The 10,000 hour rule for mastery is a curious idea from Malcolm Gladwell’s book Outliers (2008) where he writes that those who master a skill have usually spent something like 10,000 hours working on it.

We can certainly agree that all the great masters have put their time and effort into honing their craft. Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant are renowned for their insane work ethic and mindset. Beyoncé, Michael Jackson, Prince, Céline Dion Mariah Carey are all names that spring to mind when we think of the greatest singers and performers of all time. They would have spent years learning their instruments, writing music, and perfecting their stage presence. Great writers, athletes, speakers, politicians, lawyers, doctors and teachers all have this in common: they practised—a lot.

I believe this exact number of hours has since been debunked, but I like to use it for myself as an encouraging metric. Everyday I work on the things I want to do (e.g., writing!) and I remind myself that I am also contributing to ‘my 10,000 hours’.

Regardless of the truth behind the number, it also keeps everything in perspective. You will not become a master in anything overnight, and you’re only shooting yourself in the foot if you assume so.

If you’re considering giving up on something because you’re ‘just not good at it’, I encourage you to consider how many hours you’ve actually spent doing that thing first. Take ice skating for instance, which I am horrific at. I’ve only done it a handful of times in my life, lets say five times (five too many), and for no more than an hour each time. 5/10,000 is absolutely nothing in the grand scheme of things.

Now, I don’t want to be an ice skater, but I do want to be a writer. I started my first book when I was 12, and have worked on several others since. I’ve been working on this craft for over ten years now, and I know I still have a long way to go, but I’ve definitely been putting in the work! I mean, let’s say I managed about 7 hours of writing a week over 10 years (look, I started work at 14 too, so that ate up plenty of my time!). That means I’ve done about 3,640 hours so far! (7 hrs x 52 weeks x 10 years)

Now, how many years at this rate would it take to reach mastery?

Mastery = 10,000 hours / (7 hrs per week x 52 weeks).
Mastery = 27.47 years!!!

Glad I started early, only 17.47 years to go! Now, that can sound deflating, or it can remind you that you are still on your way! In our want-it-now-get-it-now day and age, this is a tough pill to swallow, but also one of the most important lessons you have to learn: If you want to succeed at something faster, you must dedicate more time to practise it, and better quality practise.

Unfortunately, this is not always possible when people are working to survive, but again I remind you to keep it in perspective. Not all of us can afford to dedicate all day and every day to our passions. As such, we should not expect perfection or mastery too soon.

It also brings us to another interesting point I’d like to discuss. Why do we all assume we must be successful young? Many others have pointed out the growing disrespect for older people, and I believe this is part of it. As we discredit older people, especially older women, we lose respect for their wisdom and knowledge. We hold youth to be the most important part of anyone’s life, celebrating all those who are the youngest to do something, while dismissing older people who accomplish great things later in life. It’s a shame, and something we must remedy if we are to move forward with better perspectives and a more rounded understanding.

With all of that in mind, I can take a little sigh of relief. Despite the desire to succeed young and join the fun of being one of the youngest to do such-and-such, I know that is not such a realistic goal. It certainly makes it more incredible when people do accomplish huge feats young, but this is not the rule and likely won’t be the case for most of us. Free yourself from the need to accomplish these things young and instead focus on building yourself and your skills. Then, once you have a good foundation and you’ve mastered the basics, the success will come!