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Best methods:

Q1:Even after you learn a new skill, don't you have to continue to practice it or you'll lose it over time? ans:Most of us are deeply disturbed at the prospect of being horrible at something, even temporarily. When you try something new, you’re usually very bad, and you know it. The easiest way to eliminate that feeling of angst is to quit practicing and go do something else, so that’s what most of us do.

I precommitted to putting in at least 20 hours of practice, which made it much easier to persist when the going got rough instead of quitting at the first sign of difficulty. Second, I learned just enough about the core concepts to start writing real programs, instead of spending a ton of time completing canned tutorials.

Q2:Do you believe it takes 10,000 hours to master a skill? Are there any shortcuts? ans:I think the idea of “mastering” a skill when you’re just getting started is counterproductive: it can be a significant barrier to exploring a new skill in the first place.

Q3:What are your top three tips for mastering a new skill? ans:First, decide what you want to be able to do. I call this a target performance level: what does skilled performance look like? If you have a clear idea of how good you want to become, it’s much easier to find specific practice methods that will help you get there as quickly as posssible.