No. 164 · Work · Human Nature and Judgement
Deliberate Practice
Skill grows from focused work on weaknesses, not from hours alone.
In the Almanac
“The Berlin violinists”, 1993 · “McLaren’s pit crew”, 2023
Both stories in full, three ways to use it and where it misleads.
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Questions
What is Deliberate Practice?
Deliberate Practice is a focused way to improve. Instead of simply logging hours, you target specific weaknesses, work at the edge of your ability, and use quick feedback to correct mistakes. Experience alone rarely creates expertise.
How do you use Deliberate Practice?
To apply it, pick one narrow skill, practise in short intense sessions, record or measure your attempts, and adjust after each round. Spend most of your time on what you're worst at, not what you enjoy.
When does Deliberate Practice matter?
Deliberate Practice is one of the 43 mental models for work, the situations where you ask: How do I get the right things done? Within that, it belongs to “Building skill”, alongside Comparative Advantage, Divergent Thinking vs Convergent Thinking and Generalist vs Specialists.
What is an example of Deliberate Practice?
Two stories show it at work: The Berlin violinists (1993) and McLaren’s pit crew (2023). Both are told in full in The Mental Models Daily Almanac, which has two stories for each of its 365 models.
Which mental models are related to Deliberate Practice?
Spacing Effect, Dunning-Kruger Effect and Compounding Effect. Deliberate Practice itself comes from human nature and judgement.