Micro-skill: how to learn new skills and enjoy it

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

You don't have to become an expert at something.

If we are to do something, then thoroughly: study for a long time, gain experience. Don't quit what you started. Do not waste your time on trifles and side projects. Practice regularly and methodically for at least 10,000 hours to become a real expert.

This approach really helps if you need to master a serious profession, for example, become an engineer or a doctor. But when it comes to hobbies and personal projects, the 10,000 hour rule can destroy all enthusiasm. In opposition to this idea, the concept of micromanagement appeared. It is about how to learn new things in a short time and become a little happier.

Who are the micromaster

The term was coined by British writer Robert Twigger a few years ago. The essence of micromanagement is not to strive to become an expert and thoroughly study a certain area, but to master certain skills, those that you need or are interested in at the moment. It works best in creative fields, crafts, internet professions.

Let's say you want to learn how to draw just for yourself. You can pay for courses, go to hours of lessons, then, perhaps, go to art school and devote a few more years to it. Or you can buy an album, pencils and paints, open free master classes on YouTube and gradually, depending on your mood, master what you want right now. Today - an image of a human figure, in a couple of weeks - drawing eyes or hair, then urban sketching, then still lifes.

The same is with other spheres: if you want to cook divinely - start with your favorite dish, dream of creating soft toys - sew a simple rag doll, think about going to SMM - learn how to write fascinating posts for one social network.

Josh Kaufman, manager and author of the bestselling MBA on My Own, once spoke at a TED conference. He told how he learned to play some simple songs on the ukulele in 20 hours. Yes, he is far from being a virtuoso musician (however, he does not strive for this), nevertheless he successfully developed a new skill.

Why the 10,000-hour rule doesn't always work

There really is no rule

The thesis about 10,000 hours was formulated in his book "Geniuses and Outsiders" by the Canadian journalist Malcolm Gladwell: supposedly this is exactly how much it takes to become a specialist in any field. But this statement is not entirely correct. Gladwell drew on a 1993 study. They calculated that the most talented and promising musicians devote an average of 10,000 hours to violin playing by the age of 20.

But later, when Gladwell's rule was already replicated, the authors of the original study repeatedly stated that the journalist misinterprets its results. Nobody really knows how long it takes to become an expert. It depends on the field of activity, the abilities of the person himself, the intensity of the classes.

It robs us of motivation

A person is afraid that he simply will not have enough time and energy, and he does not dare to do what is interesting to him.

You don't have to be an expert

For fun and even for earning money, it is sometimes enough to master just a few skills or techniques well. For example, in order to have income from needlework, you can learn to knit cool hats and scarves (this is not so long), and you can get close to more complex things like dresses, sweaters and cardigans when you are in the mood and desire.

How micromanagement can help you

Will make you more productive

At Google, employees can devote 20% of their time to their hobbies and personal projects. Thanks to this, in the remaining 80%, they work more efficiently than if they were engaged only in their immediate duties all day.

Scientists from the University of San Francisco came to similar conclusions. Of the 400 participants in the experiment, the most creative and productive were those who, in addition to work, were engaged in creativity.

Another study found that hobbies benefit even scientists. Nobel laureates work with their hands seven times more often than their less titled counterparts, 12 times more likely to write poetry and fiction books, and 22 times more often to practice dancing or acting.

Save from emotional burnout

Mastering new skills means clearly seeing the result of your work and feeling like a winner. By doing side projects and creativity, you don't feel pressured and you can just have fun: your kids won't go hungry if you don't learn how to sculpt cups out of clay or dance tango. It is precisely this - freedom, relaxation, joy, self-confidence - that a person really lacks if he is tired of his main job and ends up in a funnel of exhaustion.

Will transform into a universal specialist

For example, if you write articles, you can learn how to typeset landing pages, analyze site visit statistics, set up contextual advertising, or make striking Stories for Instagram. This will allow you to look for more interesting, complex and high-paying projects. Generalists, that is, those employees who possess a variety of skills in related fields, are valued by employers no less (if not more) than narrow specialists.

Will bring income

Skills can be monetized: bake custom-made cakes, sell patterns for embroidery or knitting, blog about photography, drawing, or marketing, and advertise on it.

Add variety

Learning new things and trying yourself in different fields is much more interesting than living between work and home.

Will open up new ways of development

It is possible that you will nevertheless become an expert in some field, and an occupation that began as a hobby will turn into a lifelong business. What if you start knitting and then create your own clothing brand? Or come to a salsa lesson and open your own dance school in a few years?

How to become a micromaster

• Choose what you would like to do. Bake bread, draw hieroglyphs, make soap, make websites, blog.
• If the case seems big, break it down into individual skills. For example, you can first learn how to make a simple soap from a base, then try different compositions, experiment with a shape, and move on to soap making from oils and alkali.
• Find a window in your schedule. Don't be discouraged if you are short on free time. For a start, 20 minutes will be enough a couple of times a week.
• Don't get carried away with theory. To knit socks, you do not need to study a hundred different patterns and know all types and grades of yarn. Digging into instructions, textbooks and advice, you can remain a theorist. This phenomenon even has a name - rocking chair syndrome.
• Practice. Sign up for a workshop, find online courses or free online lessons and get started. Master skill by skill, listen to yourself, do not be afraid to switch from one activity to another. And just have fun with what you do.