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Hello, listeners.

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It's April 5, 2024, and you're joining another
episode of The Science

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of Self, where you improve your life from
the inside out.

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Today's episode dives into the world of practice,
but not just any practice.

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Perfect practice.

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We'll be exploring strategies from the book
by Peter Hollinson, how to elevate your skill

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development through active reflection, strategic
goal setting, and even a tour of alter ego

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creation.

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Are you ready to unlock a whole new level
of practice?

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Let's dive in.

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Friedman’s Ways to Make the Most Out of
Practice

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“Practice doesn’t make perfect.

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Perfect practice makes perfect.”

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You’ve probably heard that quote somewhere
before, right?

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It’s a great piece of advice, and it reminds
us that it’s worth picking apart our assumptions

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about this vague word “practice” to get
to the heart of what we’re really trying

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to do when we attempt to master a new skill.

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A while back, it became fashionable to think
of your cardiovascular fitness in terms of

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steps.

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If you could achieve the magical number of
ten thousand steps every day, you could enjoy

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good heart health, lose weight, and all the
rest.

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Without thinking too much about where this
“rule” came from or its underlying rationale

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(why ten thousand, exactly?

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What about 9,998 steps?

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What counts as a step, anyway?), people got
to work getting those steps in no matter what.

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They tracked steps with apps and gadgets,
entered step competitions with colleagues,

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and found themselves obsessively wondering
how many steps they racked up walking to the

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kitchen or checking the mailbox.

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Similarly, Malcolm Gladwell’s book Outliers:
The Story of Success proposed the very same

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number—ten thousand—as the number of hours
of practice required to become a master performer

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in any particular area.

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Cue the world frantically calculating how
many hours of accordion practice or oil painting

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or Jiu Jitsu they have to squeeze in if they
hope to achieve mastery before they die.

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By the way, in case you’re curious, if you
practiced an hour a day every single day for

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the rest of your life, it would take more
than twenty-seven years to rack up your ten

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thousand hours.

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Ouch.

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The good news is, you don’t have to walk
ten thousand steps a day, and you don’t

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need to commit ten thousand hours of practice
to master any skill.

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The book was inspired in part by research
by Ericsson and colleagues, who investigated

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the progress of violin students at a Berlin
music academy and discovered that the best

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performers had put in around 7400 hours of
practice before age eighteen, and around ten

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thousand hours by the time they were twenty.

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But does this really tell us anything useful
about the nature of mastery?

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There are a few problems with the idea of
thinking that it’s purely the amount of

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time you invest that counts.

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You should be able to guess the problem by
now: Not all practice is created equal.

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An hour by a beginner tuba player is not the
same as an hour by an advanced software developer

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learning a new programming language.

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An intense hour where you’re supported by
a mentor who is spotting and correcting errors

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in real time is not the same as an hour of
aimless repetition of things you already know

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to do.

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So, quantity doesn’t matter, quality does—i.e.,
“perfect practice” and a deliberate strategy

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is what moves you forward, not clocking hours. 

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If you’re in the gym and trying to master
a particular lift, you may need a trainer

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at your side to constantly check and correct
your form, suggest adjustments, spur you on

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when you’re being lazy, and slow you down
if you’re rushing.

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But deliberate practice is just as much about
what happens outside the gym and inside your

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head.

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So, when we talk about quality practice, we’re
not just talking about your technique playing

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the violin or doing a deadlift or mastering
that triple pirouette.

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Your perfect practice also includes the maintenance
of the right mindset.

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In his book Decoding Greatness: How the Best
in the World Reverse Engineer Success, Ron

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Friedman provides strategies for enhancing
implementation, which involve effective practice,

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performance measurement, and managing the
risks necessary for learning and growth.

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While it may seem obvious that practice is
essential for improvement, Friedman emphasizes

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that practicing incorrectly or inefficiently
can be a common pitfall.

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Incorrect and ineffectual practice can mean
a poor technique, but it can also mean a poor

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attitude.

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To optimize your efforts and avoid wasting
time, he presents several guidelines for practicing

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effectively.

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Reflect

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Unless you’re at school, you’re probably
going to have to be an adult and take charge

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of your own learning process.

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That means monitoring your performance, keeping
track of your goals, and continually adjusting

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your strategy as you go.

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In other words, you cannot be passive.

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Ask yourself:

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What’s working and what’s not working?

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What’s the one thing I could do right now
that would instantly make things easier/better?

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Am I doing anything that’s not really necessary
or essential?

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Can I drop it?

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Get in the habit of comparing before and afters—not
to judge or condemn yourself, but to keep

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a keen eye on how you’re advancing and why.

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Take note where you are at the beginning of
a practice session, and where you are at the

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end.

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Take one day a week where you review your
progress and set new goals for yourself.

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Once a month or even once a year, take a moment
to see what you’ve achieved, what you haven’t,

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and what you can do now to address those gaps.

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A journal is a great way to keep track of
all this data, but wherever possible, assign

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numbers to the data you’re gathering so
you can accurately measure and quantify your

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progress (or lack thereof).

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Doing so allows you to see broader patterns
you might have missed otherwise.

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For example, you might start to notice over
the course of a few months that your performance

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is always worse on a Monday.

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You investigate and realize that you tend
to stay up late on Sunday evenings, and you’re

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too tired to make the best use of your practice
sessions early the next morning.

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So you change up your schedule.

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Perhaps you notice that when you make your
practice sessions shorter, you actually end

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up achieving more and feeling more positive
about your gains.

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You decide to experiment by making them even
shorter and see what happens.

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Challenge Yourself

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According to Friedman, the real value of practice
is not to keep rehearsing at the same level,

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but to constantly be pushing up against your
current skill and comfort level.

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There is a Greek story about a mighty warrior
called Milo who lived in the sixth century

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BC.

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He was a celebrated athlete and wrestler,
and renowned for his unique training regimen.

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It was said that Milo started his training
by carrying a newborn calf on his shoulders

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a certain distance.

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The next day, he picked up the same calf and
repeated the task.

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He did this every day after, but of course,
as the calf slowly grew, so did his strength.

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At last, Milo was able to carry a fully grown
bull on his shoulders.

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In fitness and weight training circles, Milo’s
story is often used to illustrate the principle

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of progressive overload.

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The idea is to never stagnate at a fixed,
comfortable level, but to be constantly challenging

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yourself, even if just in tiny increments.

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In the gym, this looks like gradually increasing
the weight, reps, or sets you complete of

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a certain exercise, or decreasing the recovery
time between exercises.

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But the principle can be applied to other
forms of practice, too.

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If your practice gets too repetitive or easy,
you’re not really learning anything (well,

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except perhaps how to repeat an easy thing!).

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This can creep up on you very quickly if you’re
not vigilant.

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For example, you may set yourself a challenge
to master two hundred new vocabulary words

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in the language you’re learning, and then
achieve this goal.

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You may be so proud of yourself and so keen
to enjoy your new achievement that you waste

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quite a lot of time drilling and revisiting
those same vocabulary words—instead of learning

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new ones.

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The moment you find something easy, that’s
a signal for you to check to see if you can

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dial things up a notch.

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Stay in the learning zone, not the “happily
coasting” zone.

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That might mean, for example, identifying
the three out of ten most challenging math

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questions in a practice paper, and deciding
to make them the focus of your study session

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that day, rather than devoting all your time
to the remaining seven that you have already

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mastered and find pretty easy.

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Ask yourself:

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Can I do more?

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Is there anywhere I’m being complacent?

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What difficult next step might I be avoiding?

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Mentally Rehearse

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If you’re thinking creatively, the definition
of “practice” can include lots of different

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things.

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Mental rehearsal and purposeful visualization
are extremely powerful—and it’s an approach

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that many of the world’s greats have used
to their advantage.

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In 1972, Suinn et al. published a study showing
that the muscles in the legs of competitive

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skiers were activated almost to the same degree
when they were imagining skiing as when they

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were actually doing it.

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That’s a pretty startling finding—it strongly
suggests that mental rehearsal is almost as

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valuable as physically going through the motions.

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Now, in fairness, the astonishing results
of this study have yet to be replicated to

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this extent, but this hasn’t stopped many
professional skiers—not to mention golfers,

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runners, swimmers, etc.—from using mental
rehearsal themselves.

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It may be that imaginal rehearsal works because
of its overall effects on the central nervous

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system, and helps people mentally and psychologically
prepare and self-regulate.

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Whatever the mechanism, it’s worth exploring
whether this form of “practice” can be

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useful for you.

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It's easy to do, only it takes a little time
and focus.

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As if you were meditating, go quiet in yourself,
still your body and breath, and then try to

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conjure a vivid “picture” in your mind
(it doesn’t have to literally be an image,

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by the way, but should be multisensory and
include thoughts and emotions, too).

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Depending on the goals you’re trying to
achieve, carefully imagine the time, place,

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sensory details, and nuances of a scene you’re
rehearsing.

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Maybe it’s a music recital or other performance,
a test, or simply a scenario in which you

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overcome your current challenges.

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Mental imagery helps you de-stress and focus,
“troubleshoot,” and lock down important

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details of previous learning.

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However, avoid focusing on success imagery,
as it can lead to complacency and hinder performance.

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Practice is about how you get there—focusing
on the point where you’re already there

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may feel nice, but it’s unlikely to be useful
in any way.

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For example, prior to running a marathon,
mentally rehearse how you might move through

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each training session leading up to the big
day.

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Flesh it out in your mind’s eye.

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See possible obstacles (for example, skipping
sessions) and rehearse exactly what you’ll

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do when the temptation arises, and how you’ll
get around it.

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Picture yourself waking up every morning and
the exact sequence of events you’ll follow

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to get out there on the road.

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Dwell on the feeling of the shoelaces in your
hand, the chillness of the air outside.

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In your mind, rehearse the self-talk “I
can do this.

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One step at a time, I can do it.”

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Perhaps as you run through this “movie”
in your mind again and again, you start to

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connect it with positive emotions such as
pride, determination, and a feeling of invincibility.

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In your imagination, you see yourself smiling
as you head out the door, knowing that for

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today, you’ve conquered your fear and laziness.

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The next morning, when you wake up, you do
the routine exactly as you imagined it first

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in your mind.

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Mental rehearsal is great for drilling the
actual tasks you are trying to master—for

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example, mentally running through guitar fingering
sequences while you’re riding the subway,

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or quietly practicing a speech in your head
as you shower.

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But, as you can see with the marathon example,
it’s also useful for rehearsing attitudes,

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ways of coping, and techniques for overcoming
challenges.

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Create an Alter Ego

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Natalie is a shy person.

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She’s also dead funny and has wanted to
be a standup comedian for as long as she can

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remember.

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She spends two hours every Thursday evening
at a local comedy club, where she perfects

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her routine at an open mic night.

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Over the years, she’s polished her unique
voice and her content to such a degree that

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she regularly gets standing ovations.

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A fan approaches her after a particularly
successful show and is filled with praise

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for Natalie.

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“How do you do that?” says the fan.

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“You’re so confident.

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I wish I was that brave.

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The thing is, I’m really, really shy.”

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“Yeah,” says Natalie.

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“So am I.”

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“You are?

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But you don’t seem shy.

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How can you get up there on that stage when
you feel shy?”

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“Well, I can’t.

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But I created another version of myself who
can.”

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Natalie explains that every Thursday evening,
she actually takes on the role of an entirely

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different persona—Naomi.

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This Naomi is calm and witty and oozes charm
and likeability.

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Where Natalie feels self-conscious about performing,
Naomi actually seeks out the limelight and

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thrives in it.

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Where Natalie is worried about whether she’ll
make a fool of herself, Naomi purposefully

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tries to make a fool of herself—and entertain
her audience in the process.

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Natalie has discovered the power of having
an alter ego (from the Latin for “other

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self”), which is a well-known technique
that performers of all stripes have used for

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decades.

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You don’t need to be a comedian to benefit
from this technique, though.

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Developing your own personalized alter ego
is a powerful strategy to bridge the gap between

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your current ability and your aspired level
of competence, whether it’s with public

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speaking, sports, languages, instruments,
or something else.

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Remember Vygotsky and the zone of proximal
development?

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Well, the act of assuming the role of someone
who is more skillful than yourself is really

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just a way of being your own MKO—more knowledgeable
other.

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When you pretend to be your alter ego, what
you are doing is using their identity as a

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set of training wheels for your own behavior:

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1.

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You recognize your own limited skills

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2.

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You imagine someone else who doesn’t have
those limitations

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3.

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You imagine what they would do

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4.

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You act “as if” you are them, and do what
they would do

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5.

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It feels phony at first (after all, it’s
just acting), but soon, you seem to really

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identify with the role

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6.

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At some point, you are no longer acting.

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You are that role

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7.

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Standing ovation

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Effective parents use this technique when
they want to help their children master some

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new skill.

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They say, “I know you’re afraid of getting
your shot, but imagine you’re Batman.

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He would be brave and strong, wouldn’t he?

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Let’s pretend we’re Batman when we go
to the clinic today and see if you can be

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brave and strong like him.”

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Natalie essentially did the same thing.

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“I know you’re shy and afraid of standing
up on stage, but imagine you’re already

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a totally amazing performer, someone called,
I don’t know, Naomi.

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She would just strut out there and own the
stage, wouldn’t she?

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Let’s pretend we’re her and see if we
can mimic some of that self-confidence.”

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By embodying this alter ego, you can tap into
new qualities and strengths that might otherwise

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be inaccessible because of self-doubt.

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You might always think that a certain desired
behavior is out there, something that belongs

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to other people, something you could never
have or be.

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When you make-believe that you are your alter
ego, those qualities are brought much closer

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to your world and into your self-concept.

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It’s like a self-induced placebo—you step
out of your comfort zone and actually do perform

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at that higher level.

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It’s an interesting philosophical question:
What really is the difference between pretending

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to be competent and actually being competent?

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Meanwhile, your psyche is busy adjusting itself
and resolving the discrepancy—it starts

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to believe its own act.

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The advice to “fake it until you make it,”
then, turns out to be solid gold.

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You may get stumped by obstacles and adversities—but
as long as you can imagine that your alter

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ego doesn’t, you can see a way forward.

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You may find certain tasks almost impossible,
but if you can imagine an alter ego who finds

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them easy, you can start to believe that they
are possible and exactly how you might make

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a bit of progress.

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You may feel lazy, afraid, resentful, confused,
or anything else, but if you can imagine that

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your alter ego doesn’t feel that way, you
open up the possibility of slowly shifting

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your mindset.

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The good news is that you probably already
know how to use this technique—we were all

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experts at this game when we were children!

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Nevertheless, here’s a more systematic approach
for using alter egos to bootstrap yourself

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to higher levels of mastery in your own practice.

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Step 1: Identify the alter ego’s essence

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When embarking on your journey to practice
a new skill, consider adopting the alter ego

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strategy by creating two contrasting personas.

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On one side, there's your familiar self, the
comfort zone dweller and the self-doubter.

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This version holds you back, plays it safe,
and cares too much about others' opinions.

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On the other side, you have your heroic self,
the epitome of your best qualities, and the

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fearless one.

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This self lives in the moment, exudes confidence
in abilities, and fearlessly takes on challenges.

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The big caveat here, however, is not to think
that the “old self” is a shameful baddie

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who is, unfortunately, the real you, while
the heroic self is nice but “fake.”

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The truth is, you possess qualities from both
of these selves—right now you possess heroic

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traits, and they are already within you, just
waiting to be developed and focused on.

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There’s a reason so many kids’ stories
end up with the hero discovering that they

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“had it in them all along”—the alter
ego is not fake at all, but just a kind of

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crutch you use until you can convince yourself
that you were already that person.

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Think of the old self as a role you could
potentially choose to play as well.

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That’s a mask you put on just as surely
as you put on the hero’s mask.

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The only difference is that to play that role,
you consciously limit yourself and play small,

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whereas when you wear the hero mask, you don’t
hold back.

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To start creating your alter ego, you need
to think of the task ahead of you.

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For Natalie, it was doing a full standup routine
without having a nervous breakdown.

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She analyzed that into a series of different
tasks and then asked about the kind of person

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who would be able to do those tasks with ease.

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The later ego works best for the more mental
skills and emotions that accompany the actual

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physical tasks you need to perform, for example:

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• Calming your nerves (before a speech)

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• Staying fully in the moment (singing opera)

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• Being supremely focused (playing chess)

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• Being resilient, i.e., not “spooked”
by anything (martial arts)

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• Being competitive, aggressive, in “attack
mode” (horse riding, racing sports)

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• Being quick and flowing effortlessly (delivering
a lecture)

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• Being confident (making a sales pitch)

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• Staying limber and adaptable (dancing,
painting)

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You get the idea!

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Another way to identify the mental state you
wish to emulate is to work backward: Look

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at where you currently are and invert it.

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For example, if you feel stiff and uncomfortable,
zoom in on the state of mind of naturalness

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and ease.

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Another fun way to find the essence of your
later ego is to ask yourself: if I could be

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a superhero right now, what superpower would
most help me in my current practice?

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Your alter ego may be based on just one main
feeling, or it could be a blend of more than

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one, depending on your needs.

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Don’t be afraid to create a few different
alter egos for different situations or skills.

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Step 2: Be Creative

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Unleash the magic of this process by tapping
into your imagination—a potent tool that

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is always at our disposal.

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Personalizing your alter ego with creativity
and playfulness enhances your ability to really

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identify with it—and achieve consistent
peak performance.

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What’s their name?

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What do they look like?

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What’s their “calling card”?

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Do they have any catchphrases or mottos?

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Are they from another planet?

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Are they maybe an animal—even a mythical
animal?

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If they could talk to you, what might they
say?

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Have fun with this.

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While it might feel a little silly at first,
give it a try—because it works!

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The only objective here is to create a unique
identity that resonates with you.

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You never have to share this alter ego with
anyone else, and it doesn’t have to look

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like anyone else’s either, so don’t worry
about being unconventional.

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Your alter ego can be a blend of people you
know in real life, role models, celebrities,

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or just a slightly improved version of yourself.

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If you like, incorporate mythical or religious
elements, use imagery from art or media, and

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imbue your character with plenty of symbolism
that will help you better connect to them.

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Natalie’s alter ego Naomi is a seven-foot-tall
redhead who is actually part fox and has the

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dress sense and hairdo of her favorite golden-era
Hollywood actress, Lauren Bacall.

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Your alter ego may be based on the Greek god
of the sea, Poseidon, and you bring out his

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persona when you’re doing the swimming portion
of a triathlon.

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You tap into powerful feelings of commanding
not just the sea, but your own regal self

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as you push yourself through the punishing
water.

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Or maybe your alter ego is a smaller one:
Whenever you go into the kitchen, you temporarily

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imagine yourself as a wise old Italian nonna.

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The tomato sauce tastes too sharp.

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What would she do if she were here in the
kitchen with you now?

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(In an Italian accent, you tell yourself,
“I’ll just add a little sugar, no big

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deal . . .”)

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Alter egos can be especially useful if you’re
trying to learn another language.

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That’s because language is closely connected
to the place and culture that it sprang from.

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It’s why we associate an upper-class British
accent with sophistication and a certain uptightness,

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why we see French as sexy and libertine, and
why we associate someone with an accent we

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can’t identify as mysterious and exotic.

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If you’re learning a new language, you can
deliberately give your alter ego a culture-bound

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identity.

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In other words, if you’re learning French,
you may actually learn faster if you create

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a French version of yourself and pretend to
be them.

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You may create a vivid image of the French
self in your mind (don’t worry if you lean

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heavily into embarrassing or inaccurate stereotypes—it
doesn’t matter!).

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You give this person a French name, dress
them in French clothes, gives them French

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00:29:59,360 --> 00:30:04,410
mannerisms, and make them talk about French
things.

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00:30:04,410 --> 00:30:10,200
People who are naturally good at picking up
languages tend to do this unconsciously.

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They end up acquiring not just a new language
but an entirely new way of being in the world.

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Think carefully about how this principle may
apply to your chosen field of mastery.

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If you’re studying medicine, how can you
embody the persona of an ideal physician?

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How does an accomplished doctor look, sound,
and move?

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00:30:35,150 --> 00:30:41,460
Or if you want to be an established and respected
entrepreneur, ask yourself, how does such

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a person communicate?

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What is their lifestyle like, and how do they
interact with others?

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00:30:47,890 --> 00:30:50,950
What do they eat for breakfast?!

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00:30:50,950 --> 00:30:56,559
Questions like these may seem silly, but the
more psychological scaffolding you can identify

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00:30:56,559 --> 00:31:02,840
for the state of mind you’re aspiring to,
the easier it will be to move yourself from

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00:31:02,840 --> 00:31:42,260
where you are to where (or who!) you want

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00:31:42,260 --> 00:32:11,039
to be.

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Summary:

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00:32:39,779 --> 00:32:44,039
• Practice doesn’t make perfect; perfect
practice makes perfect.

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00:32:44,039 --> 00:32:49,289
Don’t worry about the quantity of practice
you do, but its quality.

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00:32:49,289 --> 00:32:55,370
Friedman recommends actively reflecting on
your progress, monitoring your performance,

388
00:32:55,370 --> 00:33:01,600
keeping track of your goals, and continually
adjusting your strategy as you go.

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00:33:01,600 --> 00:33:08,100
• Likewise, continually challenge yourself;
don’t keep rehearsing at the same level,

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00:33:08,100 --> 00:33:12,980
but constantly push up against your current
skill and comfort level.

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00:33:12,980 --> 00:33:17,470
“Practice” can include mental rehearsal.

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00:33:17,470 --> 00:33:23,990
Carefully conjure up the time, place, sensory
details, and nuances of a scene you’re rehearsing

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in your imagination.

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00:33:26,529 --> 00:33:33,549
• Finally, improve your performance by creating
an alter ego to bridge the gap between your

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current ability and your aspired level of
competence.

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00:33:38,370 --> 00:33:43,799
Identify the character’s essence, create
a persona, then tap into your imagination

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to fuse with that role.

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00:33:50,470 --> 00:34:00,070
For more insights and information from Peter
Hollins, check out his website

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00:34:00,070 --> 00:34:01,070
at bit.ly-PeterHollins.

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00:34:01,070 --> 00:34:06,530
Thanks for joining us on The Science of Self.

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00:34:06,530 --> 00:34:08,169
If you enjoyed this episode,

402
00:34:08,169 --> 00:34:12,889
leave us a review and share it with a friend
who might benefit.

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00:34:12,889 --> 00:34:19,200
Until next time, keep improving yourself from
the inside out.