The 10 Best Tips For Improving Your Skills

Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash

While we all possess talents, we are unsure of how to develop those talents to their full potential. The root of this problem is the “how.”

By intently studying world class performers, author Daniel Coyle has distilled that down into 52 consumable tips for improving your skills, taking the most valuable observations. Here were my top 10 after reading the book:

1. Spend 15 minutes a day engraving the skill on your brain. Form an intense connection so that you can feel yourself performing the skill.
2. Choose spartan over luxurious. Simple, humble spaces help focus attention on deep-task practice at hand.
3. To build soft skills, play like a skateboarder. Focus on making a high number of varied reps and getting clear feedback.
4. 5 Ways to Pick A High Quality Teach or Coach: 1)avoid someone who reminds you of a courteous waiter 2)seek someone who scares you a little 3) seek someone who gives short, clear directions 4)seek someone who loves teaching fundamentals 5)other things being equal, pick the older person
5. Break every move down into chunks. See the whole thing, break it down to its simplest elements. Put it back together. Repeat.
6. Practice alone. Seek out the sweet spot at the edge of your ability. Develop discipline.
7. To learn from a book, close the book. Write and reflect after reading.
8. To choose the best practice method, use the REPS. R: Reaching and Repeating E: Engagement P: Purposefulness S: Strong, Speedy Feedback
9. For every hour of competition, spend five hours practicing.

10. Think like a gardener, work like a carpenter.

Think patiently without judgment. Work steadily, strategically, knowing that each piece connects to a larger whole.