How Many Hours Does It Take to Be Proficient at Something?

What’s the end result that you want to accomplish? Do you want to play guitar better than Stevie Ray Vaughan or be one of the people who designs moon rockets?

Whatever it is the one hard fast rule is you must show up and put in the work.

I must have read a hundred books on how to play piano.

Nope can barely play “Chopsticks.” After days, weeks, years of practice — Carnegie Hall.

Showing Up Isn’t the Only Key

If you want to be proficient at something, it’s more than just desire. A person spending 4 hours a day will progress faster than someone putting in 2 hours per day.

Both are putting in the time needed, and it may take both the same number of total hours.

The difference is the person putting in four hours will accomplish the good faster — same hours for both — one just gets it done quicker.

The amount of available time you must devote to your goal is another consideration.

“Success is the day-to-day progression toward a worthwhile goal or dream.”

Are more hours put in equal to a successful outcome? Let’s look deeper.

There Are Exceptions

If I want to run a marathon in six months, how will I prepare? Right now if I wanted to run a 100-yard dash they’d time me with a calendar.

Training 18-20 hours a day is probably going to damage my body beyond repair.

It’s not just the number of hours per day or week but how those hours are spent to be efficient and productive in the proficiency process.

Cramming the night before final exam will probably not help you pass the test.

You’d be better off to get a good night’s sleep and hope your subconscious will remember the lectures and pop those answers into your mind.

There Are Exceptions to Exceptions

We’ve all read books cover to cover in one sitting. Other times it might take a week to finish one.

Some people have genetic traits that assist them in learning a physical skill or level of knowledge faster than others.

Again, retaining the knowledge or mastering the hand eye coordination might take the same number of hours for both.

Even though both will put in the number of hours required to be proficient one may be more proficient than the other over the same amount of time.

And there’s no guarantee that the person who puts in the most hours will be the first to reach that level of proficiency.

Some Final Thoughts

OK, you’ve made it this far so how about some form of answer to the title of this piece?

According to people smarter than me it takes about 10,000 hours to be proficient at a physical skill or level of knowledge.

For those of you who want to master a musical instrument this is the goal to shoot for.

If you can practice seriously for 4 hours per day five days a week then you should be a proficient gamer, guitar or piano or saxophone player in 9.6 years.

Practice one more hour a day and cut two years off.

If this sounds daunting remember that you’ll improve each week and that will keep you motivated.

Imagine how Einstein must have felt when E=MC2 popped in there.

Or Edison when he found the answer to the light bulb after 1,000 failures.

Maybe that will make the time more palatable.

It’s taken you about three minutes or so to read this so 9,999:59:57:00 hours to go.

Get crackin’ times a wastin.’

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