The First 20 Hours

A blockbuster in the making. After reading this book, you'll be ready to take on any number of skills and make progress on that big project you've been putting off for years -- Chris Guillebeau, author of The $100 Startup Great opportunities are worthless without skills. No more excuses! Kaufman proves that we all have the capacity to become experts -- Scott Belsky, founder, Behance, and author of Making Ideas Happen If you're like me, you'll get so inspired that you'll stop reading to apply this approach to your own procrastinated project. After reading the first five chapters I tried his technique to learn a new programming language, and I'm blown away with how fast I became fluent -- Derek Sivers, founder, CD Baby, sivers.org In this inspiring little book, Josh Kaufman argues that you can get good enough at anything to enjoy yourself in just 20 hours. All that's standing between you and playing the ukulele is your TV time for the next two weeks -- Laura Vanderkam, author of 168 Hours and What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast With the amount of information and change in the world today, the person who can adapt and learn the most quickly will be the most successful. Kaufman breaks down the science of learning in useful, entertaining, and fascinating ways. If you care about keeping your job, your business, or your edge, this book is for you -- Pamela Slim, author of Escape from Cubicle Nation As a father of three, practicing neurosurgeon, and global journalist, I don't have a lot of free time on my hands. The First 20 Hours is a practical guide to learning beyond our mid-20s, when our brains are fully developed. Josh's book will inspire you to pick up forgotten hobbies and chase elusive dreams. -- Dr Sanjay Gupta, CNN Chief Medical Correspondent