Peak
2016 • 336 pages
Ratings31
Average rating4.1
15
Ratings31
Average rating4.1
“This book is a breakthrough, a lyrical, powerful, science-based narrative that actually shows us how to get better (much better) at the things we care about.”—Seth Godin, author of Linchpin “Anyone who wants to get better at anything should read [Peak]. Rest assured that the book is not mere theory. Ericsson’s research focuses on the real world, and he explains in detail, with examples, how all of us can apply the principles of great performance in our work or in any other part of our lives.”—Fortune Anders Ericsson has made a career studying chess champions, violin virtuosos, star athletes, and memory mavens. Peak distills three decades of myth-shattering research into a powerful learning strategy that is fundamentally different from the way people traditionally think about acquiring new abilities. Whether you want to stand out at work, improve your athletic or musical performance, or help your child achieve academic goals, Ericsson’s revolutionary methods will show you how to improve at almost any skill that matters to you. “The science of excellence can be divided into two eras: before Ericsson and after Ericsson. His groundbreaking work, captured in this brilliantly useful book, provides us with a blueprint for achieving the most important and life-changing work possible: to become a little bit better each day.”—Dan Coyle, author of The Talent Code “Ericsson’s research has revolutionized how we think about human achievement. If everyone would take the lessons of this book to heart, it could truly change the world.”—Joshua Foer, author of Moonwalking with Einstein
Reviews with the most likes.
There's this thread that runs through a lot of different subjects: fitness, marketing, learning, cleaning, etc. If I was to boil it down, it would be: just do it (and do matters much more than it).
The version of that thread runs throughout Peak is a little bit different. It goes: You can't practice without paying attention. If you're having fun you're probably not growing as fast as you could. You can develop almost any skill you want to a high degree. Whatever your excuse is, it's probably bullshit.
If that's a message you need convincing of, this is a great book to do it. If you've been primed by other books like Growth Mindset or The Power of Habit that explore similar territory, you might not need to read the whole thing. Either way, there's a good 20-30 pages that break down the conceptual pieces of how to practice deliberately and in a way that leads to fast growth, and I found that really useful. Your mileage may vary, but if you think you might be interested in this, you probably will be.
Really great & important book. Points to the importance of practice as a core discipline in life and the significance of the distinction between knowledge and skills (& I would add willfulness)
An excellent review of the current state of the literature on deliberate practice, by the man himself. Mr. Ericsson has been the principal researcher in the science of expertise for the past 2 decades. Here, he manages to write a book for a general audience without losing his scientific rigour. He even addresses some of the misconceptions around the “10,000 hour rule” that has gained popularity in the post-[b:Outliers: The Story of Success 3228917 Outliers The Story of Success Malcolm Gladwell https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1344266315s/3228917.jpg 3364437] world. I was glad to get a definition of what deliberate practice, as well as an application guide, and I look forward to applying the concepts in this book to my own work this year.
Excellent book that states what I believe for a lot of years. There are no natural born talents. Hard work is the only way to be outstanding!
