Does Practice Make Perfect?
I've often thought about the popular mantra, "Practice makes Perfect" whether this piece of wisdom is really true or whether it is just some outdated formula which tries to simplify the quest in attaining Mastery in a particular craft.
One of the dangerous things about advice is that it tries to formulate procedures for individuals to apply, but ultimately clashes with our uniqueness as human beings. What's good advice for one might be terrible advice for another.
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So as much as I do agree that Practice does make perfect. I think we need to unpack this piece of advice into something more tangible and not so vague. Contrary to popular belief K. Anders Ericsson The Swedish Psychologist has proved that "Practice" doesn't make perfect but rather "Deliberate practice” does.
The problem with learning difficult things is that if you are not making significant progress, boredom sets in and what once was an exciting, exhilarating task becomes a mundane, painful chore.
So how does one stay motivated while making significant progress in achieving challenging tasks?
The WHY factor - Remembering why you started something in the first place, and the feelings that brought you energy and excitement will help you along the road when you meet setbacks and challenges.
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The why factor gives you a wider perspective, a birds eye view that one day, all the struggles will make sense.
Chunking - When you go to a restaurant and order a 500g T-Bone steak, you won’t put the whole steak in your mouth. Rather you cut it into small pieces and enjoy it slowly, the bite size chunks help you to digest the meat more comfortably.
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The same applies with difficult tasks. When you get stuck doing something, break it down and try to understand it in smaller components.
Once you understand the small pieces of information, when they all come together you will have a more comprehensive understanding of the complete picture.
Celebrate Small victories - Be kind to yourself, it’s very easy to beat yourself down and find a million faults with what you do, but rather change this pessimistic view into a more optimistic view and try to celebrate every single victory, even if it’s small.
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This will help you build an appetite for achievement and these small victories can be transferred to larger ones, once your skill level increases.
Tracking - This is the gold standard of skill acquisition. Knowing exactly how far or fast you are moving. This is essential in making minor changes to your routines and methods.
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Most people skip this, because it shows them what they lack, but how else will you reach your destination if you are not sure on the direction and the distance of your journey.
Patience - I came across a Latin proverb, “Festina Lente” which directly translates as "Hurry slowly" It basically means that activities should be performed with a proper balance of urgency and diligence.
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If tasks are overly rushed, mistakes are made and good long-term results are not achieved.
In Conclusion
Motivation is something that goes up and down like a yoyo, especially when fatigue sets in. Getting enough sleep and rest is one of the key components in moving effectively towards your goal.
Studies have shown the importance of cognitive rest in achieving optimal results. This should always be a priority.
Practice is useless if you are distracted and exhausted, rather spend that valuable time to recuperate and sharpen that blade to come back to the battle field well equipped.
Practice does make perfect, but only when various conditions are in place.
