How to Practice Anything
Set the stage., Check your attitude., Set small goals., Bring Snacks., Relax., Start with the hard stuff first., Break it down., Put it back together., Work in slow motion.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Set the stage.
Practicing something badly may be as ineffective as not practicing it at all.
So before you even begin, make it easy for yourself to practice well by choosing a quiet, uncluttered environment.
This means turning of the television, clearing off a space on the desk or table, moving to an empty room, or otherwise making your surroundings conducive to concentration and productive work. -
Step 2: Check your attitude.
As important as your practice environment is your attitude:
Go into your practice session with enthusiasm and optimism.
Having a positive outlook before you start can help you deal with the inevitable bumps along the way. , Start out with goals that you can reach.
If your practicing an instrument, trying to learn an entire piece in one practice session is a goal that may be too big to reach, which can leave you frustrated and even less likely to want to practice.
The key to successful practice is to aim small.
You will not only learn better what you're practicing, but also enjoy it more. , Nobody can concentrate when they are hungry, thirsty, or tired so make sure you have some snacks on hand for when your attention is flagging. , Before you practice take several deep, slow breaths in through your nose, filling your lungs with air.
Then slowly blow the air out through your mouth.
Do this several times to bring yourself into a relaxed state of mind. , Whatever you are practicing-whether it's a piece of music or a swimming stroke you're trying to master-take a look at what you have to do and figure out which parts are hard and which parts are easy.
Then, work on the hard parts first.
This will accomplish a few things:
First, it will get the stuff you dread out of the way, and free you up to spend time on the things that come easier to you.
Second, it will make all the hard parts seem easier.
Starting out with the hard stuff with a fresh mind will be easier than trying to tackle the tough stuff when you're tired from practicing everything else. , Even if you have already started your practice with small goals, it is always a smart technique to break it sown even further.
That means working in bite-size chunks.
If you're working on music, that may mean working on one measure at a time; if you're memorizing a speech that may mean practicing one sentence at a time.
Practice those small bits until you are able to do them five times in a row.
Once you have one bite size chunk done, you will be able to move on to the next. , Once you've practiced in small bits, then your job is to put them back together.
In our music example, that means going back to that first chunk of a measure and making it twice as big.
In our speech example, that means going back to the beginning and practicing two sentences at a time.
One you can do that, keep enlarging those bite-size chunks you've been tearing off until, eventually, you put it all back together. , For things such as homework, this means slowing down and not rushing through, reading carefully, and not skimming.
For things such as a dance recital, this means working is literal slow motion, like a super slow motion instant replay in sports.
Play or dance in very slow motion and you may be surprised at how much attention you give to small parts.
Once your able to practice in slow motion, speed it up.
You will improve greatly without a doubt. -
Step 3: Set small goals.
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Step 4: Bring Snacks.
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Step 5: Relax.
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Step 6: Start with the hard stuff first.
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Step 7: Break it down.
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Step 8: Put it back together.
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Step 9: Work in slow motion.
Detailed Guide
Practicing something badly may be as ineffective as not practicing it at all.
So before you even begin, make it easy for yourself to practice well by choosing a quiet, uncluttered environment.
This means turning of the television, clearing off a space on the desk or table, moving to an empty room, or otherwise making your surroundings conducive to concentration and productive work.
As important as your practice environment is your attitude:
Go into your practice session with enthusiasm and optimism.
Having a positive outlook before you start can help you deal with the inevitable bumps along the way. , Start out with goals that you can reach.
If your practicing an instrument, trying to learn an entire piece in one practice session is a goal that may be too big to reach, which can leave you frustrated and even less likely to want to practice.
The key to successful practice is to aim small.
You will not only learn better what you're practicing, but also enjoy it more. , Nobody can concentrate when they are hungry, thirsty, or tired so make sure you have some snacks on hand for when your attention is flagging. , Before you practice take several deep, slow breaths in through your nose, filling your lungs with air.
Then slowly blow the air out through your mouth.
Do this several times to bring yourself into a relaxed state of mind. , Whatever you are practicing-whether it's a piece of music or a swimming stroke you're trying to master-take a look at what you have to do and figure out which parts are hard and which parts are easy.
Then, work on the hard parts first.
This will accomplish a few things:
First, it will get the stuff you dread out of the way, and free you up to spend time on the things that come easier to you.
Second, it will make all the hard parts seem easier.
Starting out with the hard stuff with a fresh mind will be easier than trying to tackle the tough stuff when you're tired from practicing everything else. , Even if you have already started your practice with small goals, it is always a smart technique to break it sown even further.
That means working in bite-size chunks.
If you're working on music, that may mean working on one measure at a time; if you're memorizing a speech that may mean practicing one sentence at a time.
Practice those small bits until you are able to do them five times in a row.
Once you have one bite size chunk done, you will be able to move on to the next. , Once you've practiced in small bits, then your job is to put them back together.
In our music example, that means going back to that first chunk of a measure and making it twice as big.
In our speech example, that means going back to the beginning and practicing two sentences at a time.
One you can do that, keep enlarging those bite-size chunks you've been tearing off until, eventually, you put it all back together. , For things such as homework, this means slowing down and not rushing through, reading carefully, and not skimming.
For things such as a dance recital, this means working is literal slow motion, like a super slow motion instant replay in sports.
Play or dance in very slow motion and you may be surprised at how much attention you give to small parts.
Once your able to practice in slow motion, speed it up.
You will improve greatly without a doubt.
About the Author
Amber Flores
Professional writer focused on creating easy-to-follow home improvement tutorials.
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