16 General Pointers for Deliberate Practice

Everybody is familiar with the following quotes, “Fake it till you make it,”
“If at first, you don’t succeed, try and try again,” “Try and try until you die.” These are quotes I find myself mumbling when I need a little nudge,
or when things are just not going as I planned.

We do not know everything we need to learn, but we sure can learn anything if we really want it.

I believe that we can learn anything if we want it bad enough. Whether it be a skill, knowledge, or attitude we can conquer, we can succeed if we put our minds to it. It is deliberate and intentional as we learn and practice. Repetition until it becomes natural.

Deliberate practice is the key to achieving success in any field or endeavor. It’s the strategy that would lead to good performance versus excellent achievement.

But what does it take to be deliberate and intentional when we want to learn and practice anything from the simple to the complicated?

General Pointers for Deliberate Practice

1.Have the right mindset. Perspective is key. The way we see things can either become our prison or our passport.

2. Create a Plan of Action. How are we going to learn what we need to know? We must do or research so we can create a plan.

3.Just do it. Once the plan is created, take the first step. The first step is the hardest, but once we start and gain momentum, it becomes easier.

4.Clarity of Goals. Let us be clear on our “Why.” This will serve as our guiding star over the horizon when we are in the midst of the grueling desert.

5.Be patient. Anything that is worthwhile takes time.

6. Be consistent and persistent. Anything great comes with unwavering and continuous effort on our part.

7.Practice, practice, and practice until what we want to learn become second nature.

8. Understand the learning curve. We learn at different rates. Our progress in gaining experience or new skills varies from person to person. We also learn differently. So we need to know how we learn best to maximize the time, money, and effort we put forth.

9.Focus on specific areas. Identify the areas where you want to improve and focus your practice there. For example, you may have acquired an extensive Spanish vocabulary but need to listen to native speakers to improve your pronunciation.

10.Endurance is key. Also known as resilience, fortitude, and the ability to withstand and see things amidst all physical and mental obstacles.

11.Keep your sessions relatively brief. Researchers show that three to five hours a day is the absolute maximum for most people, spread over individual sessions of ninety minutes or less. Pace yourself according to the amount of time during which you can maintain an intense level of concentration.

12.Health is paramount. Nothing can be achieved with a sick body, a poor mind, and a sad spirit.

13.Be open and flexible. If one way does not work, be willing to try other methods to learn.

14.Be creative and enjoy the process. Appreciate the journey.

15.Have an accountability partner or somebody that you can ask to give you an objective answer. Feedback is important if we want to learn faster. Outside observers can be more objective as they may spot weak points that we fail to see. Find a mentor, partner up with a more experienced friend, or hire a coach.

16. Evaluate your progress. Check-in regularly to assess how we are doing. Ask ourselves what is going well and where we need to make changes.

Whether it is in our career, personal life, staying fit and healthy, learning a new skill or hobby, we can use deliberate practice to achieve success in our set goals.

In Summary

Deliberate practice requires time and hard work, but we can reap the benefits, regardless of whether we think we have any special innate talent for the activities we care about most. If we focus on the areas where we want to improve, if we are patient, diligent, practice, and get feedback, our efforts will pay off.