DailyPost 314
10,000 HOURS FORMULA EXTRAPOLATED
Practice makes a man perfect is an adage all of us have grown up with. Malcom Gladwell in his book titled Outliers has quantified this adage into a rule, the 10,000 hours rule ; it’s the time required of dedicated practice to truly master a skill, may it be playing violin, computer programming or skateboarding. Can it be extrapolated to reading as well? Is the dwindling interest in reading somehow related to lack of quantifiable results?
Voracious readers have done immense service to their knowledge is a well accepted fact & as a consequence to the their field, academia & society. With that being the case too, in a data driven world with no clear results, a clear cut direct value of reading does not resonate amongst the professionals, researchers & academicians. Studying for degrees & certifications for a cleaner cut academic & professional growth is the fate, we have decided to get wedded to. With role models missing to be aped, their seems to be a void all around.
Knowledge is being added up on a day to day basis, in every field & on every issue, how well can the standard structured system, respond to it, is anybody’s guess. Dedicated reading, for sure, is the only way out. Reading has done wonders in what can be called as the free lance world; the role models being Elon Musk learning how to handle space projects & Warren Buffet making a fortune out of his reading to become the best investor.
A matrix for reading outside the present sustenance level prescribed can be the ideal beginning. The lack of it is being reflected in the quality of our teaching, research, analysis, planning & project documentation. The fun of reading will come by only if we get the fruits thereof. Neither the academic nor the professional fraternity would get impressed but for that. The extrapolation of 10,000 hours formula for perfecting a skill can certainly be applied to reading and consequent learning with some tweaking & customisation, might be.
TO MATCH EXPONENTIAL KNOWLEDGE, DEDICATED READING CAN BE THE ONLY PANACEA.
Sanjay Sahay