The First 20 Hours Summary

Summary of The First 20 Hours Book by Josh Kaufman

Name: The First 20 Hours
Rating: 4.2 (839 reviews)
Author: Josh Kaufman

4.2 . 839 reviews

Short summary

Take a moment to consider how many things you want to learn to do. What’s on your list? What’s holding you back from getting started? Are you worried about the time and effort it takes to acquire new skills — time you don’t have and effort you can’t spare? Research suggests it takes 10,000 hours to develop a new skill. In this nonstop world when will you ever find that much time and energy? To make matters worse, the early hours of practicing something new are always the most frustrating. That’s why it’s difficult to learn how to speak a new language, play an instrument, hit a golf ball, or shoot great photos. It’s so much easier to watch TV or surf the web... In “The First 20 Hours”, Josh Kaufman offers a systematic approach to rapid skill acquisition — how to learn a 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.

19 min

13 key points

19 insights

Try Headway app

Table of content

Summary of The First 20 Hours
About the author
What is The First 20 Hours about?
Who should read The First 20 Hours
Topics in The First 20 Hours

first key point

Is it possible to acquire new skills less painfully, in a way that requires far less time and effort?

Listen the first key point

00:00

“There’s so much I want to do... and so little time.” The story of modern life.

Take a moment to consider how many things you want to learn how to do. What’s on your list? What’s holding you back from getting started?

Two things, most likely: time and skill.

Here’s an uncomfortable truth: the most rewarding experiences in life almost always require some level of skill. Skills take time and effort to master — time we don’t have, and effort we are reluctant to contribute.

“I’ll get around to it someday when I find the time.”

It’s easier to sit in front of the television or surf the web, frankly... so that’s what most of us do, and our desires remain dreams.

Here’s another uncomfortable truth: many things aren’t fun until you’re good at them. Every skill has what the author calls a frustration barrier — a period of time in which you’re horribly unskilled, and you’re painfully aware of that fact. Why start something when you know you’re going to be bad at it?

Wouldn’t it be great to be able to master new skills with less angst? To break through the frustration barrier quickly, so you can get to the rewarding part? To spend less time slogging through confusion and doubt, and more time having fun?

Is it possible to acquire new skills less painfully, in a way that requires far less time and effort? Speaking from the author’s experience: yes, it’s possible.

This summary is about the art and science of rapid skill acquisition — how to learn any new skill as quickly as possible. The purpose of this book is to help you acquire new skills in record time.

Whatever skill you wish to acquire, this book will help you acquire it in less time and with less wasted energy. With a bit of focused, strategic effort, you’ll find yourself performing well quickly, without the fist – pounding frustration.

In this book, we’ll start with the principles of rapid skill acquisition: how to go about acquiring new skills as quickly as possible. These ideas and practices aren’t complicated, so they won’t take long to learn.

Think of these principles as ways to cultivate a “temporary obsession.” Rapid skill acquisition happens naturally when you become so curious and interested in something that other concerns fall away, at least temporarily.

Think of these principles as ways to identify a skill worthy of temporary obsession, focus on it, and remove distractions or barriers that distract you from effective practice.

In the following chapters you will find the major principles of rapid skill acquisition.

second key point

Choose a lovable project, the more excited you are about the skill you want to acquire, the more quickly you’ll acquire it

Karl Popper was one of the greatest philosophers of the twentieth century. He’s the guy who popularized the idea of scientific falsifiability. In layman’s terms, if you can’t potentially prove something wrong via observation or experiment, it’s not actually science.

Continue reading with Headway app

Full summary is waiting for you in the app

third key point

Focus your energy on one skill at a time, and place other skills on temporary hold

fourth key point

Define your target performance level, a brief statement of what your desired level of skill looks like

fifth key point

Deconstruct the skill into subskills, this will help you to identify the most important subskills

sixth key point

Eliminate barriers that makes it difficult to acquire a skill

seventh key point

Create fast feedback loops, it makes it easier to connect the information to your actions

eighth key point

Will this method actually help you acquire skills more quickly?

ninth key point

Research the skill and related topics to identify the most important subskills, critical components, and required tools for practice

tenth key point

Identify mental models and mental hooks that make it much easier to discuss your experiences with others

eleventh key point

Eliminate distractions in your environment, they kill focused practice, and lack of focused practice leads to slow skill acquisition

twelfth key point

Create scaffolds and checklists to make your practice more efficient

thirteenth key point

Conclusion

Buy full book on Amazon Continue the summary

What is The First 20 Hours about?

In this insightful guide, the author shares his personal journey of mastering various skills in just 20 hours. Exploring the principles of rapid skill acquisition, he provides a step-by-step approach to learning anything efficiently. From playing a musical instrument to speaking a new language, Kaufman's strategies empower readers to break through the initial learning curve and gain proficiency in any field, making the seemingly impossible achievable in a short amount of time.

Who should read The First 20 Hours

Students looking to acquire new skills quickly and efficiently.
Professionals seeking to enhance their expertise in a specific field.
Individuals interested in personal growth and self-improvement techniques.

Topics in The First 20 Hours

Learning Personal Development Skill Acquisition Self-Help Productivity Time Management Goal Setting Mastery Success Self-Improvement Education Growth Mindset Motivational Efficiency Self-Discipline

Enjoy summarized nonfiction bestsellers

Grasp the book’s key ideas in less than 15 minutes

Get started

Get new knowledge easily

Let’s check how many titles you can finish in a month with Headway! Tell us how much time you’d like to spend on reading:

2 min/day

5 min/day

10 min/day

15 min/day

20 min/day

30 min/day

45 min/day

4 titles/month

10 titles/month

20 titles/month

30 titles/month

40 titles/month

60 titles/month

90 titles/month

4 titles/month

10 titles/month

20 titles/month

30 titles/month

40 titles/month

60 titles/month

90 titles/month

Join 30+ million learners around the world

60K5 reviews on App Store and Google Play

Everything you need to be motivate, to learn & to self improves is all here. I actually do appreciate the reminders because otherwise this wouldn’t work for me. Thank you

sandypantalones

Headway is the answer! No longer accumulating books I never read. With Headway, I initially chose the areas important to me such as productivity, time management, etc., and each day I'm provided several book summaries from which I devote 20 minutes or more each day reading. All of this on my phone! My life has improved with Headway. Truly my most useful app.

Carol Slinker

An excellent concept, executed well. Headway can help you retain what you've read while introducing you to the essential core of new information. It's an easier way to stay inspired, and to be reminded of the mental tools you've learned

Fuse Henry

In today’s world, we rarely have time. Between our jobs, our families are social obligations, when do we have time to grow and develop ourselves? Headway is an excellent app that gives you that time it gives you those little snippets of information that you need to direct your focus in on your life. Headway gives you a chance to find out the meat of a book that you might want to purchase and read or listen to in-depth without wasting a lot of time trying to figure out is this book for me? I highly recommend the app.

sleepy sprite

The selections are on point and the summaries are excellent! I listen while I walk my pup 🐶 and have in turn, ordered a few selections! REALLY loving the app, it’s layout, daily selections and features!

JuicyBaby328

I've gotten multiple books out of the library with the intent to read them, but always have a hard time finding the time. This app has helped me finally be able to get to them. Summarized, yes, and thank goodness too! Just short enough I can finish one on my way picking kids up from school/practice, or while I'm cooking dinner. I can't wait to listen to them over the summer when we visit the beach!

Jillian Emmert

It amazed me! There is the possibility to highlight the most important points of each book and instantly translate unfamiliar vocabulary. With the ability to review the searched words. It's a great way to learn more about English as well. The price is great.

Fiamma

I’m enjoying what I’m learning on headway.each summary comes with quotes at the end which you can save to help you remember key points. You can listen or read, I’ve found that reading puts me to sleep before I can finish but the listening feature keeps me engaged and I can finish in a brief amount of time if not one session.

Epic waters

The app it’s so easy to use. I use it while driving or cooking and is great. I love the fact that the chapters are short, so you can finish them quickly. Very knowledgeable.

kathytaveras

The best app for self development.It helps to keep pace with your reading and also suggests the kind of reading material you might like.It is fun as you can switch from reading to listening and vice-versa as per your convenience .Just get started and partake of the treasure of knowledge at your fingertips .I feel lucky to have spotted the app.It has helped me become self-disciplined and much better informed.The audio track is excellent.

anita yadav

Exactly what I need! I always have booklist to read, but can't committed enough to finish/start bc of too much pages. Headway is really helpful and concise with their summary. What I love the most is that the essence of the book is well crafted, so I don't only read the key points, but also there's the story and how personality of the author still well shown through the summary. Well done!

Feninda Amalia

This is outstanding best app ever and honestly whoever came up with is my app is an absolute genius kudos my gratitude definitely goes out and I’m only on my first week free trial and I’m certainly going to purchase this app annually. Now that I have it, I can’t even imagine living without it.

Darlin NIKKIDOLL0923

Have questions?

Asking the right questions brings you closer to achieving your goals

Can I test out Headway before purchasing it for my team?Payment

Sure, we will gladly give you access to our app for a certain period if you are interested in purchasing a corporate subscription for your team. Please fill out the form on the website or email partners@makeheadway.com. We will get back to you soon.

What should I do if some of my employees already have your Premium subscription?Payment

Can I increase or decrease the number of subscriptions on my corporate subscription once it’s started?Payment

What are the benefits of books summary?

Do you find yourself staring at your computer for long minutes, unaware of time slipping by? Do you enter a room and suddenly cannot remember why you stepped in the first place? Is it a herculean task for you to sit through ten pages of a book without reaching for your phone? If yes, your focus needs some work and fast.

Actually, yours is not a unique situation. Many adults like you have issues concentrating on a given task. However, in this fast-paced world of ours, you can’t afford to be not focused at all times. Thankfully, this article comes to your rescue! With the tips and tricks from Hyperfocus by Chris Bailey, you will get in the top percent of folks who have mastered the art of concentration.