A Complete Guide to Deliberate Practices

It’s a common saying, “Practice makes a person perfect.” And deliberate practice is all about grinding yourself to have a polished skill. It could be your singing, your running, your weight loss program, or any other skill. Once you stop pushing yourself, you lose your willpower to achieve it.

 

Now, there are many different definitions of deliberate practices, but all have one thing in common and i.e., you yourself can use deliberate practices to achieve something in your life. It doesn’t require an external force to push you through the obstacles. So, let’s take a tour of how these practices can make you even better at what you do.

 

 

What are Deliberate Practices?

 

To put it simply, we can say that Deliberate practices are the sort of practices that are intentional and methodical. While ordinary practices may consist of thoughtless repetitions, purposeful practice necessitates concentrated attention and is carried out with the sole objective of enhancing performance.

 

You might be thinking that is it really possible to achieve anything and everything with enough practice? Yes. Yes it is. From not being able to utter a proper word to communicate at the age of 1 to being able to ramble on without stopping at the age of 15, it's all about practice. 

 

There are many things that deliberate practice ensures that you achieve. There’s nothing you can’t get in the palm of your hands when you make a point of practicing it daily. An excellent example of Deliberate Practice would be Lata Mangeshkar. 

 

The legendary playback singer we all admire and commend had actually been rejected when she first attempted to enter the film industry as a playback singer, her voice being considered “too thin” for singers of that era. Constant dedication and continuous practice was what led to her emerging as the “Nightingale of Bollywood”.

 

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How do we improve our skills in general?

 

Well, there are hundreds of examples to illustrate how we improve our skills. But still, there will always be a difference between an athlete by choice and an Olympic athlete. If you want to become an Olympic athlete, your determination and practice should be much more different from regular practice. 

 

Some may tell you that the only way for anyone to progress at anything is via purposeful effort and that any other type of exercise is a waste of time. This is a gross exaggeration. In truth, consistent practice is beneficial for reinforcing and keeping abilities. It can also help us enhance our talents, especially when we are first learning anything.

 

Do you know the secret ingredient to know that yes, your practices are good enough? It’s Feedback. For example, if you are a painter, and someone says that it’s just “good”, you might feel more desperate to convert that comment to “excellent” or “wow”. So, yes, motivation and feedback also play an important role in knowing whether the path you follow will lead you to achieve your dream.

 

Another key ingredient to improve your skills is discipline. Yes, we all have heard that we should have a disciplined lifestyle since our childhood. But why? If you are a fan of a particular band, suppose the kpop group BTS. Do you think that without their dedication, discipline, and practice they would have been able to achieve the worldwide fame they have now? No matter how talented a certain individual or group is, the talent might be put to question without a disciplined lifestyle.

 

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Watch this video to know in detail about deliberate practices:-

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How can you become a Master of Deliberate Practices?

 

1. Look for your motivation

 

Without motivation, one cannot move forward. They won’t be moving backward, rather they will stay still in a particular position. And do you think it’s promising to stay where you are without any hope for growth? 

 

It’s as simple as it sounds and just one step to become a master of deliberate practices. If you don’t have the motivation to achieve your goals, you’ll never be able to complete your dreams. For some people, their motivation could be their parents, for some, it could be that motivational speaker they came across in a TED Talk on YouTube and for some, it could be a celebrity or renowned figure in the field they wish to learn. 

 

Some people may even find their past hurtings as their motivation to change their lifestyle. Well, then one can easily defy the statement “history repeats itself.” One is already motivated to bring a positive change through deliberate practice and determination.

 

2. Go with the flow

 

Many of the same conditions apply to deliberate practice as they do to entering a state of flow. Each purposeful practice session should compel you to do something you don't want to do. It is critical to monitor progress. When something becomes automatic, it's time to push it up a notch. 

 

Flow and intentional practice thrive in a low-stress environment. We get bored and don't grow if we are subjected to too much stress. Even better if you can get real-time feedback throughout your intentional practice session and concentrate on those specific aspects.

 

Bruce Lee once said that “ Practice makes perfect. After a long time of practicing, our work will become natural, skillful, swift, and steady.” I can’t agree more with the legend. Because it’s true, you push your limits, you break your own records, and you get a better version of yourself.

 

Also Read | Stress Testing

 

3. Set your schedule

 

Theoretically and mentally, we can devote all our energy and time to something. But when you start giving your time to something with dedication, then it’s a perfect example of deliberate practice. Now the question is when to dedicate that time, when you have your corporate jobs, you have your business, you have your exams? 

 

Well, you might have already heard a zillion times from your parents that you should start getting up early. I am not going to say anything different, just rather than waking up early, I’ll say that whenever you wake up, make it a routine that you dedicate your first hour to learning that thing you want to learn.

 

You may believe that you must devote a significant amount of time to get results, but this is not the case. In reality, most researchers agree that the key to the success of the purposeful practice is intensity rather than time. The key is to find a moment during the day when your energy levels are high to participate in mindful practice. 

 

4. Take a break

 

We all need to relax and take out some time to recharge in between our intense sessions. If we don’t rest, then we won’t be able to push ourselves the next day. Even when you use your phone for too long, it needs to charge to work for more hours. So taking a rest is plugging in your charger. It’ll help you run longer. 

 

Finally, because you're training in "intensive" sessions, you can't expect to keep up that level for long. Instead, focused practice necessitates deliberate rest—downtime between sessions for recharging, resting, and regenerating. You can't do it all in one sitting, just like you can't do it all while exercising or learning a new language. When you attempt, the effects are actually worse.

 

Doe Zantamanata said and we should definitely follow that “Taking time to do nothing, often brings everything into perspective.” After all, Newton was resting under an apple tree when he discovered Gravity. You may never know what a break can bring from your daily intensive routines.

 

Also Read | Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

 

Conclusion

 

“The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is practice.” - Vladimir Horowitz

 

So, if you want to achieve something unique and exceptional in your life, then you should follow these three-step platinum rules:- Practice More, Follow a routine, and Take a break. And leave a comment when you think that this article helped you achieve something today.