How to learn any new skill you want in just 20 hours

Kaufman’s 20 hour rule goes a little like this: A person can learn any new skill by dedicating 20 hours of planned practice time to that skill. Breaking down practice sessions into 45 minutes of practice a day can lead you to learn a new skill in as little as a month! This may seem difficult to accomplish, but with proper planning and personal dedication, you could have a newly developed auto retail skill in an extremely short period.

Identify a skill you want to earn and break it down

First, you need to identify a skill you would like to develop. For example, let’s say you want to focus on growing your professional automotive sales skills to boost your overall performance. You will then need to break the skill into smaller, more manageable tasks. Here are a few examples:

1. Learn an in-depth understanding of the automotive product you are selling
2. Strengthen your existing professional customer service skills or learn new methods
3. Practice accountability and successful communication skills with your team 
4. Learn about active listening and how to engage customers properly

Create a personalized practice schedule

Now that you’ve broken down the big skill you would like to work on developing, create a practice schedule that works well with your daily personal and work routines. Breaking down a skill into small and manageable tasks allows you to build expertise in your desired area relatively quickly and successfully. As we mentioned previously, scheduling daily 45-minute practice sessions is a great way to successfully follow Kaufman’s 20 hour rule to develop professional skills. 

When your schedule has been created, you can now move on to the fun stuff; actually learning and developing your desired skill! 

Learning and self-correction

Self-correction is essential to developing a new skill successfully. Start by gathering some resources to double-check what you are learning. Kaufman recommends giving yourself feedback after each practice session to allow for self-correction. However, ensure you do not overwhelm yourself with countless educational resources and actively avoid procrastination. 

You will want to remember how vital learning and developing your desired skill is throughout your 20 hour process. Remembering importance can help you avoid procrastination and stay focused on your desired goals. 

Holding yourself accountable

A key element in Kaufman’s 20 hour rule is overcoming emotional barriers. One of the most significant struggles people face when working to develop a new skill is self-doubt and fear of feeling stupid or unworthy. It is important to remember that you can accomplish anything you want. 

Maintaining accountability and dedication are the best ways to accomplish the fast-paced development of your desired skill. Keep pushing yourself to reach those 20 hours and benefit professionally and personally from the new skills and knowledge you have gathered. 

When Your 20 hours are up, don’t quit

That’s right! You will need to brush up on the skills developed regularly to maintain the knowledge you have received and continue working toward mastery of that skill! 

From developing automotive sales skills, all the way to mastering your knowledge of the automotive industry, Kaufman’s 20-hour rule is a great way to further your standing as an auto retail professional. What skills are you going to develop?