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Unmistakable Classic: The First 20 Hours of Learning Any New Skill with Josh Kaufmann

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May 16, 2014

Guest

Josh Kaufman

Josh Kaufman, bestselling author of 'The First 20 Hours' and 'The Personal MBA,' shares insights on self-directed education. He discusses the first 20 hours of learning any new skill, emphasizing the power of deliberate practice. Listeners learn about the importance of breaking skills into smaller parts and the benefits of rapid experimentation. Kaufman also explores crafting a Personal MBA, avoiding pitfalls of imitation, and the significance of strong opinions in creative work. His approach provides practical strategies for mastering new skills efficiently.

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ANECDOTE

Personal MBA Origin

Josh Kaufman, upon realizing his marketing colleagues all had MBAs, sought to gain similar knowledge independently.
He read thousands of business books at the library and bookstores, leading to his Personal MBA project and book.

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INSIGHT

P&G's Marketing Fundamentals

Procter & Gamble excels at teaching fundamental marketing principles applicable everywhere.
These fundamentals include understanding your target audience, meeting their needs, and communicating effectively.

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ADVICE

Early Experimentation

When starting any project, experiment rapidly to gather information about audience wants.
Put content out, observe responses, and iterate based on feedback.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Accelerated Learning in Business Mastery

03:17 • 4min

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Crafting the Personal MBA

06:49 • 15min

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Embracing Authenticity and Strong Opinions in Creative Work

21:48 • 6min

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Crafting an Effective Learning Curriculum

27:26 • 7min

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Building an Engaged Email List

34:03 • 7min

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Mastering Skills Through Effective Learning

40:51 • 22min

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Mastering Skills in 20 Hours

01:02:39 • 4min

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Sustaining Success: Long-Term Marketing Strategies

01:06:50 • 11min

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Mastering New Skills Through Strategic Learning

01:18:13 • 4min

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A Life Of Purpose

Douglas P. Blankenship

The personal MBA

Master the Art of Business

Josh Kaufman

The Personal MBA distills the most valuable business lessons into simple, memorable mental models that can be applied to real-world challenges. The book covers a wide array of topics including entrepreneurship, marketing, sales, negotiation, operations, productivity, and systems design. It is designed to provide a self-directed crash course in business, helping readers understand and analyze the fundamental elements that make every successful business function. The book emphasizes the importance of creating value, effective marketing, and delivering on promises, and it includes a recommended reading list to further enhance business knowledge.

The happiness advantage

The Seven Principles of Positive Psychology That Fuel Success and Performance at Work

Shawn Achor

The Happiness Advantage challenges conventional wisdom that success leads to happiness. Instead, Shawn Achor presents evidence-based strategies showing that happiness is the precursor to success. Drawing on original research, including one of the largest studies of happiness ever conducted, Achor outlines seven practical principles such as the Tetris Effect, the Zorro Circle, and Social Investment. These principles help readers rewire their brains for positivity and optimism, leading to improved performance, creativity, and overall well-being in both personal and professional life.

The First 20 Hours

How to Learn Anything... Fast

Josh Kaufman

In 'The First 20 Hours', Josh Kaufman challenges the common misconception that learning a new skill requires 10,000 hours of practice. Instead, he argues that with just 20 hours of deliberate practice, one can achieve a decent level of proficiency in most skills. The book outlines a step-by-step process for mastering the basics of any new skill, including deconstructing complex skills, maximizing productive practice, and removing common learning barriers. Kaufman also shares his personal experiences of learning six unrelated skills in approximately 20 hours each, such as yoga, programming, touch typing, the board game Go, ukulele, and windsurfing.

Mindset

The New Psychology of Success

Carol S. Dweck

In this book, Carol S. Dweck introduces the concept of two mindsets: the fixed mindset and the growth mindset. People with a fixed mindset believe their abilities are static, while those with a growth mindset believe their abilities can be developed through effort and learning. Dweck shows how these mindsets influence success in school, work, sports, and personal relationships. She also discusses how to adopt a deeper, truer growth mindset, and how this can transform individual and organizational cultures. The book emphasizes the importance of perseverance, learning from failures, and embracing challenges as key components of the growth mindset.

The Four Keys to Success in an AI World

Yosi Amram

This ebook is more than just a guide; it is a deep exploration into the innate human attributes that AI cannot emulate. It delves into creativity, emotional intelligence, and critical thinking, highlighting the importance of these skills in a world where AI is increasingly prevalent. The book encourages viewers to see AI as a supportive tool for creativity and collaboration rather than a competitive threat. It also touches on productivity and the natural ebb and flow of human activity, using examples like Lin-Manuel Miranda's approach to long-term productivity measurement.

Making ideas happen

Scott Belsky

Scott Belsky's "Making Ideas Happen" provides a practical framework for turning creative ideas into reality. It emphasizes the importance of planning, organization, and execution in achieving creative goals. The book offers a structured approach to managing creative projects, from ideation to completion. It addresses common challenges faced by creative individuals, such as procrastination and perfectionism, providing strategies for overcoming them. Belsky's work is valuable for anyone seeking to transform their ideas into tangible outcomes.

Josh Kauffman is a poster child for how to give yourself an education that kicks the crap out of the one you got in school. Instead of going to business school, he decided to create a Personal MBA. The result has been a book that sold over 130,000 copies, and an incredible journey. In this interview we get into the first 20 hours of learning any new skill.

What You Can Learn from the Marketing of Procter and Gamble
Insights into How You Can Conduct Consumer Research
The Importance of Rapid Experimentation in Your Early Days
The Advantages You Have Over Procter and Gamble
Translating Data and Insights into Something Actionable
Why You Should Tune Out What Other People Are Doing
The Power of Taking a Very Strong Stand on Things
Dissecting How to Give Yourself an MBA
An In-Depth Exploration of Self-Directed Learning
Deconstructing Things into Smaller Parts
The Growth and Many Iterations of the Personal MBA
The #1 Mistake You've Heard 1,000 Times
Seeds for What Resulted in the First 20 Hours
An In-Depth Look into Josh's Accelerated Learning Model

Josh Kaufman is the bestselling author of The First 20 Hours and The Personal MBA. His work helps people make more money, get more done, and have more fun. You can follow him on twitter @joshkaufman.

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