As a follow-up from themes on books such as Outliers, Tony Schwartz talk about the Six keys to be excellent at anything. While there are some more obvious ones, (such as Pursue what you love, Practice Intensely etc,.), there are also some not-so-obvious ones (Take regular renewal breaks, Seek Expert feedback, but only in intermittent doses). As the article notes, it is really empowering to note that the biggest factor in determining how good we become at something is how hard we are willing to work, and not inherited talent.
I happen to agree especially with the 6th tip (Ritualize Practice). The premise is that the best way to insure you’ll take on difficult tasks is to ritualize them. I have found a lot of success with this, be it at a personal level for doing my Weekly GTD Review, or at a professional level for coming up with a consistent dedicated time every week to reach out to users and making a habit out of listening to them.
I also found some interesting nuggets of information, such as : * 90 minutes is the maximum amount of time we can bring the highest level of focus to any given activity * Great performers practice no more than 4 1/2 hours per day. * An interesting quote from Aristotle : We are what we repeatedly do. Overall, an interesting read.
Picture via Flickr from skOre_de