7 General Steps That Can Guide You To Mastery

Attaining mastery in any field is a complex process that involves a lot of steps. An exact strategy would vary based on your chosen field. But certain steps are common to every field and can guide anyone seeking mastery.

1) Understand How, When, and Why the Technique is Used

In the book Talent Is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everybody Else, Geoffrey Colvin talks about how he practices golf. He describes it as taking two big buckets full of balls to the driving range and taking random shots at a target until the buckets are empty. He talks about trying to incorporate random advice he read about. But ultimately, he admits that this kind of practice does not take him anywhere. We see such fruitless practice in many fields. We can see similar situations in chess where there are players who have been playing for a lifetime without becoming grandmasters while there are teenagers who become grandmasters. Therefore, it’s obvious that mastery is not gained through repet. Then what makes the difference between experts and the people who do fruitless practice?

The difference is in their knowledge of how, why, and when to use a technique. In any field, there is an appropriate movement to use a technique and a right way to do it, and it’s likely that this movement is well researched. You could find information on the appropriate technique to use in your field on the internet. It’s important that you learn how, when and why a technique is used, so you won’t be just mechanically undergoing the movements. 

2) Once You Understand, Do “Deliberate Practice”

Once you understand how a particular technique works, try practicing it on your own. You will catch on much faster. Practicing becomes completely different when you are aware of what you are doing. This is why teachers ask you to do the readings before class. Having prior knowledge speeds up leaning. 

Geoffrey Colvin calls this process “deliberate practice”. This is probably one of the hardest phase of training. It’s hard and not inherently enjoyable, which is why the ladder of success is not very crowded at the top.

3) Look at how experts use the skill:

Don’t stop once you know the basics of how to use a technique. Try to look up how experts use these techniques. For example, if your chosen field is boxing, following steps 1 and 2 should give you the ability to analyse a boxing match among pros, and watching such matches will help you gain ideas on how to improve your own techniques. It would also be great if you can listen to the analysis of a match by an expert. A more experienced observer will notice things you can’t and can also teach you how to analyze the game. Eventually, try to come up with your own theories of what’s happening. 

4) Research deeply about your field:

Its often tempting to stop after learning the basics of a field. But you need to look up as many techniques, combinations and theories as you can. Mastering a field takes a lot of dedication and effort, and most people won’t put in the effort required to reach mastery. According to the author, most people won’t reach mastery even if the experts reveal all their training information because people lack the grit. So don’t be the person to quit. Research as much as possible and practice your techniques with dedication. 

5) Don’t overdo the research:

Similar to what programmers call the tutorial hell, it’s possible to get stuck in a hell where all you have to do is read and not apply. Don’t be the person who only does research and never practice. Whether you are writing an academic paper or practicing a sport, it’s always possible to just keep reading and never apply what you learned. Try to schedule you research and practice together. Set apart specific time everyday for both. Once the information you read gets repetitive, it’s a sign that you have decent knowledge of the subject. At that stage, you should consider moving to a new concept.  

6)  Test Your Skills Through Application:

Take up competitions and challenges that can help you test your skills. This works as a suitable form of motivation and helps you apply your skills to real word scenarios. This helps you make sure that you are making progress with your skill because now you have others of similar skill to compare to. But you shouldn’t put too much emphasis on this step because its ultimately an extrinsic form of motivation. We will discuss more about extrinsic and intrinsic form of motivation in another post. For now, remember that an extrinsic form of motivation only last for a short while, and your goal should be to develop your skill rather than to win the competition. 

7) Think For Yourself:

Once you reach a decent level of knowledge and skill, you can start contributing to the field. If you have done at least until step 4, you would have started developing ideas about your field. You may come up with a unique approach on when, how and why to use a technique, you may start questioning some traditionally used methods, or you may even find some techniques used in your field to be useless. This is your chance to contribute something new to your field. Form a theory of your own, do a test to see if it works and let the world know about your finding. You don’t have to test your theory out practically if you don’t have the resources. Try writing a paper explaining why you think so and cite any evidence you may have to believe in your theory. Eventually someone may prove your theory true or false. Either ways, being able to make persuasive contributions to your field indicates that you have a pretty good understanding of the field and is one step closer to mastering the field. 

Source:

Talent Is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everybody Else By Geoff Colvin