Give it 20 hours. You might surprise yourself.
If you enjoyed this deep dive into "The First 20 Hours book," check out Josh Kaufman’s official website for the free summary video (it went viral on YouTube for good reason). Now, go practice. the first 20 hours book
However, research cited in shows that the most dramatic gains happen in the first 20 hours. In that time, you go from knowing zero to knowing enough to self-correct and actually enjoy the activity. You cross the threshold from "conscious incompetence" (you know you are bad) to "conscious competence" (you can do it if you focus). Give it 20 hours
The 10,000-hour rule focuses on the far end of the learning curve—moving from "good" to "great." The 20-hour rule focuses on the front end of the curve—moving from "nothing" to "good enough." Now, go practice
"What does 'good enough' look like?" This is crucial. Do you want to play Beethoven’s 5th, or do you want to play "Happy Birthday" at your niece’s party? Define the goal. For example: "I want to cook 5 healthy meals without a recipe" is better than "I want to be a chef."
When you start, you will be terrible. You will feel shame. You will want to watch Netflix instead. That feeling is the "frustration barrier." Kaufman’s rule: Until then, sucking at the skill is mandatory.
We want to play a few songs on guitar without sounding like a dying cat. We want to hold a basic conversation in Spanish. We want to cook a decent stir-fry or hit a tennis ball over the net.