Daily Dose 60: Practice

The new is always hesitant, slow, awkward. New skills need methodical attention before becoming natural.

Tricky fingerings worked out slowly on the piano become second nature and “easy,” once conquered.

The novice cook’s first meal often arrives in a rather unusual course sequence, while an experienced cook lays out a feast with only a rustle of busyness.

The new teacher spends every night preparing the lesson plan for one day’s lessons. The veteran teacher plans full lessons in minutes, compensating for individual and class needs all at the same time.

The distinction is not innate ability, but concentrated practice.

But what if the pianist won’t work out the fingering?  Or the cook says, “I just can’t cook?”  Or the student teacher decides teaching requires too much out-of-classroom time?  They never improve their skills.

Practicing at Home

Our responsibilities vary so much and are so broad no one overseeing a home can expect to excel instantly in them all without effort. We must also take into account that we absolutely adore certain activities and are highly motivated to pursue and improve upon them, while others, we always wish someone else would do–even after years of being responsible for seeing them done.

Practicing is not just for musicians and athletes. In fact, how we practice our home skills, helps us help others. Remember, we should never just do things around the house, without also having thoughts running through our minds like, “I wonder how I would explain how to do this to someone else,” or “How would I teach this?”

The Value of Practicing

After doing a task two or three times, we (ought) to have learned what equipment to gather,  figured out an efficient order, and begun to remember a few helpful tricks. Such instruction and guidance is geared to help a first-timer experience enough success to want to practice and improve for themselves.

Whenever an “expert” gives process advice (“Turn the oven on before you start to mix the muffins,” or “Get up, dress, comb your hair and brush your teeth before you start devotions”), a wise apprentice is grateful, knowing early success makes us more willing to practice when the going is harder and improvement less immediate.

Some tasks may never be favorites. Some skills may never become championship quality. Some routines may always be, well, routine, rather than exciting displays of creative genius. But every task, skill, process, or routine can benefit from occasional concentrated practice. If not for yourself, then for your apprentices.