session and the next. Don’t let it discourage you. Being consistent over the long haul is what is required. Eventually you’ll look back and realize you’ve climbed a mountain, one day at a time.
michal
on 27 Oct 10I completely agree. I think the hardest is to stick into whatever you decide to do and don’t give up (especially at the beginning).
Here is a great book which is related to the topic: http://thetalentcode.com
Christophe Maximin
on 27 Oct 10True story.
Jimmy Chan
on 27 Oct 10Yes Yes Yes
Jason Klug
on 27 Oct 10It can be particularly disheartening when you’re always comparing yourself to your “heroes” at whatever you’re doing; you never seem to make any headway catching up with their skills.
A great “look how far you’ve come” moment can come in the form of talking to a recent grad, or someone looking to get into your field.
It’s a matter of aspiration (looking up to your heroes) vs. affirmation (“Yes, I have learned a lot since starting out like Joe Graduate 4 years ago”).
Really, you need them both to stay on track.
Deltaplan
on 27 Oct 10I think that it’s especially true when it comes to moving from a domain where you were indeed good, to a domain where you have to start at the beginner level.
Sometimes, even below the beginner level too, because most people have a tendency to be distressed in such a situation, and then to avoid being just “beginner”, to revert to their old habits from their former domain in which they consider themselves good.
Joe
on 27 Oct 10Well said.
It’s much better to compare yourself to the more distant past than the last few attempts. Occasionally, those new to fitness are told this as well.
Eddie Colbeth
on 27 Oct 10Great stuff! This is what Mihaly Czikszentmihalyi’s calls Flow, the Science of Optimal Performance. Check out his book, Flow. It’s a great read, you can find it on my reading list. Here’s a link to his TED talk http://bit.ly/8Zbfg2
JF
on 27 Oct 10I’ve found that if I practice intensely for a few days, and then take a few days off, when I come back I’m significantly better than had I continued to practice every day.
It’s something about the practice “soaking in”.
Terry Dunn
on 27 Oct 10Awesome advice! There have been so many times I’ve nearly given up, and given up, only to realise much later what amazing progress I’ve made where I haven’t given up.
Terry
Martial
on 27 Oct 10Also, slow down. No, slower. Sorry – not slow enough yet. You’re almost there. Now you’re getting it.
Get it right 100%, then speed it up a bit. When you’re not getting it right at a new speed, slow it back down way lower than where you “know” you can do it. Get it right again. And then bring the speed back up.
Of course, this is only if you actually want to achieve mastery.
David Omoyele
on 27 Oct 10I agree this insight can be applied to anything else, even dieting. The hardest part is avoiding discouragement. Discouragement will always foil your efforts if you don’t actively fight it.
Phil Willis
on 27 Oct 10Agreed.
At some point you have to enjoy the practice.
Because there’s lots of it.
So you might as well learn to love it.
Daniel
on 28 Oct 10It’s actually (in a roundabout way) a good thing, that you don’t notice the incremental improvements. It says that your critical senses are functioning: You improve, but you find more room for improvement, and you’re never 100% satisfied with the result.
I read this too from a illustrator (or cartoonist? Can’t remember unfortunately). He said he found drawing an interesting skill because all children draw but only a few really get good at it, and fewer still end up making a living from it. He personally thought that the reason he succeeded was that when he drew as a child, he was never satisfied with the result. So he tried again, while other kids thought their drawings were good enough or gave up and did something else. His work now is absolutely beautiful if ou ask me, but he’s still not entirely satisfied so he continues practicing.
So you have to be a perfectionist while practicing, noticing all the rough edges, but still be able to step back and reevaluate the whole. And yes, taking a few days off definitely helps one step back.
GregT
on 28 Oct 10I have been teaching myself drums for the past year. I suck, but, a couple of months ago I crossed into the zone where I totally crave practicing. I’d do it 3,4 hours a day if I could.
Playing along to real music helps a lot, for obvious reasons. ‘Clocks’ is an example of a song that you can learn very quickly and sound cool playing (at least to yourself). I love drums!
Oh, and using noise-cancelling headphones helps a lot!
Denis
on 01 Nov 10The best lesson I ever heard on practice was from Wynton Marsalis – it’s not necessarily about how long you practice, but it’s about practicing the things you’re not good at to get better at them. Speaking from 7 years of trumpet playing, 15 years of guitar, a degree in studio art and fun in HTML, CSS, and PHP – I think he’s right.
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