David Epstein.

Self-improvement · 2019

Range

Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World

Many experts say the way to succeed is to specialise early and practise hard. Epstein looks at research on top performers and finds that in most complex, unpredictable fields, people with broad experience who found their path later often do best.

Three big ideas

1. Early specialisation is the exceptionA few fields, like golf or chess, reward an early start. Most of life is messier and rewards breadth.
2. Sample before you commitTrying different things helps you find a better fit, even if it looks like falling behind at first.
3. Learn slowly to learn deeplyStruggling with hard problems, and mixing different kinds of practice, builds knowledge that lasts.