How To Do Just About Everything Right The First Time

Forget the 10,000 hour rule— what if it’s possible to learn the basics of any new skill in 20 hours or less? Take a moment to consider how many things you want to learn to do. What’s on your list? What’s holding you back from getting started? Are you worried about the time and effort it takes to acquire new skills—time you don’t have and effort you can’t spare? Research suggests it takes 10,000 hours to develop a new skill. In this nonstop world when will you ever find that much time and energy? To make matters worse, the early hours of prac­ticing something new are always the most frustrating. That’s why it’s difficult to learn how to speak a new language, play an instrument, hit a golf ball, or shoot great photos. It’s so much easier to watch TV or surf the web . . . In The First 20 Hours, Josh Kaufman offers a systematic approach to rapid skill acquisition— how to learn any new skill as quickly as possible. His method shows you how to deconstruct com­plex skills, maximize productive practice, and remove common learning barriers. By complet­ing just 20 hours of focused, deliberate practice you’ll go from knowing absolutely nothing to performing noticeably well. Kaufman personally field-tested the meth­ods in this book. You’ll have a front row seat as he develops a personal yoga practice, writes his own web-based computer programs, teaches himself to touch type on a nonstandard key­board, explores the oldest and most complex board game in history, picks up the ukulele, and learns how to windsurf. Here are a few of the sim­ple techniques he teaches: Define your target performance level: Fig­ure out what your desired level of skill looks like, what you’re trying to achieve, and what you’ll be able to do when you’re done. The more specific, the better. Deconstruct the skill: Most of the things we think of as skills are actually bundles of smaller subskills. If you break down the subcompo­nents, it’s easier to figure out which ones are most important and practice those first. Eliminate barriers to practice: Removing common distractions and unnecessary effort makes it much easier to sit down and focus on deliberate practice. Create fast feedback loops: Getting accu­rate, real-time information about how well you’re performing during practice makes it much easier to improve. Whether you want to paint a portrait, launch a start-up, fly an airplane, or juggle flaming chain­saws, The First 20 Hours will help you pick up the basics of any skill in record time . . . and have more fun along the way.

“A novelistic mosaic that simultaneously reads like a thriller and like a strange, dreamlike excursion into the subconscious.” —The New York Times Years ago, when House of Leaves was first being passed around, it was nothing more than a badly bundled heap of paper, parts of which would occasionally surface on the Internet. No one could have anticipated the small but devoted following this terrifying story would soon command. Starting with an odd assortment of marginalized youth -- musicians, tattoo artists, programmers, strippers, environmentalists, and adrenaline junkies -- the book eventually made its way into the hands of older generations, who not only found themselves in those strangely arranged pages but also discovered a way back into the lives of their estranged children. Now this astonishing novel is made available in book form, complete with the original colored words, vertical footnotes, and second and third appendices. The story remains unchanged, focusing on a young family that moves into a small home on Ash Tree Lane where they discover something is terribly wrong: their house is bigger on the inside than it is on the outside. Of course, neither Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist Will Navidson nor his companion Karen Green was prepared to face the consequences of that impossibility, until the day their two little children wandered off and their voices eerily began to return another story -- of creature darkness, of an ever-growing abyss behind a closet door, and of that unholy growl which soon enough would tear through their walls and consume all their dreams.

Dasha is a gift. Only she’s not very gifted. Both books in the awarding-winning Breathing Sea mini-series in one omnibus edition! Dasha was born at the behest of the gods, her mother’s pledge between the world of women and the world of spirits. The Krasnograd kremlin looks to her to rule with fire, steel, and magic, just as her Imperial foremothers did. Instead, she’s shy, retiring, and the least magically talented girl her tutors have ever seen. Now that she’s almost a woman grown, she needs to learn to harness her gifts, but all she can do is have fits and useless visions. When her father offers to take her on her first journey away from Krasnograd, Dasha jumps at the chance to see her native land. But their journey quickly turns into more than a mere pleasure trip. The wide world is more dangerous than Dasha had imagined, and her rapidly growing gifts may be the most dangerous thing in it. But Dasha is not the only danger in Zem’. War is raging on its borders, and threatens to spill into Zem’ itself. No matter which side Dasha’s people choose, they may not be able to keep their freedom and their way of life. Dasha may hold the key to protecting Zem’—but she may have to lose herself in order to save her people. If you loved First Lessons or The Bear and the Nightingale, try this epic fantasy saga set in a magical Slavic world where trees walk, animals talk, and women rule. With discussion questions at the end.

We have all struggled to make time for daily Bible study or to rekindle the joy in God’s Word we experienced shortly after coming to know Christ. Study the Word: 12 Christian Leaders on Bible Study offers testimonies and encouragement from a dozen influential pastors and Christian leaders—including Kay Arthur, Max Lucado, and Philip Yancey—who speak directly to the truth and transformational power of Scripture for our lives. We hope this hand-curated collection of stories, published by Bible Study Magazine between 2008 and 2014, inspires in you a newfound passion to seek God through his Word.

Fame meets Unicorn School in this wonderfully wacky illustrated chapter book series! Louie the Unicorn is a star! At least, he will be once he polishes his act at performing arts school. With a song in his heart, a spring in his step, and an unwaveringly sunny outlook, he's about to take the big city by storm. It's time for this unicorn to shine!Louie's school has dance fever! But Louie's moves aren't exactly graceful. His dance teacher doesn't know how she'll ever train a unicorn with two left feet. Lucky for her, Louie has hooves! But when Louie mistakenly gets entered into a HUGE state-wide dance contest, everyone at school worries he'll make them lose for sure. Louie's going to have to give it his all and shake what his mama gave him if they are going to stand a chance!

Open the Door to the Truth By: Michael Porter It’s not always easy to know what you want, let alone how to get it. When a young couple, Jack and Diane, are offered the opportunity to learn the truth behind getting the things you desire, they learn there’s a reason for everything; that small, financially responsible decisions add up; and hard work pays off in the end. Learn the secrets of success in getting what you want through the real-life scenarios presented in Open the Door to the Truth. Finally, it’s time to take action, take control of your life, and start getting what you want.

“When students know how to learn, they are able to become their own teachers.” —Nancy Frey, Douglas Fisher, and John Hattie Imagine students who describe their learning in these terms: “I know where I’m going, I have the tools I need for the journey, and I monitor my own progress.” Now imagine the extraordinary difference this type of ownership makes in their progress over the course of a school year. This illuminating book shows how to make this scenario an everyday reality. With its foundation in principles introduced in the authors’ bestselling Visible Learning for Literacy, this resource delves more deeply into the critical component of self-assessment, revealing the most effective types of assessment and how each can motivate students to higher levels of achievement.