10,000 Hours Perspective

The rule of 10,000 hours is a rule living in the minds of everyone. It’s almost mythical in its allure. To achieve mastery and become the best at something, the time must be put in. The 10,000 hours must be committed to, followed, and endured. But too many people have taken the 10,000-hour rule from a purely volume standpoint. Thinking if they simply do the time, they will automatically benefit from the results they achieve. This is flawed logic because the quality of the habits matters. It’s not spending 10,000 hours that makes you successful. You cannot denounce the time it takes to improve but time alone will not make you better. Instead of 10,000 hours, you must have 10,000 iterations. You must focus on the iterations and push to be deliberate with your time because it’s very easy to waste time. The challenge of repetition, or spending the 10,000 hours is one battle. The challenge of focusing on improving 1% better every day is entirely different.

At a diving meet, the person who will win the meet is the person who has done the most dives. The overall outcome is reliant upon that day’s performance, but it’s really difficult to beat a person who has done the dive 10,000 times when you have only done it 1,000 times. The person with the best odds, or the best probability of winning, is the person who has put in the most consistent effort over a long period of time. The magic of the 10,000-hour rule is in the consistency AND the ability to iterate over time. Having the ability to endure the process, or the time, while also having the determination to receive feedback, and push to improve is what makes the 10,000-hour rule work.

When committing to a path of mastery, a path of improvement, or a pursuit of accomplishment, it’s understood time is a determining factor of the results you will find. What’s less understood and commonly known is how time spent will not be the only factor leading you to success. As you follow the 10,000-hour rule you must focus on working smarter, iterating constantly, and deliberately chasing 1% improvement as opposed to only chasing time spent. 5 hours spent “working” where you aren’t completely focused and where you are going through the motions is meaningless compared to an hour of completely focused and deliberate time. Time alone will not bring you the results and answers you seek. Focus on how you use the time and adhere to this focus over a long period of time to chip away and ultimately achieve what you desire. 10,000 hours will not do the work for you, you must do the work over the 10,000 hours.