How To Make Big Gains By Focusing On Small Things

By now you’ve probably heard about deliberate practice and the famed “10,000 Hour Rule.”

If not, it’s an idea developed by K. Anders Ericsson and popularized by mega-bestselling author Malcolm Gladwell; the idea is that a significant amount of world-class performers’ success was their commitment to attaining more than 10,000 hours of deliberate practice. Since the idea was popularized, it’s been (very rightly) attacked for a variety of flaws. Some critics say 10,000 hours is too simple. Others say that deliberate practice overlooks the role of inherent traits.

Much of this debate focuses on trivial elements like how much practice is needed and whether practice actually does make perfect. And that’s a shame. Because sadly, almost all of the debate around how correct the theory is overlooks a core element of Ericsson’s original thesis — an element that holds the key for all of us on how to make performance gains.

At its core, deliberate practice isn’t about racking up hours or “putting in the reps.” It’s about focusing on the small things.

Ericsson was quick to point out that the world-class performers he studied consistently broke down their performance into small chunks — the smallest elements possible. If it was violinists, they’d focus on specific transitions between notes. If it…