As someone who has always been fascinated by the concept of mastery, the “ten-thousand-hour rule” has been a topic that’s captured my attention for quite some time. Popularized by Malcolm Gladwell in his book “Outliers,” this rule suggests that it takes approximately 10,000 hours of practice to achieve mastery in a given field. In this blog post, I want to share my personal experiences with this concept, using three specific examples from my life: working out, listening to podcasts, and contributing to GitHub.

10,000 hours is 417 days, or 1.14 years. If you devote 3 hours a day to your craft, you’ll reach 10,000 hours in 3,333 days, or 9.13 years.

Workout

My fitness journey began several years ago, and I’ve been diligently tracking my progress using my Apple Watch. Recently, I achieved a move streak of 1,927 days.

In 2022, I logged 748 hours of active time, burning 211,423 kcal, walking 1,293 miles, and climbing 21,044 feet (video 1). The previous year, in 2021, I logged even more impressive numbers, with 906 hours of active time, 250,449 kcal burned, 1,351 miles walked, and 26,960 feet climbed (video 2). While I’m not sure if I’ve reached the 10,000-hour mark just yet, my dedication to fitness has undoubtedly made a significant impact on my life.

Podcasts

Another area where I’ve invested a considerable amount of time is in listening to podcasts. Since June 21, 2022, I’ve listened to a staggering 395 days and 16 hours’ worth of podcasts. To put this into perspective, during this time, I could have gone around the world 131 times in an air balloon!

While I may not have achieved mastery in any specific subject from listening to podcasts, I’ve undoubtedly gained a wealth of knowledge and insights that have enriched my life and broadened my horizons.

GitHub

I’ve also been consistently contributing to GitHub. Since April 11, 2022, I’ve contributed for 379 days straight. Over the past year, I’ve made 4,148 contributions, showcasing my dedication to the craft.

The ten-thousand-hour rule has been an interesting concept to explore through the lens of my personal experiences. The time and effort I’ve invested in each area have undoubtedly played a significant role in my personal and professional development. The journey toward mastery is a continuous one, and I’m excited to see where my dedication to these pursuits will take me in the future.