The First 20 Hours
by Josh Kaufman · first published 2013
79% recommend21% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Practical framework for picking and quickly learning a new skill, with concrete examples like touch-typing Colemak, learning Go, and programming basics. Suits anyone starting a hobby without a big time commitment.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
In The First 20 Hours, Josh Kaufman offers a systematic approach to rapid skill acquisition: how to learn any new skill as quickly as possible. His method shows you how to deconstruct complex skills, maximize productive practice, and remove common learning barriers. By completing just 20 hours of focused, deliberate practice you'll go from knowing absolutely nothing to performing noticeably well.
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…memory tricks can be a multiplier on learning other skills. How to use automation tools like Zapier and IFTTT - again, a force multiplier. You might be interested in this book https://www.amazon.com/First-20-Hours-Learn-Anything/dp/1591... - the author has a youtube video that covers it pretty well in 15 minutes - similar to 4-Hour chef, too
on “Ask HN: What's the most valuable thing you can learn in an hour?” ↗…or some other place where you'll work hard for nothing more than feeling good about contributing to society. That said, when you do tackle the skill stuff, I highly recommend Josh Kaufmann's book "The first 20 hours" (http://www.amazon.com/The-First-20-Hours-Anything/dp/1591845...). In which he teaches how to become "not a beginner" at something fairly quickly. Good luck!
on “Ask HN: What are some new things to try in life?” ↗I like it - sounds very similar to Josh Kaufman's "The First 20 Hours". His thesis is that you won't become an expert in 20 hours, but you can become competent enough at something to turn it into an enjoyable hobby (and after that, sky's the limit). http://www.mdswanson.com/writeup/2013/07/05/the-first-20-hou...
on “The 1,000-hour rule (2009)” ↗…is timeless!! MUST READ) The Personal MBA - Josh Kaufman (this will give you a well-rounded education on business, if I had this before college I wouldn't have been a Business Management major!!) The First 20 Hours - Josh Kaufman (rapid skill acquisition) The 4-Hour Workweek - Tim Ferriss (how to break down complex stuff into the most essential parts, and win) Tools of Titans - Tim Ferriss (stand on the shoulders…
on “Ask HN: What are some books for first-time entrepreneurs?” ↗Josh Kaufman have recently released a new book called "The First 20 Hours -How to learn anything" -which is an awesome, operational description of rapid skill acquisition. The better question is: "How do you decide what to learn?" -for which I strongly suggest taking a strategic…
on “Ask HN: Best ways to learn new stuff?” ↗The Personal MBA - Josh Kaufman The First 20 Hours - Josh Kaufman So Good They Can't Ignore You - Cal Newport The 4-Hour Workweek - Tim Ferriss The 4-Hour Body - Tim Ferriss Stop Acting Rich - Thomas J. Stanley James Altucher - Choose Yourself
on “Please recommend a book to read. List for 2015” ↗Josh Kaufman’s book The First 20 Hours seems relevant here: https://first20hours.com/ (You May recognize Josh as the author of The Personal MBA, which is an excellent book.)
on “The Importance of Deep Work and the 30-Hour Method for Learning a New Skill” ↗…Josh Kaufman, who teaches people how to decompose problems in a way that they can be more "digestible", so it's easier to approach them when we don't know much about a new topic. Take a look on: 1) The First 20 Hours: How to Learn Anything ... Fast, Josh Kaufman 2) The Personal MBA, Josh Kaufman Another one is Tim Ferriss. I doubt one can mimic their techniques, but sometimes it might be a good idea to just see…
on “Ask HN: Pivoting Careers, How?” ↗The first 20 hours -- how to learn anything by Josh Kaufman -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MgBikgcWnY You can be a top 10% in any given field with this. 20 hrs is worth the effort on skills you want to learn. My personal…
on “Ask HN: I want to be an expert in many things but my lifetime won't be enough” ↗I would recommend reading Josh Kaufman's book The First 20 Hours It is on this exact subject.
on “Ask HN: How would you approach mastering a skill ASAP?” ↗I enjoyed his book "The First 20 Hours". Most of the content is how he specifically applied it to learn certain skills: Switching from Qwerty to Colemak keyboards, and learning to play Go were interesting. He also had a chapter of learning…
on “Learning a new skill by putting in 45 minutes a day for a month” ↗Reminds me of a book that you might find interesting: "The First 20 Hours"
on “Ask HN: What's the hardest part about learning a new skill on your own?” ↗…get his point that we don't need to spend 10,000 hours to master something. But , 20 hours? A marketing point to sell a book may be? (cynicism overspill here). I have read chapter 5 of his book "The First 20 Hours: How to Learn Anything . . . Fast! by Josh Kaufman (Jun 6, 2013)" In it he described the process of how he went about breaking down and defining a programming problem and researching solutions and deciding…
on “Ask HN: Is this book lying about taking only 20 hours to learn programming?” ↗Reminds me of the book "The First 20 Hours" by Josh Kaufman. He gives examples of skills that you can learn fairly well in 20 hours. One of them is programming. I have some issues with the book but overall it's a fun read. Here's a TED talk he…
on “The 100-Hour Rule” ↗…hours, how about 20? Josh Kaufman already beat them to this topic, and has not only a TEDx talk where he finishes 20 hours on ukelele, but he's also written a book: http://tedxtalks.ted.com/video/The-First-20-Hours-How-to-Lea... https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16158493-the-first-20-ho...
on “The 100-Hour Rule” ↗