What does it take you to learn a skill?

[hawkal]

I feel that it takes me longer than it should to pick up a skill e.g juggling took me months of practice and I'm still not that good. I've been practising the same 4 chords for weeks on my guitar and while there is improvement it's slow progress.

How much effort does it take you to learn a skill? It feels like ages for me and I was wondering if I just have a wrong belief regarding learning a skill.

[Dynamist]

It depends! I'm good at writing and communication, sports, psychology, and philosophy as well as theology. But when it comes to physics it takes a little more time for me to grasp. I had to spend more time with my teacher, as opposed to psychology where I could just read the book and know it, or writing in school where I just sit down at the computer or pick up a tool or something and write 5-7 pages in an hour, not edit, and get at the lowest a B+. So I think it really depends on what I'm doing.

[Clint Cora]

Many skills are learned and mastered faster with supervision and guidance from somebody like a coach or instructor who could help you. Of course, we can't get coaches for everything but you will find that in general, guidance does help since it's another pair of eyes to see to make sure you are on the right path.

[Caddy]

I think it depends! We've all got natural affinities for things, and things that come more slowly to us.

One thing I've found myself struggling with occasionally is that self-teaching can be really hard. As someone else mentioned, if you're working with a knowledgeable person/coach/teacher - they already KNOW a system that works. They already KNOW the common pitfalls and struggles and tough spots.

Learning from them can help you be much more efficient with your time and efforts.

I really don't like cliche's - but there no reason to 're-invent the wheel' when others who've gone before you can show you a great path to take.

[SevenSigma]

It seems to differ depending on whether it is a purely physical skill, a skill with a physical component, or whether it is an entirely knowledge-based skill. I think somehow God was having a laugh at my expense when he endowed me with more than my fair share of processing power, but the same skeleton, muscles, nerve channels etc. as everyone else. A good example of what that meant in practice was that I had zoomed all the way up to Grade 6 music theory in the time it had taken my hands to co-ordinate sufficiently well to play Grade 1 pieces on the piano! Plus I was already composing pieces that it will be years at this rate before I am physically able to play. I can totally empathize with why people give up.

Enjoy your guitar. 4 chords is enough for a singalong.

[Acting Like Godot]

Originally Posted by SevenSigma

I think somehow God was having a laugh at my expense when he endowed me with more than my fair share of processing power, but the same skeleton, muscles, nerve channels etc. as everyone else. A good example of what that meant in practice was that I had zoomed all the way up to Grade 6 music theory in the time it had taken my hands to co-ordinate sufficiently well to play Grade 1 pieces on the piano! Plus I was already composing pieces that it will be years at this rate before I am physically able to play.

This is known as asynchronous development. It happens.

For example, my son could read quite advanced books (with long sentences and paragraphs etc), well before he could hold a pencil properly.

[tod]

I don't believe in natural inclinations at all. I got involved in a field where I had zero experience and ended up doing well. I started learning and playing ice hockey, having absolutely no previous athletic experience.

I started out poorly, and I'm sure smart people would have said "You're just not cut out for this... otherwise you would have been doing it since you were a kid. Stop this nonsense and do what you already KNOW you can do."

Baloney. Talent is a function of time, not birth. After nearly four years of practicing about four hours a week, I have to say I'm pretty awesome on the ice.

Maybe it took you months to juggle. The next physical skill will come a little easier. And the one after that will be even easier.

The key is to love what you're doing. I loved being on the ice even though I was falling and failing constantly. Even though I looked like a hopeless case who would never get anywhere with hockey. And I experienced many pains and frustrations too. I loved it enough that I could withstand all of that.