Learning How To Practice - 56

When I compare myself to others people (which I inevitably do), one common difference I've noticed between myself and them has been practiced skills.

A lot of my friends, for example, have incredible art or chess skills. As I've written about before, learning these skills is mostly structured practice; while I do play music and sports, those two are my only high-practice skills, and both of those things don't really feel like 'practice' per se - I passed the point after which mundane practice turns fun a long time ago, and I can control the ball well in soccer and make the piano sound nice when I play. Getting myself to practice is not difficult.

When I've tried starting to learn other practice-intensive skills (including chess, along with programming, art, and meditation) I've had a very difficult time actually getting that structured practice in consistently. To rephrase: I don't know how to practice.

This is one of the most important (in my opinion) goals that I set last night. Over the next few months, I am going to study myself, learn what's the most effective way to get consistent practice in skills that I suck at but want to learn. It's all about getting myself to that tipping point, where painful grinding becomes fun activity.

-branches