Micromanagement: how to learn new skills and enjoy it
A Life / / January 06, 2021
If we are to do something, then thoroughly: study for a long time, gain experience. Do not quit what you started. Don't waste your time on trifles and side projects. Practice regularly and methodically for at least 10,000 hours to become a real expert.
This approach really helps if you need to master a serious profession, for example, become an engineer or a doctor. But when it comes to hobbies and personal projects, the 10,000 hour rule can destroy all enthusiasm. In opposition to this idea, the concept of micromanagement appeared. It's about how to learn new things in a short time and become a little happier.
Who are the micromaster
The term was coined by British writer Robert Twigger a few years ago. The essence of micromanagement is not to strive to become an expert and thoroughly study a certain area, but to master individual skills, those that you need or are interested in at the moment. It works best in creative fields, crafts, internet professions.
Let's say you want to learn how to draw just for yourself. You can pay for courses, go to hours of lessons, then, perhaps, go to an art school and devote a few more years to it. Or you can buy an album, pencils and paints, open free
master classes on YouTube and gradually, according to your mood, master what you want right now. Today - an image of a human figure, in a couple of weeks - drawing eyes or hair, then urban sketching, then still lifes.The same with other areas: if you want to cook divinely - start with your favorite dish, dream of creating soft toys - sew a simple rag doll, think about applying to SMM - learn to write fascinating posts for one social network.
Josh Kaufman, manager and author of the bestselling MBA on My Own, once spoke at a TED conference. He told how he learned to play some simple songs on the ukulele in 20 hours. Yes, he is far from being a virtuoso musician (however, he does not strive for this), nevertheless he successfully developed new skill.
Why the 10,000 hour rule doesn't always work
There is really no rule
The thesis about 10,000 hours was formulated in his book βGeniuses and outsiders"Canadian journalist Malcolm Gladwell: supposedly this is how much it takes to become a specialist in any field. But this statement is not entirely correct. Gladwell relied on researchThe role of deliberate practice in the acquisition of expert performance 1993 year. It was calculated that the most talented and promising musicians devote an average of 10,000 hours to violin playing by the age of 20.
But later, when Gladwell's rule was already replicated, the authors of the original study repeatedly statedMalcolm Gladwell got us wrong: Our research was key to the 10,000-hour rule, but hereβs what got oversimplifiedthat the journalist misinterprets its results. Nobody really knows how long it takes to become an expert. It depends on the field of activity, the abilities of the person himself, the intensity of the classes.
It robs us of motivation
A person is afraid that he simply will not have enough time and energy, and he does not dare to do what interests him.
You don't have to be an expert
For fun and even for earning money, it is sometimes enough to master just a few skills or techniques. For example, in order to have income from needlework, you can learn to knit cool hats and scarves (this is not true long), and to more complex things like dresses, sweaters and cardigans, when there is a mood and a wish.
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How micromanagement can help you
Will make you more productive
On google Employees can devote 20% of their working time to their hobbies and personal projects. Thanks to this, in the remaining 80% they work more efficiently than if they were engaged only in their immediate duties all day.
They came to similar conclusionsBenefiting from creative activity: The positive relationships between creative activity, recovery experiences, and performance-related outcomes and scientists from the University of San Francisco. Of the 400 participants in the experiment, the most creative and productive were those who, in addition to work, were engaged in creativity. Another study foundArts Foster Scientific Success: Avocations of Nobel, National Academy, Royal Society, and Sigma Xi Membersthat hobbies are beneficial even for scientists. Nobel laureates work with their hands seven times more often than their less titled counterparts, 12 times more often write poetry and fiction books are 22 times more likely to be engaged in dancing or acting.
Saves from emotional burnout
Learning new skills means clearly seeing the result of your work and feeling like a winner. By doing side projects and creativity, you don't feel pressured and can just get fun: your kids won't go hungry if you never learn how to sculpt clay cups or dance tango. It is this - freedom, relaxation, joy, self-confidence - that a person really lacks if he is tired of his main job and gets into funnel of exhaustion.
Will transform into a universal specialist
For example, if you write articles, you can learn how to typeset landing pages, analyze site visit statistics, set up contextual advertising, or make striking Stories for Instagram. This will allow you to look for more interesting, complex and high-paying projects. Generalists, that is, those employees who possess a variety of skills in related fields, are valued by employers no less (if not more) than narrow specialists.
Will bring income
Skills can monetize: Bake custom cakes, sell embroidery or knitting patterns, blog about photography, drawing or marketing and advertise on it.
Add variety
Learning new things and trying yourself in different fields is much more interesting than living between work and home.
Will open up new ways of development
It is possible that you will nevertheless become an expert in some field, and an occupation that began as a hobby will turn into a lifelong business. What if you start knitting and then create your own clothing brand? Or come to a salsa lesson, and in a few years you will open your dance school?
How to become a micromaster
- Choose what you would like to do. Bake bread, draw hieroglyphs, make soap, make websites, blog.
- If the case seems big, break it down into individual skills. For example, you can first learn how to make a simple soap from a base, then try different compositions, experiment with a shape, and move on to soap making from oils and alkali.
- Find a window in your schedule. Don't be discouraged if you are short on free time. For a start, 20 minutes will be enough a couple of times a week.
- Don't get carried away with theory. To knit socks, you don't have to study a hundred different patterns and know all types and grades of yarn. Digging into instructions, textbooks and advice, you can remain a theorist. This phenomenon even has a name - rocking chair syndrome.
- Practice. Sign up for a master class, find online courses or free online lessons, and get started. Master skill by skill, listen to yourself, do not be afraid to switch from one activity to another. And just have fun with what you do.
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