K. Anders Ericsson (1947–2020)

How do the exceptional become the exceptional? Is you kid who isn’t learning Calculus by age 6 doomed to a life of mediocrity? And what about this “10,000 hours makes you an expert” thing I hear about?

Peak is, at it’s core, a book about how we learn. The 4 word answer to that question is “practice the right way”, and Anders Ericsson uses his own research and the work of others to provide you a path to improving your ability to learn a new subject and to, with time, achieve expertise.

Malcolm Gladwell popularized the 10,000 hour idea in his book Outliers, and there’s an element of merit to it, but it’s incomplete. Ericsson was responsible for that research, and goes into detail, but the short version is that the research was done in highly specialized fields with a lot of shared expertise already. He calls this deliberate practice.

Deliberate practice, as he defines it, may rely on a solidly established field with clear definitions and outcomes, but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing we can take away to our own areas of interest. Setting goals, finding a way to get feedback to evaluate outcomes, and ensuring that you are engaged and challenging yourself the right amount are all strategies encouraged through the book.

Overall, the message is that the human brain is incredibly adaptable and that systematically approaching new subjects (or old subjects you want to improve) can allow you to reach levels you didn’t believe were possible.


This is a must read if you have interest in the brain.… (altro)

This book by Anders Ericsson is superb. I often wondered where the concepts of 'deliberate practice' and the '10,000-hour rule' originated. Now, I know!

The book is replete with case studies, all of which have been carefully chosen to highlight certain principles. There is a weakness in the book, and it is this: sometimes when he specifies the principles, it is difficult to spot them. You can miss them if you are not focused when reading the book. Treat this as an exercise in concentration!

Apart from this, Anders Ericsson has written an excellent book. There is a crucial chapter for those who cannot afford an expensive coach. This chapter is essential for most of us!… (altro)