Peak by Anders Ericsson and Robert Pool: Summary and Notes
How to achieve extraordinary performance by practicing the right way
“This is a fundamental truth about any sort of practice: If you never push yourself beyond your comfort zone, you will never improve.”
Rating: 9/10
Related Books: The Obstacle Is The Way, Ultralearning, Deep Work, So Good They Can’t Ignore You
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Peak: Short Summary
Peak by Anders Ericsson and Robert Pool introduces the powerful concept of deliberate practice. The authors explain why and how some people can achieve extraordinary levels of performance by practicing the right way.
The Power of Purposeful Practice
It has long been believed that a person’s potential in a given field is limited but this is not true. The human brain is very adaptable and with the right kind of training, we can take advantage of its adaptability to achieve things that we never thought possible.
“The right sort of practice carried out over a sufficient period of time leads to improvement. Nothing else.”
For example:
In 1908, the world record marathon time was 2 hours, 55 minutes, and 57 seconds. In 2019, Eliud Kipchoge beat the 2 hours threshold for the first time. The improvement is due to better training techniques. In other words, humans are the same but improvement in training methods has made them better at running marathons.
Characteristics of purposeful practice:
- Well-defined specific goals. A practice session is only seen as being successful if the goals have been attained
- Long-term goals are broken down into smaller ones. The goals are broken down and a plan is created on how to achieve them
- Focused. The task at hand is given full attention
- Feedback. For purposeful practice to work, you have to review how you are doing
- Out of one’s comfort zone. To improve, you have to push yourself to do better
