Last week I wrote about the 60-10 productivity formula we follow. We’ve been working on how to maximize the impact of learning new things in 10-minutes and have had a bunch of success doing it our way. It’s simple so I’ll make you a deal. It’s a deal with only 2 constituent parts:
- TIME
- STRUCTURE
That’s it, just two parts. This is a deal that will make you better at whatever you choose to commit to the process. It is incredibly SIMPLE.
I recently wrote about the hidden gem in this health crisis and I told you it was time. You are gaining time you haven’t had in years. You’re basically sitting at home and some of the home time is already allocated to two things:
- Work at home business stuff.
- The stuff at home that you have always given time to.
New Time
This deal is about new time. It’s about the time you might have spent going out for dinner, visiting friends, going to a sporting event, going to the movies (big sigh as they have closed all the movie theaters), or any other social gathering.
This new time is a gem, a diamond in a rough.
Tony Polecastro is one of a gazillion guitar teachers online. I stumbled on him while doing a completely different web search. Being a guitarist I am drawn to YouTube channels that promise to make you into the next Eric Clapton with these easy steps – SUCKER!
Tony was different. He said forget about being great. What if you were just good or really good? Would you enjoy playing the guitar more? He presented a staggering simple formula, one I have been practicing not only for my guitar but for a lot of other things I want to learn.
Here’s the deal in 2 pieces.
Part 1: Time
- TIME – This deal takes a commitment of 10 minutes a day. That’s it, 10 minutes a day. Think about something you want to learn during your home confinement:
- Cooking
- Spanish
- Musical Instrument
- Painting
- How to use Excel
- Writing
- WHATEVER
Can you give it 10 minutes a day? Do you have 10 minutes to learn something that will make you grow?
There are a couple of sub pieces or other elements. You are probably thinking, I knew there was a catch. No catch, just some structure.
- It has to be the SAME TIME EVERY DAY. You can’t do your 10-minutes in the morning one day and in the evening the next. Believe it or not, this is a HUGE part of the success element of this deal.
- It has to be in the SAME PLACE. You can’t be in the garage one day and in your bedroom the next day. Being in the same place matters.
OK, that’s it for time.
Part 2: Structure
- STRUCTURE – This is not just about committing to the time, it’s also about committing to a structure or process. Tony divides his week into 5 learning segments. Now, his segments are guitar-driven but you’ll get the picture:
- Monday – Technique
- Tuesday – Riffs
- Wednesday – Solo’s
- Thursday – Rhythm
- Friday – Chord Transitions
Then he breaks down his 10-minutes as follows:
- 1-minute warm-up
- 7 minutes on the learning segment
- 2 minutes for creative play
So, that’s the 10-MINUTE DEAL.
Pick your learning subject, assign the 10-minute segment, find the right place, set up your week’s learning segments and how the 10-minutes will be spent.
Tony has been teaching this for a long time and has an entire community that is getting better every day. It’s a simple, powerful and elegant strategy to learn something. Hey, those are my three criteria. Oh, you can add, its fun!
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