Josh Kaufman Debunks 10,000-Hour Rule With 20-Hour Practice Method

TEDx Talks

Acquiring functional competence requires only 20 hours of focused practice because the primary barrier to learning is the emotional dread of feeling stupid rather than intellectual ability.

AI-assisted summary of The first 20 hours -- how to learn anything | Josh Kaufman | TEDxCSU — original source. Check the original for full context.

Source published: 2013-03-14

Key ideas

The widely cited 10,000-hour rule, popularized by Malcolm Gladwell from Dr. K. Anders Ericsson's research, applies strictly to elite performers reaching world-class mastery in ultra-competitive fields, not to basic skill acquisition. (3:03)
Cognitive psychology research shows that moving from total incompetence to reasonable proficiency requires approximately 20 hours of focused, deliberate practice—about 45 minutes a day for a month. (6:28)
Rapid skill acquisition relies on a four-step framework: deconstructing skills into core components, learning enough to self-correct, removing practice distractions, and pre-committing to a 20-hour minimum. (9:25)
The primary barrier to acquiring new skills is emotional rather than intellectual, stemming from the initial fear and discomfort of feeling incompetent. (17:56)

Detailed notes

## Background Published on YouTube by TEDx Talks on March 14, 2013, this presentation features author Josh Kaufman speaking at TEDxCSU. According to the video description, Kaufman—known for 'The Personal MBA' and 'The First 20 Hours'—specializes in helping people master practical knowledge, sharing how the birth of his first child inspired a systematic approach to rapid skill acquisition.

## TL;DR After the birth of his daughter severely restricted his free time, Josh Kaufman set out to investigate how long it truly takes to acquire a new skill. He debunks the widely misunderstood '10,000-hour rule,' clarifying that Dr. K. Anders Ericsson's original research applies only to elite performance in hyper-competitive fields rather than baseline competence. Drawing on cognitive psychology, Kaufman introduces a four-step framework—deconstructing the skill, learning enough to self-correct, removing practice barriers, and pre-committing to 20 hours—to conquer the initial frustration barrier. He demonstrates the method live on stage by playing an entertaining electric ukulele medley of popular four-chord songs, illustrating that just 20 hours of focused, deliberate practice can move anyone from gross incompetence to functional ability.

## Atmosphere & style The presentation is energetic, self-deprecating, and highly engaging, balancing intellectual myth-busting with relatable humor about new parenthood and procrastination. Kaufman establishes an easy, conversational rapport with the audience before shifting into a structured instructional breakdown. The emotional arc transitions from feelings of overwhelmed despair to an empowering, celebratory payoff when he plugs in an electric ukulele and delivers a surprisingly musical, crowd-pleasing performance.

## Bulletin - [03:03](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MgBikgcWnY&t=183s) The widely cited 10,000-hour rule, popularized by Malcolm Gladwell from Dr. K. Anders Ericsson's research, applies strictly to elite performers reaching world-class mastery in ultra-competitive fields, not to basic skill acquisition. - [06:28](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MgBikgcWnY&t=388s) Cognitive psychology research shows that moving from total incompetence to reasonable proficiency requires approximately 20 hours of focused, deliberate practice—about 45 minutes a day for a month. - [09:25](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MgBikgcWnY&t=565s) Rapid skill acquisition relies on a four-step framework: deconstructing skills into core components, learning enough to self-correct, removing practice distractions, and pre-committing to a 20-hour minimum. - [17:56](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MgBikgcWnY&t=1076s) The primary barrier to acquiring new skills is emotional rather than intellectual, stemming from the initial fear and discomfort of feeling incompetent.

## Key takeaways - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MgBikgcWnY&t=0s) The arrival of his first child and the resulting loss of free time prompted Josh Kaufman to investigate how long it genuinely takes to acquire a new skill. - [03:03](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MgBikgcWnY&t=183s) A societal 'game of telephone' distorted Dr. K. Anders Ericsson's research on elite performers into the false belief that basic learning requires 10,000 hours. - [03:03](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MgBikgcWnY&t=183s) Ten thousand hours equals five years of full-time work, an unrealistic benchmark that discourages everyday learners from starting new pursuits. - [06:28](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MgBikgcWnY&t=388s) The cognitive learning curve demonstrates that practice yields dramatic, disproportionate performance gains in its earliest stages before leveling into a plateau. - [06:28](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MgBikgcWnY&t=388s) Investing 20 hours of focused, deliberate practice is sufficient to transition from gross incompetence to functional competence across most skills. - [09:25](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MgBikgcWnY&t=565s) Deconstructing a skill into component sub-skills allows learners to identify and practice the critical elements necessary to achieve their specific target outcome. - [09:25](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MgBikgcWnY&t=565s) Learners should reference only three to five instructional resources to avoid using theoretical research as a form of procrastination. - [09:25](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MgBikgcWnY&t=565s) Removing environmental distractions and technological temptations is essential for sustaining focused practice sessions. - [09:25](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MgBikgcWnY&t=565s) Pre-committing to practice for at least 20 hours enables learners to push through the initial 'frustration barrier' where incompetence feels uncomfortable. - [12:35](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MgBikgcWnY&t=755s) By applying the Pareto principle to the ukulele, Kaufman identified that just four core chords (G, D, Em, and C) underpin the majority of popular songs from the last fifty years. - [15:49](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MgBikgcWnY&t=949s) Kaufman demonstrated his 20-hour method live on stage by playing a multi-song pop medley on an electric ukulele. - [17:56](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MgBikgcWnY&t=1076s) The primary obstacle preventing people from learning new things is the emotional dread of feeling foolish, not a lack of cognitive ability.

## Detailed walkthrough ### [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MgBikgcWnY&t=0s) Parenthood and the Disappearing Free Time

Two years prior, Josh Kaufman's life was completely transformed when he and his wife, Kelsey, welcomed their daughter, Lela, into the world. Becoming a parent is an astonishing shift: overnight, an individual's priorities rearrange so rapidly that it becomes genuinely difficult to process. In addition to the emotional shift, there is an overwhelming practical learning curve—illustrated humorously by Kaufman showing a slide of a questionable outfit he had chosen for his baby girl, noting that even infant Lela clearly knew it was a terrible wardrobe decision.

The chaos was amplified because both Josh and Kelsey are work-from-home entrepreneurs. Kelsey creates online courses for yoga teachers, while Josh works as an author. Juggling an infant alongside two home businesses meant days filled with nonstop demands and mounting fatigue. Around the eighth week, intense sleep deprivation set in, prompting Kaufman to experience a realization shared by exhausted parents across generations and around the globe. As Kaufman put it, reflecting on that overwhelming moment: “I am never going to have free time ever again.” While an audience member shouted that this was true, Kaufman noted that while not technically accurate, it felt undeniably real at the time.

This realization proved deeply disconcerting because Kaufman's greatest passion in life is diving into unfamiliar subjects, tinkering through trial and error, and acquiring new skills. Being a self-described geek who refused to abandon personal growth, he sought an answer to a fundamental question: how long does it actually take to acquire a brand-new skill?

[03:03](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MgBikgcWnY&t=183s) Debunking the 10,000-Hour Rule

Turning to bookstores, libraries, and online research, Kaufman repeatedly ran into a single discouraging answer: mastering or learning anything requires 10,000 hours. The realization that 10,000 hours equates to working a full-time job for five solid years struck him as overwhelming, prompting an internal scream of despair because he had no such time available. Yet everyday human experience contradicts this figure, as most people learn functional skills without spending half a decade practicing them full-time.

Digging deeper into the cognitive psychology literature, Kaufman uncovered the root of the misconception. The concept originated with Dr. K. Anders Ericsson, a professor at Florida State University who studied elite performers at the pinnacle of their fields, including world-class musicians, Olympic athletes, and chess grandmasters. Ericsson discovered that reaching the absolute summit of these ultra-competitive arenas requires deliberate practice, and top performers amass roughly 10,000 hours of focused training.

In 2007, author Malcolm Gladwell popularized this finding in his bestselling book *Outliers: The Story of Success*. The book topped bestseller lists for three consecutive months, embedding the phrase firmly into popular culture. However, a widespread societal game of telephone distorted Ericsson's narrow finding into an inaccurate blanket rule about general skill acquisition.

```mermaid flowchart TD accTitle: The Telephone Game of the 10,000-Hour Rule accDescr: Flowchart tracing how Dr. Ericsson's original research on elite performance was distorted through Malcolm Gladwell's book into a false myth about basic skill learning.

subgraph Research["Scientific Finding"] A["10,000 hours to reach the top of an ultra-competitive field (Dr. K. Anders Ericsson)"] end

subgraph Telephone["The Distortions"] B["10,000 hours to become an expert at something"] C["10,000 hours to become good at something"] D["10,000 hours to learn something"] end

A -->|"Popularized by Outliers"| B B -->|"Oversimplified"| C C -->|"Distorted"| D ```

As Kaufman explained when debunking the cultural myth: “So this message, it takes 10,000 hours to reach the top of an ultra competitive field, became, it takes 10,000 hours to become an expert at something, which became, it takes 10,000 hours to become good at something, which became, it takes 10,000 hours to learn something.”

- The originator of the research is Dr. K. Anders Ericsson, professor at Florida State University. - Malcolm Gladwell published *Outliers: The Story of Success* in 2007, staying at the top of bestseller lists for three consecutive months. - 10,000 hours represents roughly 40 hours a week for five years, an amount of time that applies only to elite, world-class mastery in ultra-competitive domains, not basic learning.

[06:28](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MgBikgcWnY&t=388s) The Reality of the Learning Curve: The 20-Hour Threshold

Investigating cognitive psychology studies at the Colorado State University (CSU) library stacks, Kaufman examined how researchers actually measure skill acquisition. When scientists study either motor or mental skills, they assess tasks with easily quantifiable completion times. Initially, subjects take a very long time to complete a novel task because they are inexperienced and perform poorly. However, with just a minimal amount of practice, task times plummet dramatically, demonstrating that early practice yields rapid, highly efficient gains.

When the axes are inverted to reflect everyday goals—plotting skill level ("how good you are") against practice time rather than completion speed—the result is the classic S-shaped learning curve. At the very beginning of the curve, a learner is, as Kaufman described it, “grossly incompetent and you know it.” But within the earliest stages of practice, competence accelerates rapidly before eventually leveling off into a plateau where incremental improvements demand far greater time investments.

Kaufman set out to identify exactly how much time is needed to move from gross incompetence to being reasonably good. The research revealed that reaching that point takes just 20 hours of focused, deliberate practice. Investing 20 hours equates to roughly 45 minutes a day for about a month, even allowing for a few skipped days. With that small investment, a learner can make dramatic progress in almost anything, from studying a foreign language to drawing or even juggling flaming chainsaws.

[09:25](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MgBikgcWnY&t=565s) The Four Steps of Rapid Skill Acquisition

Achieving rapid improvement in 20 hours cannot happen through aimless messing around; it requires structured, deliberate practice. Kaufman breaks down the system of rapid skill acquisition into four foundational steps:

```mermaid flowchart LR accTitle: The Four Steps of Rapid Skill Acquisition accDescr: A step-by-step diagram showing the four core components of Josh Kaufman's 20-hour learning method.

S1["1. Deconstruct the Skill"] S2["2. Learn Enough to Self-Correct"] S3["3. Remove Barriers to Practice"] S4["4. Practice for at Least 20 Hours"]

S1 --> S2 S2 --> S3 S3 --> S4 ```

1. **Deconstruct the skill**: Most pursuits that people treat as single skills are bundles of sub-skills. Learners must determine their exact target outcome and break the overarching skill down into its component parts. By identifying and practicing the critical sub-skills that lead directly to the desired result, learners optimize their early progress in the shortest possible timeframe.

2. **Learn enough to self-correct**: Gather three to five instructional resources—whether books, DVDs, or courses. Crucially, research must not become a cover for procrastination. Kaufman confessed that he often caught himself gathering twenty books and declaring he would start programming only after finishing every single one. Instead, learners should consume just enough information to recognize errors and make self-corrections while practicing.

3. **Remove barriers to practice**: Eliminate environmental obstacles and distractions that compete for attention, such as television and internet browsing. Applying a small dose of willpower to clear the practice space ensures that sitting down to practice actually happens.

4. **Practice for at least 20 hours**: Every new skill features a "frustration barrier"—the painful initial period of feeling foolish and incapable. As Kaufman observed: “And feeling stupid is a barrier to us actually sitting down and doing the work.” Pre-committing to complete a full 20 hours of practice ensures that learners push past that initial awkwardness long enough to realize genuine progress.

[12:35](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MgBikgcWnY&t=755s) Testing the 20-Hour Theory on the Ukulele

To move from theory to practical demonstration, Josh Kaufman shares his personal desire to play the ukulele, an interest originally sparked by watching Jake Shimabukuro's famous TED Talk. Shimabukuro's jaw-dropping mastery made him look like a "ukulele god," convincing Kaufman that it was an instrument worth tackling. He decided to put his hypothesis to the test: dedicate exactly 20 hours to practicing the ukulele and observe how far it could take him.

As with any new endeavor, the first barrier was securing the necessary gear. Kaufman has an assistant hand him an instrument on stage, revealing with a grin that it is not merely a standard ukulele, but an electric one requiring a cord. The initial hours of learning were spent surmounting basic logistical hurdles: the ukulele did not come with strings attached, forcing him to research how to string and tune it properly before real practice could even commence.

When exploring how to actually play songs, Kaufman initially encountered intimidating chord books containing hundreds of complex chords. Looking closer at actual music, however, he realized the Pareto principle applied here as well: songs rely on a tiny subset of core techniques repeated continuously. In fact, most popular songs require only four, or at most five, fundamental chords. During this research phase, he discovered the famous four-chord pop song medley by the comedy rock group The Axis of Awesome. Their routine demonstrated that the vast majority of pop hits over the past five decades rely on a simple progression of just four chords: G, D, Em, and C. Kaufman realized that if he learned those four shapes, he could effectively play thousands of songs.

```mermaid flowchart TD accTitle: Kaufman's 20-Hour Ukulele Learning Path accDescr: Step-by-step breakdown of how Josh Kaufman deconstructed ukulele practice within 20 hours.

subgraph Preparation["Phase 1: Setup & Deconstruction"] A["Acquire Electric Ukulele"] --> B["String & Tune Instrument"] B --> C["Filter Out 100s of Book Chords"] end

subgraph CoreSkills["Phase 2: High-Impact Practice"] C --> D["Isolate 4 Chords: G, D, Em, C"] D --> E["Practice Axis of Awesome Medley"] end

subgraph Milestone["Phase 3: Real Performance"] E --> F["Live TEDx Performance (Hour 20)"] end ```

- Jake Shimabukuro's viral TED performance served as the direct inspiration for Kaufman choosing the instrument. - The four universal pop chords Kaufman isolated are G major, D major, E minor (Em), and C major.

---

[15:49](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MgBikgcWnY&t=949s) The Four-Chord Pop Medley Performance

Kaufman puts his 20 hours of practice on display by performing a continuous medley on his electric ukulele, shifting through five decades of popular radio anthems using only the G, D, Em, and C chord progression:

1. Journey — *Don't Stop Believin'* ("Just a small town girl, living in a lonely world...") 2. Adele — *Someone Like You* ("I heard that you settled down, that you found a girl...") 3. Celine Dion — *My Heart Will Go On* ("Every night in my dreams, I see you, I feel you...") 4. Jason Mraz — *I'm Yours* ("I won't hesitate no more, no more...") 5. The Black Eyed Peas — *Where Is the Love?* ("'Cause you were amazing, we did amazing things...") 6. The Calling — *Wherever You Will Go* ("If I could, then I would, I'd go wherever you will...") 7. Elton John — *Can You Feel the Love Tonight* 8. U2 — *With or Without You* ("I can't live with or without you...") 9. The Beatles — *Let It Be* ("When I find myself in times of trouble, mother Mary comes to me...") 10. Red Hot Chili Peppers — *Under the Bridge* ("Sometimes I feel like I don't have partner...") 11. Bob Marley — *No Woman, No Cry* 12. Men at Work — *Down Under* ("I come from a land down under...") 13. Banjo Paterson / Australian Folk — *Waltzing Matilda* ("Once a jolly swagman camped by a billabong...") 14. Carly Rae Jepsen — *Call Me Maybe* ("Hey, I just met you, and this is crazy, but here's my number...") 15. Psy — *Gangnam Style* ("Hey sexy lady, op, op, op, op, oppan gangnam style...") 16. Andrea Bocelli / Sarah Brightman — *Time to Say Goodbye* 17. Semisonic — *Closing Time* ("Closing time, every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end...")

The rapid stylistic shifts between stadium rock, tearful pop ballads, 90s alternative anthems, and viral dance tracks elicit laughter and enthusiastic applause from the audience throughout the performance.

---

[17:56](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MgBikgcWnY&t=1076s) Overcoming the Emotional Barrier to Learning

Concluding his medley to massive applause, Kaufman shares a reveal: finishing that on-stage song marked his exact twentieth cumulative hour of ukulele practice. The performance demonstrates that 20 focused hours can take a novice from zero ability to capable, entertaining execution.

He summarizes the single biggest hurdle preventing people from acquiring skills: it is rarely a lack of intellectual capability, but rather the emotional discomfort of being a beginner. As Kaufman emphasizes: “The major barrier to learn something new is not intellectual, it's not the process of you learning a bunch of little tips or tricks or things. The major barrier's emotional. We're scared. Feeling stupid doesn't feel good, in the beginning of learning anything new you feel really stupid.”

Once a learner pushes past that initial emotional friction and commits to deliberate practice, rapid progress is inevitable. Kaufman closes by challenging the audience to identify whatever subject excites them—whether it is learning a foreign language, cooking, or drawing—and simply invest the first 20 hours to get good enough.

## Notable quotes > [17:56](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MgBikgcWnY&t=1076s) The major barrier to learn something new is not intellectual, it's not the process of you learning a bunch of little tips or tricks or things. The major barrier's emotional. — Josh Kaufman

## Mentioned Josh Kaufman, Kelsey Kaufman, Lela, Dr. K. Anders Ericsson, Florida State University, Malcolm Gladwell, Outliers: The Story of Success, Colorado State University, Jake Shimabukuro, TED, The Axis of Awesome, Journey, Adele, Celine Dion, Jason Mraz, The Black Eyed Peas, The Calling, Elton John, U2, The Beatles, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Bob Marley, Men at Work, Banjo Paterson, Carly Rae Jepsen, Psy, Andrea Bocelli, Sarah Brightman, Semisonic

## Video description Never miss a talk! SUBSCRIBE to the TEDx channel: http://bit.ly/1FAg8hB

Josh Kaufman is the author of the #1 international bestseller, 'The Personal MBA: Master the Art of Business', as well as the upcoming book 'The First 20 Hours: Mastering the Toughest Part of Learning Anything.' Josh specializes in teaching people from all walks of life how to master practical knowledge and skills. In his talk, he shares how having his first child inspired him to approach learning in a whole new way.

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)

[Source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MgBikgcWnY)

中文简报

乔希·考夫曼提出20小时练习法打破“一万小时定律” 获得基础实用能力只需20小时专注练习，因为学习的主要障碍是害怕自己显得愚蠢的情感恐惧，而非智力水平。在女儿出生导致个人空闲时间严重减少后，乔希·考夫曼着手探究习得一项新技能究竟需要多长时间。他驳斥了被广泛误解的“一万小时定律”，澄清K·安德斯·埃里克森博士的原始研究仅适用于超竞争领域中的顶尖表现，而非基准能力。考夫曼结合认知心理学提出了一套四步框架——拆解技能、学到足以自我纠错的程度、消除练习阻碍，以及预先承诺投入20小时——以克服最初的挫折感障碍。他还在演讲舞台上现场弹奏了一段由热门四和弦歌曲组成的电尤克里里串烧，以此证明只要进行20小时专注、刻意的练习，任何人都能从完全不会跨越到具备基本能力。马尔科姆·格拉德威尔根据K·安德斯·埃里克森博士的研究推广并被广泛引用的“一万小时定律”，严格来说仅适用于在极度激烈的竞争领域中达到世界级水准的顶尖人才，并不适用于基础技能的习得。 (3:03) 认知心理学研究表明，从完全不熟练到达到相当水平，大约需要20小时专注、刻意的练习——即约一个月内每天练习45分钟。 (6:28) 快速技能习得依赖于一个四步框架：将技能拆解为核心组成部分、学到足以自我纠错的程度、消除练习中的干扰项，以及预先承诺至少投入20小时。 (9:25) 学习新技能的主要障碍是情感层面的，而非智力问题，它源于最初觉得自己无能所产生的恐惧和不适。 (17:56)

Reading summary

Author Josh Kaufman argues that acquiring functional competence in a new skill requires only 20 hours of focused, deliberate practice rather than the widely cited 10,000-hour benchmark. The primary obstacle to rapid learning is not intellectual capability, but the emotional discomfort of navigating the initial phase of feeling incompetent. Debunking the 10,000-Hour Rule (3:03) The popular belief that learning any new skill demands 10,000 hours stems from a cultural misunderstanding of cognitive psychology research. Florida State University professor Dr. K. Anders Ericsson originally studied elite performers—such as Olympic athletes, chess grandmasters, and world-class musicians—concluding that reaching the absolute summit of ultra-competitive domains requires roughly 10,000 hours of deliberate practice. This figure equates to working a full-time job for five years. After Malcolm Gladwell popularized Ericsson's findings in his 2007 bestseller Outliers, a societal game of telephone diluted the narrow conclusion. The benchmark of reaching the top of an ultra-competitive field morphed into the requirement for becoming an expert, which subsequently degraded into the false belief that it takes 10,000 hours merely to learn or become reasonably good at a skill. The Steep Trajectory of Early Learning (6:28) Cognitive psychology literature reveals that the learning curve for motor and mental tasks is nonlinear. When research measures task completion speed against practice time, performance times drop dramatically after minimal practice. Inverted to measure competence over time, skill acquisition forms an S-shaped curve where initial gains are extraordinarily rapid before leveling off into a plateau where incremental progress requires exponentially greater effort. Kaufman identified that crossing the threshold from what he terms 'gross incompetence' to being reasonably good requires approximately 20 hours of focused, deliberate practice. This investment translates to roughly 45 minutes per day over the course of a month, which is sufficient to achieve practical proficiency across diverse domains ranging from foreign languages to drawing. Four Steps to Rapid Skill Acquisition (9:25) Achieving proficiency within 20 hours requires structured, deliberate effort rather than aimless practice. Kaufman outlines a four-part methodology: first, deconstruct the target skill into component sub-skills, practicing only the critical elements required to achieve the learner's specific goal. Second, consult only three to five instructional resources to learn enough to self-correct during practice, warning that excessive research often serves as a form of procrastination. Third, learners must remove environmental barriers, such as television and internet distractions, to make practice physically and mentally accessible. Fourth, learners must pre-commit to completing the full 20 hours before beginning. This commitment ensures they push through the 'frustration barrier'—the uncomfortable initial phase where awareness of one's own incompetence triggers resistance to sitting down and practicing. Applying the Method to Musical Performance (12:35) Kaufman tested his framework by attempting to learn the ukulele within 20 hours, inspired by Jake Shimabukuro's performance. Rather than memorizing hundreds of chord variations found in traditional music books, he applied the Pareto principle and identified the core sub-skills necessary to play popular music. Drawing on a comedy routine by The Axis of Awesome, he isolated just four chords—G major, D major, E minor, and C major—that underpin decades of mainstream pop songs. By focusing exclusively on those four shapes, Kaufman eliminated logistical and instructional friction. At the conclusion of his 20th cumulative hour of practice, he demonstrated his competence live on stage by seamlessly performing a 17-song medley spanning five decades of pop hits, illustrating that deliberate practice compresses the time needed to reach functional ability. Kaufman concludes that the fundamental barrier to learning is emotional rather than intellectual. While acquiring functional capability in almost any discipline requires an accessible commitment of roughly 20 hours, learners must first accept the initial awkwardness and fear of feeling incompetent to realize those rapid early gains.

精炼阅读摘要

作家乔希·考夫曼（Josh Kaufman）指出，大众广泛信奉的“一万小时定律”是对专业心理学研究的误读；初学者实际上只需经过约20小时专注且经过拆解的刻意练习，便能克服初期的笨拙感，在绝大多数领域达到合理的熟练水平。破除“一万小时定律”的误传与源头 (3:03) 考夫曼在探索高效学习时发现，大众普遍认为掌握任何新技能都必须投入10,000小时，这相当于全职工作五年整。深入认知心理学文献后，他指出了该理论在传播过程中的失真轨迹。10,000小时概念最初源自佛罗里达州立大学安德斯·埃里克森博士（Dr. K. Anders Ericsson）对世界级小提琴家、奥运选手和国际象棋特级大师等顶级精英的研究。埃里克森发现，要在竞争极度激烈的专业领域问鼎世界巅峰，通常需要累积约一万小时的刻意练习。 2007年，马尔科姆·格拉德威尔（Malcolm Gladwell）在其畅销书《异类》（Outliers）中引用了该数据，推动其迅速流行。然而，公众的口耳相传将这一严谨结论层层泛化：从“在极端竞争领域登顶需一万小时”，被简化为“成为专家需一万小时”，再演变为“擅长某事需一万小时”，最终误传为“学习任何新技能都需要一万小时”。考夫曼强调，日常技能的习得根本不需要如此庞大的时间沉淀。学习曲线拐点与20小时门槛 (6:28) 为了明确掌握一项技能究竟需要多少时间，考夫曼查阅了认知心理学关于技能习得的实证研究。科学家在测量受试者的运动或智力任务时发现，初期受试者因缺乏经验耗时极长，但经过极少量的练习后，完成任务的时间便会剧烈缩短，效率提升极其显著。若将横轴设为练习时间、纵轴设为技能水平，便会呈现出经典的S型学习曲线。在曲线最开端，学习者处于考夫曼所形容的“极度不称职且心知肚明”的阶段；但一旦投入练习，早期的能力提升斜率极陡，随后才会逐渐放缓并进入需要巨额时间才能换取微小提升的高原期。研究表明，从完全不称职跃升至“相当熟练”仅需大约20小时专注的刻意练习。折算到日常生活中，这相当于连续一个月每天练习约45分钟。在这20小时内，无论是学习外语、绘画还是其他技艺，学习者均能取得实质性进展。快速习得技能的四步方法 (9:25) 考夫曼指出，20小时的高效提升绝非漫无目的的随意尝试，而是依赖一套系统化的刻意练习流程。该方法包含四个核心步骤：首先是“解构技能”（Deconstruct the skill），大多数技能都是复合型的，学习者必须明确自己的最终目标，将其拆解为细分模块，并优先集中练习能直接促成目标的核心子技能，以在最短时间内最大化产出。其次是“学习到足以自我纠错”（Learn enough to self-correct），收集三到五项关键教材或资源即可，切忌将收集资料变成拖延实践的借口；掌握刚够在练习中识别错误并自我修正的理论知识后，就应立刻开始实操。第三步是“消除练习障碍”（Remove barriers to practice），主动移除电视、网络等环境干扰，动用少量意志力确保能够坐下来练习。第四步是“至少坚持练习20小时”（Practice for at least 20 hours），预先做出时间承诺，以帮助自己强行跨越初期最难熬的笨拙期。尤克里里实操验证与和弦拆解 (12:35) 考夫曼以自身学习尤克里里的经历检验了这一理论。他在观看杰克·岛袋（Jake Shimabukuro）的高超演奏后产生学习兴趣，但在初期同样面临了诸如自行给电尤克里里换弦、调音等琐碎障碍。面对乐理书中数以百计的繁复和弦，考夫曼运用帕累托法则进行了大幅过滤，发现流行音乐的底层结构具有高度重复性。澳大利亚喜剧摇滚乐队“The Axis of Awesome”的四和弦串烧研究表明，近五十年来的绝大多数流行歌曲仅依赖四个和弦的循环进行：G、D、Em与C。考夫曼将练习完全集中于这四个和弦的转换。在演讲现场，他借助这四个核心指法连续弹唱了横跨半个世纪的17首经典流行歌曲（涵盖Journey的《Don't Stop Believin'》、Adele的《Someone Like You》、The Beatles的《Let It Be》以及Psy的《Gangnam Style》等），证明了聚焦关键子技能的巨大威力。攻克情感屏障与初期挫败感 (17:56) 在弹唱表演结束时，考夫曼透露，舞台上的这次展示恰好代表着他个人练习尤克里里的累计第20个小时。这段公开演奏直观证明，20小时的专注练习完全能让一个完全零基础的新手具备登台表演的能力。考夫曼由此总结，阻碍人们开启新技能学习的最大阻力通常不是智力瓶颈，也不是技巧获取的复杂性，而是源于情绪层面的不适感。在接触陌生领域的最初阶段，由于毫无经验，人们极易产生“觉得自己很蠢”的心理反应，正是这种恐惧感和羞耻感阻止了大多数人迈出第一步。只要学习者认识到挫败感只是暂时的必经过程，并通过20小时的预先承诺强行穿透心理门槛，就能在任何感兴趣的领域迅速掌握实用技能。乔希·考夫曼的论述着重于打破初学者的心理壁垒，论证了通过20小时的结构化刻意练习即可达到日常“基本胜任”状态，而非否定在顶级竞争领域建立世界级大师地位所需的一万小时积累。该方法的核心价值在于降低行动门槛，其局限性则在于专注于初期基本能力的快速获取，并未涉及从良好水平进一步向卓越专家进阶的长效机制。

Detailed notes — zh

## Background 该视频由 TEDx Talks 官方频道于 2013 年 3 月 14 日发布在 YouTube 上。根据页面介绍，畅销书《个人 MBA》及《最初的 20 小时》作者乔什·考夫曼（Josh Kaufman）在 TEDxCSU 现场发表演讲，分享了他如何在迎来第一个孩子后受到启发，摸索出一套在短时间内高效掌握实用知识与技能的全新学习方法。 ## TL;DR 考夫曼首先通过自身的育儿经历，指出了大众在技能习得上常被“一万小时法则”所误导的现实痛点，并还原了该法则原本仅适用于顶尖竞技领域而非普通初学者的学术真相。基于认知心理学中的经典学习曲线，他提出只要投入 20 小时（约每天 45 分钟坚持一个月）的专注刻意练习，就足以跨越最初的无能阶段并达到“相当不错”的水平。为此，他系统总结了“拆解技能、学到足以自我纠错、扫除练习障碍、预先承诺练习 20 小时”的四步学习法。最后，他通过仅靠 4 个核心和弦弹唱 17 首流行金曲的电尤克里里现场表演，生动证明了该方法的可行性，并点明学习的最大阻碍从来不是智力，而是初学时害怕感觉自己愚蠢的情绪恐惧。 ## Atmosphere & style 整场演讲幽默风趣、节奏明快且极富感染力。考夫曼以自嘲新手父母狼狈日常的生活化叙事开场，迅速拉近与观众的距离；随后切入认知科学与逻辑论证时条理严密、直击要害。当他拿出电尤克里里在台上展开高能串烧弹唱时，现场气氛被彻底点燃并迎来高潮，最终在严谨的方法论、精彩的舞台实践与真诚鼓舞的交织中，带给观众强烈的心智启发和付诸行动的冲动。 ## Bulletin - [04:09](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MgBikgcWnY&t=249s) 广为流传的“一万小时定律”源自埃里克森对竞技体育、国际象棋等极限竞争领域顶尖专家的研究，经马尔科姆·格拉德威尔《异类》放大后被层层误传为普通人掌握技能的门槛。 - [08:44](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MgBikgcWnY&t=524s) 认知心理学研究表明技能学习曲线前期极陡，普通人从零基础到表现出“相当不错”的水准仅需约20小时的专注刻意练习（相当于每天45分钟坚持一个月）。 - [08:44](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MgBikgcWnY&t=524s) 乔什·考夫曼提出高效学习四步法：拆解技能、学习到足以自我纠错、扫除练习障碍、预先承诺练习至少20小时。 - [18:24](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MgBikgcWnY&t=1104s) 阻碍技能习得的最大障碍并非智力或技巧缺乏，而是初学阶段因“感觉自己很蠢”而产生的情绪阻碍与挫败感。 ## Key takeaways - [00:09](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MgBikgcWnY&t=9s) 女儿降生后第8周的严重睡眠剥夺让考夫曼产生了“余生再无自由时间”的恐慌，促使他系统探究掌握新技能所需的真实时长。 - [02:36](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MgBikgcWnY&t=156s) 大众认知中“一万小时掌握一项技能”相当于连续五年从事全职工作，这与普通人掌握日常技能的生活经验严重脱节。 - [04:09](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MgBikgcWnY&t=249s) 佛罗里达州立大学埃里克森教授的原初研究针对的是超竞争细分领域的顶尖专家，而非大众初学者。 - [04:09](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MgBikgcWnY&t=249s) 格拉德威尔的《异类》催生了一场社会学上的“传话游戏”，将“顶峰刻意练习”层层篡改为“学会某项新技能需要一万小时”的伪常识。 - [06:28](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MgBikgcWnY&t=388s) 实验心理学数据反转后形成的技能学习曲线显示，初学者只要投入少量时间，能力就能迅速摆脱“极其无能”阶段并大幅提升。 - [06:28](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MgBikgcWnY&t=388s) 在度过陡峭的成长初期后，技能学习会进入平台期，此时微小的进阶才需要投入指数级的时间与精力，普通人无需追求攀登该峰顶。 - [08:44](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MgBikgcWnY&t=524s) “20小时法则”的核心在于高效率的智能练习，建议拆解为每天45分钟、坚持约一个月的持续投入。 - [08:44](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MgBikgcWnY&t=524s) 学习第一步是解构技能，将其拆解为子技能并优先练习对实现目标最关键的核心模块。 - [08:44](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MgBikgcWnY&t=524s) 学习资料只需精选3至5份核心资源，避免以“啃完几十本书”为借口掩盖行动拖延，只需学到足以在实践中自我纠错即可。 - [08:44](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MgBikgcWnY&t=524s) 练习前必须动用意志力主动排除网络、电视等环境干扰，降低坐下来启动练习的摩擦成本。 - [08:44](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MgBikgcWnY&t=524s) 预先承诺练习满20小时能帮助学习者强行穿透初期由于本能抗拒愚蠢感而产生的“挫败感障碍”。 - [13:40](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MgBikgcWnY&t=820s) 考夫曼以尤克里里为实验样本，过滤了包含数百个和弦的乐谱，仅锁定支撑近五十年流行音乐的G、D、Em、C四个核心和弦。 - [15:45](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MgBikgcWnY&t=945s) 演讲现场完成十几首经典流行金曲的电尤克里里弹唱串烧时，考夫曼的累计练习时间刚好达到整整第20个小时。 - [18:24](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MgBikgcWnY&t=1104s) 学习新事物的真正门槛是情绪上的恐惧与对无能感的不适，而非智力限制，投入专注的20小时足以跨越心理障碍开启任何新爱好。 ## Detailed walkthrough ### [00:09](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MgBikgcWnY&t=9s) 新生命的降临与“再无闲暇”的育儿恐慌两年前，乔什·考夫曼（Josh Kaufman）的生活彻底改变了——他和妻子凯尔茜（Kelsey）迎来了女儿莱拉（Lela）的降生。初为人父人母是一段奇妙而剧烈的体验，所有既定的生活重心在一夜之间天翻地覆，节奏快得让人难以消化。新手父母需要从零摸索海量的新知识，哪怕是“如何给婴儿穿衣服”这种看似简单的小事都充满了挑战。考夫曼甚至在现场展示了一张早期的逗趣照片：他亲自为女儿搭配了一套自以为非常不错的婴儿服，然而镜头里的莱拉却露出一副完全不以为然的嫌弃表情，引得全场哄堂大笑。更让生活雪上加霜的是两人的工作模式：考夫曼夫妇都是自由创业者，双双居家办公。凯尔茜为瑜伽教练开发线上培训课程，考夫曼本人则是一名作家。夫妻俩既要照料嗷嗷待哺的婴儿，又要打理各自的事业，每日的生活被塞得满满当当。直到初为人父的第八周左右，严重的睡眠剥夺彻底击垮了考夫曼。在极度疲惫中，一个古往今来全世界无数父母都会冒出的念头猛烈撞入他的脑海。考夫曼直白地回忆道：“当时我脑子里闪过一个念头，那是古往今来、全世界所有父母都会产生的念头，那就是：我这辈子再也不会拥有任何自由时间了。” 虽然理智告诉他这并非绝对的客观事实，但在那个极度匮乏睡眠的瞬间，这种绝望感无比真实。对考夫曼而言，失去自由支配的时间是极其令人不安的，因为他人生最大的乐趣莫过于探索新知——对某件事物产生好奇，一头扎进去，通过反复试错来摸索门道，直到逐渐掌握并擅长它。如果生活被琐事彻底剥夺了空闲，他不知道自己未来该如何继续成长。为了打破这种焦虑，骨子里就是个“技术宅”（geek）的考夫曼决定前往图书馆和书店，深入查阅认知心理学和学习科学领域的研究，试图回答一个关键问题：掌握一项新技能到底需要多长时间？ - 家庭成员：妻子凯尔茜（Kelsey，瑜伽导师线上课程开发者）、女儿莱拉（Lela） - 关键转折点：育儿第 8 周，严重的睡眠剥夺触发了“失去个人时间”的恐慌 --- ### [02:36](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MgBikgcWnY&t=156s) 探寻学习耗时：一万小时法则的阴影与悖论考夫曼翻阅了大量书籍与学术文献，在各大网站搜寻关于高效学习的科研结论，而他查到的主流答案却如同一记当头棒喝：一万小时。无论在畅销书还是网络文章中，随处可见同样的论调——如果你想学习一项新技能并达到优秀水准，必须先投入一万小时的练习。面对铺天盖地的这一结论，考夫曼的内心几乎是崩溃的，因为对于一个刚有了孩子、时间被切割得支离破碎的新手父亲来说，一万小时完全是无法企及的天文数字。为了直观展现一万小时有多漫长，考夫曼给出了具体的换算尺度：一万小时相当于全职从事一份工作长达五年整。这显然需要耗费常人难以承受的漫长时间。然而，考夫曼随即指出了其中的荒谬之处：在每个人的切身生活经验中，我们都曾学会过不少新技能，但几乎没有任何一项日常技能的习得需要花费整整五年全职工作的时长。学术研究的结论与大众的直观生活体验之间，出现了一条巨大的鸿沟，背后显然存在某种被扭曲的信息断层。考夫曼指出当时大众对技能习得普遍存在的绝望预期：“我读了一本又一本书、一个又一个网站，我的内心体验就像是在呐喊：不！我根本没有一万小时，我再也无法学会任何新东西了。” - 一万小时的时间尺度：相当于连续 5 年从事全职工作（每周 40 小时，每年约 2000 小时） - 认知冲突：大众常识中的技能学习速度与学术界盛传的“一万小时门槛”存在明显脱节 --- ### [04:09](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MgBikgcWnY&t=249s) 传话游戏：一万小时神话的社会学演变经过深入溯源，考夫曼发现了这一巨大误解的根源：“一万小时法则”最初根本不是用来解释“初学者如何学会一门技能”的，而是源于对“顶尖专家级表现”（expert-level performance）的研究。这项经典研究的提出者是美国佛罗里达州立大学（Florida State University）的心理学教授 K·安德斯·埃里克森（K. Anders Ericsson）。埃里克森的研究对象不是普通学习者，而是职业运动员、世界级音乐演奏家、国际象棋特级大师等处于极限竞争领域的顶尖精英。埃里克森试图探寻这些顶峰人物究竟需要投入多少心血才能登顶，结果发现：在这些高度严苛、高度狭窄的竞技细分领域，选手投入的“刻意练习”（deliberate practice）时间越多，其专业表现就越优秀；而在金字塔尖傲视群雄的个体，普遍累计了大约一万小时的高强度刻意练习。然而，在 2007 年，畅销书作家马尔科姆·格拉德威尔（Malcolm Gladwell）出版了轰动一时的《异类：不一样的成功启示录》（*Outliers: The Story of Success*），将埃里克森的研究提炼为核心卖点。《异类》上市后迅速横扫各大畅销书榜首，并霸榜整整三个月之久。伴随该书的全球热销，一场席卷整个社会的“传话游戏”（game of telephone）悄然上演。原本精准严谨的学术结论，在多次大众转述中被层层稀释和篡改，最终演变成了一个阻碍人们开启学习的谣言。考夫曼清晰地还原并驳斥了这一传播链条：“但最后这一种说法——学会某件事需要一万小时——根本不是真的。” ```mermaid flowchart LR accTitle: 一万小时法则的社会传话游戏演变过程 accDescr: 展示埃里克森教授的学术结论如何被大众媒体逐步歪曲为荒谬的学习谣言 subgraph Academic["原始学术结论"] A["埃里克森教授研究： 在超激烈细分领域登顶 需约10,000小时刻意练习"] end subgraph Distortion["大众传播与层层误传"] B["变成： 在某个领域成为专家 需要10,000小时"] C["变成： 要把某件事做好 需要10,000小时"] end subgraph Myth["终极谣言"] D["最终讹传为： 学会某样新技能 必须花10,000小时"] end A -->|"经《异类》放大传播"| B B -->|"公众泛化理解"| C C -->|"极端绝对化"| D ``` - 原研究者：佛罗里达州立大学 K·安德斯·埃里克森教授（K. Anders Ericsson） - 研究对象：职业运动员、世界顶尖音乐家、国际象棋特级大师（极限竞争领域） - 催化媒介：马尔科姆·格拉德威尔（Malcolm Gladwell）2007年畅销书《异类》（*Outliers*），霸榜 3 个月 - 传话链条：超竞争领域登顶（10,000 小时） $\to$ 成为领域专家 $\to$ 把事情做好 $\to$ 学会某样东西 --- ### [06:28](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MgBikgcWnY&t=388s) 真实的技能学习曲线与认知规律为了搞清掌握技能到底需要多久，考夫曼泡在科罗拉多州立大学（CSU）图书馆的认知心理学书架间研读了大量一手实验报告。他发现，当研究人员探讨人类习得技能（无论是身体动作技能还是纯心智技能）时，所有实验图表都会呈现出高度一致的几何特征。在科学实验中，研究者通常会设计一个易于定量计时的任务（例如某种物理部件的拼装排列，或某种特定的心智逻辑操作），并记录受试者完成该任务所需的时间。实验数据显示：刚开始面对陌生任务时，受试者往往表现得笨拙糟糕，耗时极长；但只要经过非常短暂的练习，他们的表现就会突飞猛进，完成时间呈现出陡峭的断崖式下降。技能学习最前端的练习效率极其惊人，只需稍加投入就能换来巨大的能力飞跃。考夫曼指出，在现实生活中，普通人学习技能并不在乎按秒计时的绝对速度，大家真正在意的是“自己究竟表现得有多好”。如果将图表的纵坐标从“耗费时间”反转为“熟练程度”（proficiency），便得到了大众耳熟能详的“经典学习曲线”（learning curve）。在典型的学习曲线上，一个人刚起步时往往处于“极其无能且心知肚明”（grossly incompetent and knowing it）的尴尬状态；但随后只需一点点练习，水平便会迅速上升；直到越过某个阶段后，曲线会进入平缓的平台期（plateau），此时想要再取得微小的进阶，就需要付出成倍且更漫长的时间。考夫曼敏锐地意识到，绝大多数普通人根本不需要攀登至平台期以后的专家峰顶，我们追求的仅仅是前期的红利。考夫曼直指问题的本质：“那么我的疑问在于：从一无所知、极度无能且心知肚明的初始状态，到变得相当擅长，究竟需要多长时间？” - 实验指标转换：心理学研究中的“任务耗时递减”反转后，即为大众认知中的“能力水准递增”学习曲线 - 学习曲线阶段特征： 1. 起步期：水平极低，伴随强烈的自我无能感 2. 陡升期：前期练习效率极高，稍加投入即可实现跨越式进步 3. 平台期：边际效益急剧递减，后续微小提升需要投入指数级的时间与精力 --- ### [08:44](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MgBikgcWnY&t=524s) 20小时法则与高效学习的四步法考夫曼通过深入研究得出了明确答案：从零基础到表现得“相当不错”（reasonably good），只需要 20 个小时。无论是学习一门外语、掌握素描绘画，还是挑战看似疯狂的“挥舞燃烧的电锯杂耍”，只要投入 20 小时专注且有针对性的刻意练习，最终展现出的熟练度足以令学习者自己大吃一惊。20 小时绝非遥不可及的负担，将其拆解到日常生活中，大约就是每天练习 45 分钟、持续坚持一个月左右，中途即便偶尔偷懒漏掉几天也完全无伤大雅。然而考夫曼强调，这 20 小时绝不是漫无目的地胡乱摆弄 20 个小时后坐等奇迹发生，它必须依托科学的方法论来进行高效率的智能练习。考夫曼总结出一套放之四海而皆准的“四步学习法”： ```mermaid flowchart TD accTitle: 快速技能习得的四步法架构 accDescr: 展示解构技能、自我纠错、扫除障碍以及承诺练习20小时的递进流程 Step1["第一步：拆解技能 (Deconstruct the skill) 明确终极目标，将大技能拆解为微技能，优先练习最关键部分"] Step2["第二步：学习到足以自我纠错 (Learn enough to self-correct) 参考3-5个核心渠道，边练边调整，警惕以学习为名的拖延"] Step3["第三步：扫除练习障碍 (Remove barriers to practice) 动用意志力隔绝电视、网络等干扰，降低坐下来练习的门槛"] Step4["第四步：承诺练习至少20小时 (Practice for at least 20 hours) 提前做好心理预设，直面初学期的愚蠢感，跨越挫败感障碍"] Step1 --> Step2 Step2 --> Step3 Step3 --> Step4 ``` 第一步是**拆解技能（Deconstruct the skill）**。在动手前，首先要想清楚自己完成学习后到底想做到什么程度，然后把这项技能拆解成更细小的组成部件。现实中绝大多数所谓的“技能”，本质上都是由多种不同子技能捆绑而成的复合体。拆解得越细致，就越容易辨别出哪些子技能是对达成个人目标最核心、最有帮助的。只要优先集中火力练习这些最关键的部分，就能在最短的时间内取得最显著的成效。第二步是**学习到足以自我纠错的程度（Learn enough to self-correct）**。寻找 3 到 5 个关于该技能的优质资源（如书籍、教学 DVD 或精炼课程均可），但切忌将“收集资料”变成拖延实践的借口。考夫曼自嘲道，许多人（包括他自己）常常陷入这种拖延陷阱：“一口气买回 20 本编程书，告诉自己‘等我把这 20 本书全啃完，我就开始学编程’——不，那是纯粹的拖延。”正确的策略是只吸收刚好能支持你开始实践的知识，使你在实际操作犯错时能够立刻察觉并主动修正动作。第三步是**消除练习障碍（Remove barriers to practice）**。主动隔绝电视、网络社交等一切分心诱惑。这些外界杂音会极大阻碍一个人真正坐下来投入练习。学习者需要动用一小部分意志力，将干扰因素提前清理出工作环境，从而大幅提升真正开始练习的概率。第四步则是**预先承诺练习至少 20 小时（Practice for at least 20 hours）**。任何技能的初学阶段都存在一道巨大的“挫败感障碍”（frustration barrier）。人类本能地厌恶感知自己的愚蠢，而在起步阶段那种“极度无能且心知肚明”的体验尤为折磨人，这种挫败感正是阻碍人们坐下来坚持练习的最大心理绊脚石。因此，在练习之前必须建立前置承诺：无论多么痛苦，都必须坚持练满至少 20 小时。考夫曼指出：“只要你预先承诺无论如何都练习至少 20 小时，你就能够跨越最初的那道挫败感障碍，坚持练习足够长的时间，从而真正收获技能带来的回报。” - 20 小时的时间分配示例：每天 45 分钟，持续约 1 个月（约 27-30 天） - 资料收集原则：精选 3 至 5 份核心材料即可，坚决避免“买 20 本书先看完再动手”的形式主义拖延 - 心理核心机制：挫败感障碍（Frustration Barrier）本质上源于人类对“感觉自己很蠢”的排斥，需通过“预先承诺 20 小时”强制穿透前期瓶颈 ### [12:35](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MgBikgcWnY&t=755s) 实践案例：尤克里里与“神级”演奏者的启发 Josh Kaufman 指出，理论虽然有理有据，但放在实践中探讨才更有趣。他透露自己一直很想学尤克里里（Ukulele），灵感源自著名夏威夷尤克里里演奏家 Jake Shimabukuro 的一场 TED 演讲。在那场演讲中，Jake Shimabukuro 的演奏出神入化，宛如“尤克里里之神”。Kaufman 当时看完就感叹这项乐器太酷了，于是决定用尤克里里作为试验样本，来验证自己的“前 20 小时学习法则”，看看只投入 20 小时练习到底能达到怎样的水准。为了开始练习，首先必须获得乐器。Kaufman 笑着请出了自己的“可爱助手”，助手随即递上一把琴并插上音频线。台下观众发出阵阵笑声，因为他拿出来的不仅仅是一把普通的尤克里里，而是一把电尤克里里（Electric Ukulele）。 ```mermaid flowchart TD accTitle: 尤克里里技能习得流程 accDescr: 展示从工具准备到掌握核心和弦并完成串烧歌曲的20小时实践流程 subgraph S1["准备与拆解阶段"] A["获取工具：配置电尤克里里并上弦调音"] B["解构技能：分析歌曲结构与常用和弦"] end subgraph S2["练习与执行阶段"] C["锁定核心：练习 G、D、Em、C 四个和弦"] D["整合实践：练习 Axis of Awesome 流行串烧"] end A --> B B --> C C --> D ``` ### [13:40](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MgBikgcWnY&t=820s) 解构练习：过滤数百和弦，锁定关键的四个核心任何学习过程的最初几个小时都十分相似。首先必须备齐学习所需的工具并确保它们可用。Kaufman 买来的尤克里里最初连琴弦都没装，他必须先摸索如何装弦、如何调音，做好所有练习前必不可少的基础准备。准备就绪后，他查阅了线上数据库和歌谱，了解到尤克里里可以同时弹奏多根琴弦来形成和弦伴奏。然而，翻开一本包含数百个和弦的尤克里里和弦谱时，庞大的内容令人望而生畏。但 Kaufman 在分析具体歌曲时发现，绝大多数歌曲反复使用的其实就是极少数的和弦。正如大部分技能一样，最核心、最高频的技巧往往只占很小一部分；大多数流行歌曲只需要四到五个和弦就足以支撑整首歌的弹奏。在调研过程中，他发现了澳大利亚喜剧摇滚乐队 Axis of Awesome 的一段经典流行歌曲串烧。该乐队指出，过去五十年里几乎所有的流行金曲都可以仅用四个和弦弹奏出来：**G、D、Em、C**。这一发现让他兴奋不已，决定把这首涵盖海量流行歌的串烧作为自己的首个攻坚目标。 - 关键准备工作包括购买乐器、安装琴弦与学习调音。 - 绝大多数流行歌曲不需要掌握数百个和弦，核心仅需四到五个。 - 支撑五十年流行音乐的核心四和弦为：G、D、Em（E小调）、C。 ### [15:45](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MgBikgcWnY&t=945s) 现场弹唱：20小时训练成果与金曲串烧 Kaufman 在现场拿起电尤克里里，为全场观众展示了自己用这四个和弦弹奏的经典歌曲大串烧。他一边扫弦伴奏，一边演唱了跨越数十年的十几首经典与流行爆款歌曲： - Journey – 《Don't Stop Believin'》（“Just a small town girl, living in a lonely world...”） - Adele – 《Someone Like You》（“I heard that you settled down, that you found a girl...”） - Celine Dion – 《My Heart Will Go On》（“Every night in my dreams I see you, I feel you...”） - Jason Mraz – 《I'm Yours》（“I won't hesitate no more, no more...”） - The Black Eyed Peas – 《Where Is the Love?》（“'Cause you were amazing, we did amazing things...”） - The Calling – 《Wherever You Will Go》（“If I could, then I would, I'd go wherever you will...”） - Elton John – 《Can You Feel the Love Tonight》 - U2 – 《With or Without You》（“I can't live with or without you...”） - The Beatles – 《Let It Be》（“When I find myself in times of trouble, mother Mary comes to me...”） - Red Hot Chili Peppers – 《Under the Bridge》（“Sometimes I feel like I don't have partner...”） - Bob Marley – 《No Woman, No Cry》 - Men at Work – 《Down Under》（“I come from a land down under...”） - Banjo Paterson – 《Waltzing Matilda》（“Once a jolly swagman camped by a billabong...”） - Carly Rae Jepsen – 《Call Me Maybe》（“Hey, I just met you, and this is crazy, but here's my number, so call me...”） - PSY – 《Gangnam Style》（“Hey sexy lady, op, op, op, op, oppan gangnam style...”） - Andrea Bocelli / Sarah Brightman – 《Time to Say Goodbye》 - Semisonic – 《Closing Time》（“Closing time, every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end...”）表演在一片欢呼与喝彩声中结束。Kaufman 随即向全场透露了一个秘密：在这场演讲的舞台上为大家弹唱完这首歌曲的那一刻，他的尤克里里累计练习时间刚好达到了整整第 20 个小时。 ### [18:24](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MgBikgcWnY&t=1104s) 克服情绪阻碍：学习的最大门槛不是智力，而是恐惧在观众的热烈掌声中，Kaufman 做出了全场的核心总结。他强调，无论你想学什么，阻碍人们开启新领域的最大障碍从来都不是智力因素，也不是缺乏掌握小窍门或技巧的能力。关于学习最大的障碍，Josh Kaufman 指出：“The major barrier's emotional. We're scared. Feeling stupid doesn't feel good, in the beginning of learning anything new you feel really stupid.”（主要障碍是情绪上的。我们在害怕。感觉自己很蠢并不好受，而在学习任何新事物的初期，你都会感觉自己真的很蠢。）正因如此，学习的关键在于克服前期的情绪不适与恐惧感。只要愿意全心投入 20 个小时，不管是想学一门新语言、学做饭还是学画画，都能迅速跨过瓶颈，达到足以为自己带来乐趣的良好水平。他向观众呼吁：“去挑选那个真正吸引你、点燃你热情的事情，走出去把它做成——因为这仅仅需要 20 个小时。” ## Notable quotes > [08:44](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MgBikgcWnY&t=524s) 只要你预先承诺无论如何都练习至少 20 小时，你就能够跨越最初的那道挫败感障碍，坚持练习足够长的时间，从而真正收获技能带来的回报。 — Josh Kaufman > [18:24](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MgBikgcWnY&t=1104s) 去挑选那个真正吸引你、点燃你热情的事情，走出去把它做成——因为这仅仅需要 20 个小时。 — Josh Kaufman ## Mentioned Josh Kaufman, Kelsey Kaufman, Lela Kaufman, K. Anders Ericsson, Malcolm Gladwell, Outliers: The Story of Success, Jake Shimabukuro, Axis of Awesome, Journey, Adele, Celine Dion, Jason Mraz, The Black Eyed Peas, The Calling, Elton John, U2, The Beatles, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Bob Marley, Men at Work, Banjo Paterson, Carly Rae Jepsen, PSY, Andrea Bocelli, Sarah Brightman, Semisonic, Colorado State University, Florida State University, TEDxCSU ## Video description Never miss a talk! SUBSCRIBE to the TEDx channel: http://bit.ly/1FAg8hB Josh Kaufman is the author of the #1 international bestseller, 'The Personal MBA: Master the Art of Business', as well as the upcoming book 'The First 20 Hours: Mastering the Toughest Part of Learning Anything.' Josh specializes in teaching people from all walks of life how to master practical knowledge and skills. In his talk, he shares how having his first child inspired him to approach learning in a whole new way. In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations) [Source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MgBikgcWnY)

Source quotes

[8:44] Josh Kaufman: 只要你预先承诺无论如何都练习至少 20 小时，你就能够跨越最初的那道挫败感障碍，坚持练习足够长的时间，从而真正收获技能带来的回报。 [18:24] Josh Kaufman: 去挑选那个真正吸引你、点燃你热情的事情，走出去把它做成——因为这仅仅需要 20 个小时。

Source quotes

[17:56] Josh Kaufman: The major barrier to learn something new is not intellectual, it's not the process of you learning a bunch of little tips or tricks or things. The major barrier's emotional.

Original transcript

[0:00] Transcriber: Gustavo Rocha Reviewer: Marssi Draw [0:09] Hi everyone. [0:11] Two year ago, my life changed forever. [0:16] My wife Kelsey and I [0:19] welcomed our daughter Lela into the world. [0:23] Now, becoming a parent is an amazing experience. [0:27] Your whole world changes over night. [0:30] And all of your priorities change immediately. [0:33] So fast that it makes it really difficult to process sometimes. [0:39] Now, you also have to learn a tremendous amount about being a parent [0:43] like, for example, how to dress your child. [0:46] (Laughter) [0:47] This was new to me. [0:50] This is an actual outfit, I thought this was a good idea. [0:53] And even Lela knows that it's not a good idea. (Laughter) [0:59] So there is so much to learn and so much craziness all at once. [1:04] And to add to the craziness, Kelsey and I both work from home, [1:08] we're entrepreneurs, we run our own businesses. [1:11] So, Kelsey develops courses online for yoga teachers. [1:16] I'm an author. [1:18] And so, I'm working from home, Kelsey's working from home. [1:20] We have an infant and we're trying to make sure [1:23] that everything gets done that needs done. [1:26] And life is really, really busy. [1:32] And a couple of weeks into this amazing experience, [1:36] when the sleep deprivation really kicked in, [1:40] like around week eight, [1:42] I had this thought, and it was the same thought [1:45] that parents across the ages, internationally, [1:49] everybody has had this thought, which is: [1:52] I am never going to have free time ever again. [1:58] (Laughter) [1:59] Somebody said it's true. [2:02] It's not exactly true, [2:05] but it feels really, really true in that moment. [2:09] And this was really disconcerning to me, [2:12] because one of the things that I enjoy [2:15] more than anything else is learning new things. [2:19] Getting curious about something and diving in [2:22] and fiddling around and learning through trial and error. [2:25] And eventually becoming pretty good at something. [2:28] And without this free time, [2:32] I didn't know how I was ever going to do that ever again. [2:36] And so, I'm a big geek, [2:38] I want to keep learning things, I want to keep growing. [2:42] And so what I've decided to do was, [2:45] go to the library, and go to the bookstore, [2:47] and look at what research says about [2:49] how we learn and how we learn quickly. [2:53] And I read a bunch of books, I read a bunch of websites. [2:56] And tried to answer this question, [2:59] how long does it take to acquire a new skill? [3:03] You know what I found? [3:05] 10,000 hours! [3:09] Anybody ever heard this? [3:11] It takes 10,000 hours. If you want to learn something new, [3:14] if you want to be good at it, [3:15] it's going to take 10,000 hours to get there. [3:17] And I read this in book after book, in website after website. [3:21] And my mental experience of reading all of this stuff was like: [3:28] No!! [3:30] I don't have time! I don't have 10,000 hours. [3:34] I am never going to be able to learn anything new. [3:39] Ever again. (Laughter) [3:42] But that's not true. [3:43] So, 10,000 hours, just to give you a rough order of magnitude, [3:46] 10,000 hours is a full-time job for five years. [3:52] That's a long time. [3:54] And we've all had the experience of learning something new, [3:56] and it didn't take us anywhere close to that amount of time, right? [4:00] So, what's up? There's something kinda funky going on here. [4:03] What the research says and what we expect, and have experiences, [4:07] they don't match up. [4:09] And what I found, here's the wrinkle: [4:12] The 10,000 hour rule came out of studies of expert-level performance. [4:19] There's a professor at Florida State University, [4:22] his name is K. Anders Ericsson. [4:24] He is the originator of the 10,00 hour rule. [4:26] And where that came from is, he studied professional athletes, [4:31] world class musicians, chess grand masters. [4:35] All of this ultra competitive folks in ultra-high performing fields. [4:40] And he tried to figure out how long does it take [4:43] to get to the top of those kinds of fields. [4:46] And what he found is, the more deliberate practice, [4:49] the more time that those individuals spend [4:52] practicing the elements of whatever it is that they do, [4:55] the more time you spend, the better you get. [4:57] And the folks at the tippy top of their fields [5:00] put in around 10,000 hours of practice. [5:05] Now, we were talking about the game of telephone a little bit earlier. [5:09] Here's what happened: [5:11] an author by the name of Malcolm Gladwell [5:13] wrote a book in 2007 called "Outliers: The Story of Success", [5:17] and the central piece of that book was the 10,000 hour rule. [5:21] Practice a lot, practice well, and you will do extremely well, [5:25] you will reach the top of your field. [5:27] So, the message, [5:29] what Dr. Ericsson was actually saying is, [5:32] it takes 10,000 hours to get at the top of an ultra competitive field [5:37] in a very narrow subject, that's what that means. [5:41] But here's what happened: ever since Outliers came out, [5:45] immediately came out, reached the top of best seller lists, [5:47] stayed there for three solid months. [5:50] All of a sudden the 10,000 hour rule was everywhere. [5:54] And a society-wide game of telephone started to be played. [6:00] So this message, it takes 10,000 hours to reach the top of an ultra competitive field, [6:04] became, it takes 10,000 hours to become an expert at something, [6:09] which became, [6:11] it takes 10,000 hours to become good at something, [6:15] which became, [6:17] it takes 10,000 hours to learn something. [6:21] But that last statement, it takes 10,000 hours to learn something, [6:25] is not true. It's not true. [6:28] So, what the research actually says -- [6:33] I spent a lot of time here at the CSU library [6:36] in the cognitive psychology stacks 'cause I'm a geek. [6:39] And when you actually look at the studies of skill acquisition, [6:44] you see over and over a graph like this. [6:48] Now, researchers, whether they're studying a motor skill, [6:51] something you do physically or a mental skill, [6:54] they like to study things that they can time. [6:57] 'Cause you can quantify that, right? [6:59] So, they'll give research participants a little task, [7:02] something that requires physical arrangement, [7:04] or something that requires learning a little mental trick, [7:08] and they'll time how long a participant takes to complete the skill. [7:13] And here's what this graph says, when you start -- [7:16] so when researchers gave participants a task, it took them a really long time, [7:20] 'cause it was new and they were horrible. [7:23] With a little bit of practice, they get better and better and better. [7:26] And that early part of practice is really, really efficient. [7:30] People get good at things with just a little bit of practice. [7:36] Now, what's interesting to note is that, [7:39] for skills that we want to learn for ourselves, [7:42] we don't care so much about time, right? [7:45] We just care about how good we are, whatever good happens to mean. [7:49] So if we relabel performance time to how good you are, [7:54] the graph flips, and you get his famous and widely known, [7:59] this is the learning curve. [8:01] And the story of the learning curve is when you start, [8:03] you're grossly incompetent and you know it, right? [8:06] (Laughter) [8:08] With a little bit of practice, you get really good, really quick. [8:12] So that early level of improvement is really fast. [8:15] And then at a certain point you reach a plateau, [8:18] and the subsequent games become much harder to get, [8:21] they take more time to get. [8:24] Now, my question is, I want that, right? [8:28] How long does it take from starting something [8:31] and being grossly incompetent and knowing it [8:35] to being reasonably good? [8:37] In hopefully, as short a period of time as possible. [8:42] So, how long does that take? [8:44] Here's what my research says: 20 hours. [8:49] That's it. You can go from knowing nothing [8:53] about any skill that you can think of. [8:55] Want to learn a language? Want to learn how to draw? [8:59] Want to learn how to juggle flaming chainsaws? [9:02] (Laughter) [9:03] If you put 20 hours of focused deliberate practice into that thing, [9:08] you will be astounded. [9:10] Astounded at how good you are. [9:14] 20 hours is doable, [9:15] that's about 45 minutes a day for about a month. [9:19] Even skipping a couple days, here and there. [9:22] 20 hours isn't that hard to accumulate. [9:25] Now, there's a method to doing this. [9:28] Because it's not like you can just start fiddling around for about 20 hours [9:31] and expect these massive improvements. [9:33] There's a way to practice intelligently. [9:35] There's a way to practice efficiently, [9:38] that will make sure that you invest those 20 hours [9:41] in the most effective way that you possibly can. [9:43] And here's the method, it applies to anything: [9:47] The first is to deconstruct the skill. [9:51] Decide exactly what you want to be able to do when you're done, [9:56] and then look into the skill and break it down into smaller pieces. [10:02] Most of the things that we think of as skills [10:06] are actually big bundles of skills that require all sorts of different things. [10:10] The more you can break apart the skill, [10:14] the more you're able to decide, [10:16] what are the parts of this skill that would actually help me [10:18] get to what I want? [10:21] And then you can practice those first. [10:23] And if you practice the most important things first, [10:25] you'll be able to improve your performance [10:28] in the least amount of time possible. [10:31] The second is, learn enough to self correct. [10:34] So, get three to five resources about what it is you're trying to learn. [10:38] Could be book, could be DVDs, could be courses, could be anything. [10:43] But don't use those as a way to procrastinate on practice. [10:48] I know I do this, right? [10:50] Get like 20 books about the topic, like, [10:52] "I'm going to start learning how to program a computer [10:55] when I complete these 20 books". [10:57] No. That's procrastination. [11:00] What you want to do is learn just enough [11:04] that you can actually practice [11:05] and self correct or self edit as you practice. [11:10] So the learning becomes a way of getting better [11:13] at noticing when you're making a mistake [11:16] and then doing something a little different. [11:19] The third is to remove barriers to practice. [11:24] Distractions, television, internet. [11:26] All of these things that get in the way [11:29] of you actually sitting down and doing the work. [11:33] And the more you're able to use just a little bit of willpower [11:36] to remove the distractions that are keeping you from practicing, [11:39] the more likely you are to actually sit down and practice, right? [11:46] And the fourth is to practice for at least 20 hours. [11:51] Now, most skills have what I call a frustration barrier. [11:54] You know, the grossly-incompetent- and-knowing-it part? [11:58] That's really, really frustrating. We don't like to feel stupid. [12:02] And feeling stupid is a barrier to us actually sitting down and doing the work. [12:07] So, by pre-committing to practicing whatever it is that you want to do [12:11] for at least 20 hours, [12:14] you will be able to overcome that initial frustration barrier [12:18] and stick with the practice long enough to actually reap the rewards. [12:23] That's it! It's not rocket science. [12:25] Four very simple steps that you can use to learn anything. [12:31] Now, this is easy to talk about in theory, [12:35] but it's more fun to talk about in practice. [12:37] So one of the things that I've wanted to learn how to do for a long time [12:41] is play the ukulele. [12:44] Has anybody seen Jake Shimabukuro's TEDTalk [12:47] where he plays the ukulele and makes it sound like -- [12:50] he's like a ukulele god. [12:52] It's amazing. [12:54] I saw it, I was like, "That is so cool!" [12:57] It's such a neat instrument. I would really like to learn how to play. [13:01] And so I decided that to test this theory [13:03] I wanted to put 20 hours into practicing ukulele [13:07] and see where it got. [13:09] And so the first thing about playing the ukulele is, [13:13] in order to practice, you have to have one, right? [13:17] So, I got an ukulele and -- My lovely assistant? [13:21] (Laughter) [13:24] Thank you sir. I think I need the chord here. [13:31] It's not just an ukulele, it's an electric ukulele. (Laughter) [13:35] Yeah. [13:40] So, the first couple hours are just like the first couple hours of anything. [13:45] You have to get the tools that you are using to practice. [13:48] You have to make sure they're available. [13:50] My ukulele didn't come with strings attached. [13:52] I had to figure out how to put those on. [13:54] Like, that's kind of important, right? [13:56] And learning how to tune, learning how to make sure [13:58] that all of the things that need to be done [14:00] in order to start practicing get done, right? [14:04] Now, one of the things when I was ready to actually start practicing [14:11] was I looked in online databases and songbooks for how to play songs. [14:16] And they say, okay, ukuleles, you can play more than one string at a time, [14:19] so you can play chords, that's cool, [14:20] you are accompanying yourself, yay you. (Laughter) [14:24] And when I started looking at songs, [14:28] I had an ukulele chord book that had like hundreds of chords. [14:32] Looking at this and "Wow, that's intimidating". [14:35] But when you look at the actual songs, [14:37] you see the same chords over and over, right? [14:42] As it turns out, playing the ukulele is kind of like doing anything, [14:46] There's a very small set of things that are really important [14:49] and techniques that you'll use all the time. [14:52] And in most songs you'll use four, maybe five chords, [14:58] and that's it, that's the song. [15:00] You don't have to know hundreds, as long as you know the four or the five. [15:04] So, while I was doing my research, [15:06] I found a wonderful little medley of pop songs [15:11] by a band called Axis of Awesome. (Whistles) [15:16] -- Somebody knows it. -- [15:19] And what Axis of Awesome says is that you can learn, [15:23] or you can play pretty much any pop song of the past five decades, [15:27] if you know four chords, [15:28] and those chords are G, D, Em and C. [15:33] Four chords pump out every pop song ever, right? [15:37] So I thought, this is cool! [15:39] I would like to play every pop song ever. (Laughter) [15:42] So, that was the first song I decided to learn, [15:45] and I would like to actually share it with you. Ready? [15:49] (Applause) Alright. [15:51] (Music) [16:03] (Singing) Just a small town girl, [16:06] living in a lonely world, [16:08] she took the midnight train going anywhere. [16:14] I heard that you settled down, (Laughter) [16:18] that you found a girl, [16:21] that you're married now. [16:25] Every night in my dreams (Laughter) [16:27] I see you, I feel you, [16:30] that is how I know you go on. (Laughter) [16:36] I won't hesitate no more, no more. It cannot wait, I'm yours. [16:42] 'Cause you were amazing, we did amazing things. [16:47] If I could, then I would, I'd go wherever you will -- [16:52] Can you feel the love tonight. (Laughter) [16:58] I can't live with or without you. [17:03] When I find myself -- [17:05] When I find myself in times of trouble, mother Mary comes to me, [17:07] Sometimes I feel like I don't have partner. No woman, no cry. [17:11] Yeah mama, this surely is a dream. [17:13] I come from a land down under. (Laughter) [17:15] Once a jolly swagman camped by a billabong. [17:18] Hey, I just met you, and this is crazy, (Laughter) [17:22] but here's my number, so call me [17:26] Hey sexy lady, op, op, op, op, oppan gangnam style. (Laughter) [17:30] It's time to say goodbye. [17:35] Closing time, every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end. [17:45] (Singing and music ends) (Applause) [17:56] Thank you, thank you. [18:03] I love that song. (Laughter) [18:07] And I have a secret to share with you. [18:10] So, by playing that song for you, [18:14] I just hit my twentieth hour of practicing the ukulele. [18:19] (Applause) Thank you. [18:24] And so it's amazing, pretty much anything that you can think of, [18:28] what do you want to do. [18:30] The major barrier to learn something new is not intellectual, [18:35] it's not the process of you learning a bunch of little tips or tricks or things. [18:41] The major barrier's emotional. We're scared. [18:44] Feeling stupid doesn't feel good, [18:47] in the beginning of learning anything new [18:49] you feel really stupid. [18:51] So the major barrier's not intellectual, it's emotional. [18:55] But put 20 hours into anything. [18:58] It doesn't matter. What do you want to learn? [19:01] Do you want to learn a language? Want to learn how to cook? [19:04] Want to learn how to draw? [19:07] What turns you on? What lights you up? [19:10] Go out and do that thing. It only takes 20 hours. [19:14] Have fun. [19:16] (Applause)