Aristotle’s words echo in Malcolm Gladwell’s postulate that anyone can master a skill with 10,000 hours of deliberate practice. He defines deliberate practice as a practice performed in a manner to push your skill set as much as possible. Others challenged this theory. A study from Princeton concluded that improvement from deliberate practice depended on the field. On average deliberate practice could account for a 12% increase in performance.   The more stable the structure as in tennis, chess, classical music, areas where the rules never change, the larger significance practice plays in becoming a master.

The headlines said the Princeton study debunked the 10,000-hour principle. But if my goal is to be an excellent writer and deliberate practice can improve my writing skills by 12%, hey, even if it is only 6%, then perhaps practice has a payoff. And Aristotle was a smart dude. If “We are what we repeatedly do” I will keep on writing.

Are you willing to invest the hours and the training to master your field?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer