Comments on: What Will You Learn This Year?

By: Simon

Simon — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 11:24:35 +0000

Trent, how’s the Rubik’s Cube practice coming along? I started learning earlier this week and think I’ve almost got it down now. Just need to get a little faster!

By: Anne

Anne — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 18:10:32 +0000

I think some people (including myself) are confused about the Rubik’s Cube goal because of the setup in the post. If this is about setting aside 500 hours in 2009 to learn something, that “something” shouldn’t have an endpoint. Because what if you learn the skill in only 100 hours? Then what?

Stuff like playing chess or piano, or learning a language, fits better with the 500-hour goal because you can always get a little better. Rubik’s Cube or learning to shuffle a deck of cards with one hand isn’t like that. Once you know how to do it, you’re done.

By: Xolt

Xolt — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 18:55:19 +0000

I was a kid when these rubik’s cubes arrived and they were the hottest things to own and play with in school. Then suddenly many people started to solve them within minutes within days.

Why? The leading newsmag here in Germany had a 2-3 page article on the cube with included instructions how to solve it.

Most kids were able to memorize those rules within a few hours – so as an alternative goal I suggest you spend 490 hours to learn enough German to be able to read these instructions:
http://www.mathematische-basteleien.de/zauberwuerfel.htm

(If languages aren’t you thing, Google translate does a decent job translating this into broken English)

BTW, my goal last year was getting into shape – including preperation I spent closely to those 500 hours – running 1250 miles and losing over 50 pounds – over a quarter of my body weight. This year the goal is to keep up the good shape and complete at least one marathon under 4 hours…

By: Ishtar

Ishtar — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 11:34:45 +0000

This sounds familiar; Gladwell posits that 10 000 hours of practice is what one needs to excel in *anything*.

500 hours a year is a good start.

By: Steve

Steve — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 21:02:37 +0000

I want to learn how to solve a rubik’s cube as well, so I would be interested in a series of articles or a side-blog specifically about this topic.

By: Brian

Brian — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 18:27:50 +0000

The Rubik’s Cube was exactly the thing I was thinking as I read your article! I sort of dismissed it because I thought learning to solve it would take less than a year (I used to be fairly adept, but it would take me a 1/2 hour or so). Then you threw in the time constraint of three minutes at that makes it a more lengthy goal.

Good luck, I can’t wait to see the videos.

By: Katie

Katie — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 05:27:22 +0000

I’ve decided to learn about computers this year. I know how to use them – and how to break them! – but not how to fix them. My laptop broke while I was trying to back it up. I lost an important project (well…it’s still in “data recovery” but it’s due in two days and I just spent hours on it) and entirely too much money for a silly, expensive mistake. Instead of forking over even more money to have someone install some new components, I’ve decided to give it a crack and to learn more about the technology I rely on so heavily.

By: Shevy

Shevy — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 03:50:43 +0000

This inspired me to post my learning goal for 2009. In my post I’ve linked back to this article but I think the value of it is in the idea.

I’m with some of the other commenters in questioning your choice of goal. I used to be able to solve Rubik’s Cube in about 3 minutes (although I couldn’t do it now). I could pick it up again in a week or 2 but don’t really see the point. I mean, it’s fun but it’s not useful.

I understand your reasoning for the choice of learning to solve the Cube within a specified timeframe but wasn’t there any other idea that fit all the criteria and that would have somehow moved you closer to other goals or dreams you have?

By: Melissa.

Melissa. — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 02:03:48 +0000

I’m going to learn how to play the ukulele. I’ve always wanted to learn to play an instrument; if not now, when? So I’m doing it.

It’s not hard to get a decent starter uke for not a whole lot of money, it’s the easiest stringed instrument to learn (or so I’ve been told), and since I have no experience in or knowledge of making music, those are perfectly good criteria for choosing a musical instrument. Plus, it’s portable.

My goal for the end of the year is to not only gain proficiency in playing, but also to find other uke players to hang out with, and make some new friends I never would have met otherwise.

By: Jim

Jim — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 01:28:07 +0000

Trent,

I agree that you have overestimated the difficulty of this task. Even if you plan to do this skill with no outside help (which I doubt) it won’t take anywhere near a year to get your time down to 3 minutes. My son got one for Christmas, and I was thinking of trying to get my time down below a minute so I could put down my obnoxious nephew who thinks he’s all that. Without any practice, I can still beat 2:30, and I’ve maybe spent 30 hours total on it, and pretty much zero in the last 20 years.

So, sometime in January or February, when you have met your goal, what are you going to do? Pick a new skill, or pick a new goal? With internet help, some friendly competition from in-person friends or virtual friends, and 365 hours of practice, I think you could easily get below 30 seconds on average. Maybe even 20. But what a waste of good practice time.

I vote for the juggling thing, or another language.

Or here’s a novel one… think what you could do if you spent an hour a day PRACTICING being the best husband and father.

By: Andre Kibbe

Andre Kibbe — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 16:23:13 +0000

If you can find it (I couldn’t on Amazon), get a copy of Minh Thai’s The Winning Solution for Rubik’s Cube. I was twelve during the initial RC craze (1982) and competed in national competitions using Thai’s method. Thai set the national record for solving the Cube in 22 seconds. My average was about 36 seconds, but at my last competition, I was eliminated before the final round, and all the finalists were able to break 30 seconds. Thai came in second place, and the winner beat him by a fraction of a second.

By: Ray

Ray — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 03:29:06 +0000

1 hour every day, for a year. 365 hours. Boils down to about 45 working days. Like what people spend in the office for almost TWO MONTHS.

Do you really want to spend that much of time, time that you’ll never get back, to master… the Rubik Cube?

Don’t get me wrong, I think this is a great post. Just that like others above, I’m surprised by your choice. The idea behind it is definitely good.

By: Carol

Carol — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 03:28:56 +0000

Hello, I would love to practice drawing each day, but not sure if I have an hour a day to devote, whilst meeting all my other daily obligations.

By: Christine O'Meally

Christine O'Meally — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 01:51:44 +0000

My husband and I did Rosetta Stone in preparation for our trip to Paris over New Year’s (we got a deal on the trip through subscribing to a travel email, so it wasn’t THAT extravagant). We probably spent an hour a day for the last two months and we were able to function kind of but we wasn’t enough to allow us to be able to understand when spoken to rapidly or to form independent sentences. We should’ve started earlier. But I loved the city and I’ve always loved the language, so that’s my goal – to learn French well enough to get around. And there’s a conference there in July, so I have a tangible goal to get there.

By: Jack

Jack — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 00:09:43 +0000

When I was in fifth grade in 1980, everyone had one of these. I worked on solving the cube daily for most of the summer after fifth grade and I actually solved it on my own. Since then, I have been tempted to read more about solving the cube more quickly, but so far I have been able to resist the temptation. Every year or so I pick up the cube and can still solve it in 5-10 minutes using the original method I used when I was 10 years old.

Maybe you could spend 15-30 minutes daily when you have some down time. Multiple cubes may help you as well. Good luck on solving the cube. It was quite satisfying when I did it.

By: Amanduh

Amanduh — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 18:55:37 +0000

I took up knitting! I did a similar thing, only instead of one hour a day I devote myself to a certain number of rows per week (varies with the project). Considering how long it takes to knit clothing, it really isn’t about saving money, but it’s great to have the ability to craft items people will have forever.

By: Eponine

Eponine — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 18:28:45 +0000

I’m going to start learning Berber (the native language of North Africa) and I’d also like to learn how to make jewelry (beading, wiring, etc.). Obviously I won’t be able to dedicate an hour a day to both of these, but a couple of hours a week for each sounds doable.

By: CharlieScribe

CharlieScribe — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 14:19:33 +0000

Ah, well, I’ve decided to take up the challenge and really dedicate that hour a day to learn the mechanics of setting up an effective blog…lord knows I have much to learn.

By: Marsha

Marsha — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 13:14:08 +0000

I think this is a great idea. And I understand your choice, even though it wouldn’t be mine. For your first foray, you need something closed-ended, so you will know when you have really accomplished it. You’ll know exactly when you have conquered this skill, and you should see almost immediate progress. Playing an instrument, learning a language, etc., are very subjective as to when mastery occurs. Great idea to start small, and learn how to learn.

By: Carmen

Carmen — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 11:06:42 +0000

Great idea, but a bit shocked by your choice of the Rubik’s cube. However I’m intrigued as to why you want to spend an hour a day learning to master an 80’s child’s toy? Did it bother you loads at the time that you couldn’t do it?

I also agree with Kevin about fitness/weight being of paramount importance. I started exercising daily last year and found it hard to fit it in to my day. Additionally, if it is combined with a diet change, that often takes more time too. Will something have to give for you to fit your work, exercise, family time, chores and hour of Rubik’s practice in?