On Deliberate Practice
Tags: deliberatepractice, practice
Published: 2020-02-14 03:10:38

---
title: On Deliberate Practice
published: true
tags: deliberate practice, practice
cover_image: https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/i/r35xxaefwoewro6opbe8.jpg
canonical_url: https://sung.codes/blog/2020/02/10/on-delibrate-practice/
---

I've [heard](https://dev.to/thejoezack/78-deliberate-practice-for-programmers-3p86-temp-slug-383694) and [read](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24737268-badass) about Deliberate Practice but never paid attention to it.

After coming across James Clear (of [Atomic Habits](https://jamesclear.com/atomic-habits) fame), I decided to read through his articles and summarize them to learn.

## What is Deliberate Practice?

It's a subset of practice, which is both "purposeful and systematic".

_Reference: [Deliberate Practice: What It Is and How to Use It](https://jamesclear.com/deliberate-practice-theory)_

> While regular practice might include mindless repetitions, deliberate practice requires focused attention and is conducted with the specific goal of improving performance.

_Reference: [The Beginner’s Guide to Deliberate Practice](https://jamesclear.com/beginners-guide-deliberate-practice)_

## What it is not

Deliberate Practice doesn't mean you can do anything with enough time and effort. Genetics "influence performance, [but] they do not _determine_ performance".

- _Reference: [The Beginner’s Guide to Deliberate Practice](https://jamesclear.com/beginners-guide-deliberate-practice)_
- _Reference: [The Myth and Magic of Deliberate Practice](https://jamesclear.com/deliberate-practice-myth)_

## Purposeful

Being "purposeful" means having focused attention during practice.

## Systematic

The biggest difference between a "simple repetition" and the Deliberate Practice is the "feedback".  
There are two ways to get feedback.

1. Measurement (Effective): You need to quantify your success and track the progress. Examples include,
  1. Number of pages read in a book
  2. Pushup count (during a workout)
  3. Sales call count
2. Coaching: One cannot perform a task and measure at the same time
  - Coaches can find "small ways to improve"
  - Holds you accountable (for mistakes or not keeping up, etc)

## Layering Skills

In "What it is not" section above, genetics doesn't determine performance.  
James Clear talks about how Scott Adams, an average artist, and a run-of-the-mill jokester became successful.

- _Reference: [The Myth and Magic of Deliberate Practice](https://jamesclear.com/deliberate-practice-myth)_

What Scott did was to combine two skills (drawing + writing jokes), which is a rare quality.  
_OP's Note: this struck me hard_

## Resources

- [Deliberate Practice: What It Is and How to Use It](https://jamesclear.com/deliberate-practice-theory)
- [The Beginner’s Guide to Deliberate Practice](https://jamesclear.com/beginners-guide-deliberate-practice)
- [The Myth and Magic of Deliberate Practice](https://jamesclear.com/deliberate-practice-myth)
- CodingBlocks Podcast Episode #78 - [Deliberate Practice for Programmers](https://dev.to/thejoezack/78-deliberate-practice-for-programmers-3p86-temp-slug-383694)
- Book - [Badass: Making Users Awesome](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24737268-badass)

CodingBlocks podcast and "Deliberate Practice: What It Is and How to Use It" has more articles and books.

* * *

Featured iamge found via [https://medium.com/the-mission/sucking-at-something-is-the-first-step-to-being-sort-ofgood-at-something-4c92cf0471db](https://medium.com/the-mission/sucking-at-something-is-the-first-step-to-being-sort-ofgood-at-something-4c92cf0471db)