Practice raises us from awkward to good, and from good to great. It focuses our mind and sharpens our skills beyond imagination. When we learn how to practice effectively, we can each achieve the incredible.
We’ve been brainwashed to believe that it’s all about talent, some of us have it and some of us don’t. If we weren’t born with the gift, we shouldn’t even bother.
But what about all those people who didn’t have the gift? Thousands of them, who overcame their limitations and learned to be remarkable.
They made a choice and put in the work. They harnessed the power of practice and honed their skills beyond anything their family and friends thought possible. They silenced the naysayers.
If you have something you want to master, be it meditation, martial arts or the bass guitar, these tips will help you to practice better and realise your potential.
How to practice effectively
Be fully present
Have you ever tried practicing when your mind is somewhere else? It’s not good is it!? You’re distracted, sloppy, forgetful, and waste most of the time you’ve allocated.
Practice is best when you bring your full self to it. When you’re focussed, calm and fully engaged in the activity. You do better reps, enjoy the process more, forget the outside world and make greater progress.
Start each session with a few rounds of Breathwork, to focus your mind and bring you into the present moment. Then, you’ll be able to practice with greater awareness and precision.
Warm up
We all know the importance of warming up, but very few people take the time to do it. Each session should begin with some general prep that engages the mind, increases blood flow, and introduces the movements you will be practicing.
You want to be focussed, warm and fluid before you begin.
Practice with purpose
Random practice can be fun, but it doesn’t lead anywhere. Practice needs to have a purpose and a system of progress to be effective.
Decide what kind of athlete/mover/artist you want to become. What skills and attributes do you want to develop? Be as specific as possible and set goals to give your practice structure.
Make a 12-month plan based on your current level and where you want to be this time next year.
Be consistent
There’s no mystery to practice. It’s all about consistency. It’s showing up day after day, month after month, and year after year. It’s accumulating reps and the deep rooted intelligence that comes with those reps.
There are no hacks or shortcuts that can outperform consistent practice.
With that in mind, schedule your practice sessions every day or every other day, and stick to the schedule. Practice when it’s time to practice and build the habit.
If you want to practice effectively, you must first practice consistently.
Turn strengths into superpowers
One of the best pieces of advice I ever heard was to focus on your inherent strengths and be more of what you already are. Instead of fighting an uphill battle to learn things that don’t come naturally to you, take your natural strengths and turn them into superpowers.
This increases the effectiveness of practice, enhancing skill, confidence and performance to a greater extent by building on your genetic foundations.
We’re each born with natural strengths. When we identify what they are and take the time to cultivate them, we unleash our true potential.
Keep a practice journal
A practice journal is a great tool to plan your sessions and track your progress. You can map out sessions and cycles to use your time effectively and build better programmes.
Some things you may like to track include exercises, reps, sets, tempo and duration. Note which techniques you are practicing and any specific points you’ve worked on. You can also include any insights and breakthroughs that you observe.
Looking back through old journal entries gives you a sense of accomplishment and helps to remind you how far you’ve come.
Work with a coach
A good coach can bring a whole new dimension to your practice and teach you how to practice effectively. They can refine your technique, increase motivation, offer deeper insights and help you avoid making mistakes that could harm your progress.
What are you trying to learn? Who could help with that? Who has the insights and expertise to sharpen your skills? You can work with a local instructor, attend classes or hire an online coach, to improve the quality and effectiveness of your practice.
Focus on the intrinsic rewards
There are many ways to trick ourselves into practicing more often, but most are superficial. If we depend on rewards and external motivation to do a thing, then it’s pretty clear, we’re doing the wrong thing.
The reward of any practice is in the doing. It’s not the outcomes or the attention, but the simple joys of kicking the ball, punching the bag and playing the drums.
Focus on the intrinsic rewards. The fun, the technique, the challenge and the feelings you get when you’re engrossed in something you love. Do the thing for its own sake and it will bring you a lifetime of fulfilment.
Subscribe to the Ten Bulls Newsletter for more exercises, insights and special offers that will help you find your flow.
Read more
50 Inspirational Practice Quotes