⛰ Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World

If you are anything like me, you’ve probably heard that you should start early as possible and practice as hard as you can for as long as you can to become the best, which means we’re all probably late and can’t become the best in the world yet...well, don’t worry!

I always wanted to improve and focused on it since I was a kid and played nothing else, but what I didn’t know is that starting volleyball will make me a better soccer player.

Apparently, you initially spend less time doing deliberate practice in one area that you’d like to excel at (like soccer/piano), and instead, spend more time in low or no structured general practice in multiple similar areas (volleyball, swimming/guitar, drums), you become more likely to excel at your desired area (soccer/piano) using deliberate practice later on. This is found to be the case for nearly all top athletes and musicians.

And if you are unsure of your major or career choice, how would you feel if I tell you that this even applies to careers?

People who undergo a “sampling period” of jobs are more likely to stick to their final career and be successful, but people who specialize early (as the advice suggests), gaining an early advantage in wages and skills, are more likely to switch careers after they have started, losing their advantage, because they discover that their career didn’t fit them.

If you are a bit like me, this is great news 🙃.

📕 Book:

Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World

The ideas from the “mind blow” section came from this book. It changed the way I view education and made me so glad that I am in a liberal arts college instead of a university with a focus on one subject. It changed my approach to sports and music, eased my stress about my career later, and encouraged me to try things out that I now love like the piano 🎹 .

📰 Article:

Speed matters: Why working quickly is more important than it seems

“The obvious benefit to working quickly is that you’ll finish more stuff per unit time. But there’s more to it than that. If you work quickly, the cost of doing something new will seem lower in your mind. So you’ll be inclined to do more.”

💬 Quote of the week

“If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything” (Mark Twain)

Have a meaningful week ✨,
Laith