Thought is takes long to learn new things? 20 hours may just be enough

I always thought 10,000 hours was needed, according to studies that looked at how many hours it took experts and world champions to reach their level. So what can we do when we want to learn something new, at a relatively basic level. Something we can enjoy and understand how it works - for example playing the guitar.

Sometime ago I came across a Ted lecture that changed my whole attitude to the subject. Its title is - "There is nothing that cannot be learned in 20 hours". A bit pretentious? well, it's super true. And even more suitable for today's world where we want to try all kinds of things and are not willing to spend hundreds of hours until we realize that something is not to our liking or unnecessary for the goals we want to achieve.

I suggest watching and then you decide: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MgBikgcWnY

If you are too lazy to listen to all 19 minutes, you can start from minute 9 and if you don't watch at all, here is a short summary:

1. The basic idea is to break down into basic competencies in order to decide what exactly we want to learn. Most of the things we think about are very complex. It is wise to break down into smaller units that are relevant.

2. Learn enough so that we can begin to improve, getting books/videos/tutorials... just enough to start training and improving on your own.

3. Remove the blockers that are in front of us to train.

4. Train for at least 20 hours.

5. The idea is that the main blocker is psychological. You don't want to feel overwhelmed, and on the other hand don't know how to start.

Learning is critical. What is it and how do we learn it? You will find amazing online courses on this important topic. Good luck!