Little Book of Talent by Daniel Coyle, (13) Tip #13, Notes

Post date: Oct 11, 2018 12:29:51 PM

Little Book of Talent by Daniel Coyle

(13) Part 2 - Improving Skills - Find the Sweet Spot then Reach

Develop a different relationship with practicing. View practice as the big game, the center of the world, the main focus of daily life. This approach succeeds because over time, practice is transformative, if it’s the right kind of practice: deep practice. The key to deep practice is to reach. This means to stretch slightly beyond current ability, spending time in the zone of difficulty called the sweet spot. It means embracing the power of repetition, so the action becomes fast and automatic. It means creating a practice space that enables you to reach and repeat, stay engaged, and improve your skills over time. Use simple strategies and techniques that direct you toward deep practice and away from the unproductive swamp of shallow practice.

TIP #13 FIND THE SWEET SPOT

There is a place, right on the edge of your ability, where you learn best and fastest. It’s called the sweet spot. Each time a mistake is made and we (1) sense it and 2) fix it, we weld the right connection in the brain. Do not just practice. Build the brain. Be in the sweet spot. Locating the sweet spot requires creativity. Seek out ways to stretch and play on the edges of competence.

• • “One must develop an instinct for what one can just barely achieve through one’s greatest efforts.” -- Albert Einstein.

  • The key word is “barely.” Ask yourself: If I tried my absolute hardest, what could I almost do? Mark the boundary of current ability, and aim a little beyond it. That’s the spot. Here’s how to find it:

• 1. “Comfort Zone” Sensations: Ease, effortlessness. You’re working, but not reaching or struggling. Percentage of Successful Attempts: 80 percent and above.

  2. “Sweet Spot” Sensations: Frustration, difficulty, alertness to errors. You’re fully engaged in an intense struggle—as if you’re stretching with all your might for a nearly unreachable goal, brushing it with your fingertips, then reaching again. Percentage of Successful Attempts: 50–80 percent.

  3. “Survival Zone” Sensations: Confusion, desperation. You’re overmatched: scrambling, thrashing, and guessing. You guess right sometimes, but it’s mostly luck. Percentage of Successful Attempts: Below 50 percent.