--- title: The Science of Improving Your Performance at Almost Anything description: Avoid multi-tasking and rather work in chunks canonical: https://time.com/3704914/improving-performance/ author: Shane Parrish article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-02-11T19:26:44.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:49:38.141Z article:section: Ideas og:title: The Science of Improving Your Performance at Almost Anything og:description: Avoid multi-tasking and rather work in chunks og:url: https://time.com/3704914/improving-performance/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltcb4ee1f6ff64b4e8/69877ea2524fc0fdcddec6bc/86528495-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 5649 og:image:height: 3178 og:image:alt: soccer-player-soccer-ball og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: The Science of Improving Your Performance at Almost Anything twitter:description: Avoid multi-tasking and rather work in chunks twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltcb4ee1f6ff64b4e8/69877ea2524fc0fdcddec6bc/86528495-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # The Science of Improving Your Performance at Almost Anything > Sponsored content. 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At the age of 74, electronic music producer Giorgio Moroder is releasing his first album in three decades._ by [Shane Parrish](https://time.com/author/shane-parrish/) ## Shane Parrish Feb 11, 2015 7:26 PM UTC  Soccer player kicking soccer ball Soccer player kicking soccer ball Getty Images by [Shane Parrish](https://time.com/author/shane-parrish/) ## Shane Parrish Feb 11, 2015 7:26 PM UTC Improving our performance is something we all seek to do. Given that we spend a lot of time doing things that we never get better at, I thought I’d share my “developing world class performance” file with you. \*\*\* Joshua Foer [writes](http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2011/02/us-memory-champ-joshua-foer-what-differentiates-amateurs-and-top-achievers/): --- > “” --- There is so much to [**how we practice**](http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2012/07/what-is-deliberate-practice/) **and who we practice against**: --- > “” --- **Feedback loops** in practice play an incredibly important role, which explains why we tend to stop getting better at things at work. In [Talent is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everybody Else](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1591842948/farnamstreet-20), Geoff Colvin writes: --- > “” --- You should **work in** [**chunks or pulses**](http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2014/05/work-in-pulses/). (And don’t multi-task) Deliberate practice should be so hard that you can’t sustain it for very long. From [Talent is Overrated](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1591842948/farnamstreet-20): --- > “” --- When practicing and playing there is **a** [**different mindset** between average and top performers](http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2011/01/how-do-excellent-performers-differ-from-the-average/). From [Talent is Overrated](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1591842948/farnamstreet-20): --- > “” --- Aside from practice, [**sleep** is the next most important thing](http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2011/03/sleep-is-more-important-than-food/). --- > “” --- \*\*\* So all of that is great for technical skills (like chess and music) but **how can we develop the softer skills?** **Speed things up.** The way [that Brazil develops its soccer players](http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2012/10/how-does-brazil-develop-its-soccer-players/) is fascinating. They use a game called futebol de salão, which creates a laboratory of improvisation. From [The Little Book of Talent: 52 Tips for Improving Your Skills](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/034553025X/farnamstreet-20): --- > “” --- \*\*\* We can also improve our writing. Ben Franklin [intuitively grasped the concept of deliberate practice](http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2012/07/what-is-deliberate-practice/). As a teenager Ben received a letter from his father saying his writing was inferior: “in elegance of expression, in method and in perspicuity, of which he convinced me by several instances,” as Franklin recalled. From [Talent is Overrated](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1591842948/farnamstreet-20): --- > “” --- \*\*\* Here is a subsection I call **the science of everyday performance**. To do our best work we need to [**focus**](http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2013/10/he-science-of-high-performance/)**.** From [Your Brain At Work — Strategies for Overcoming Distraction, Regaining Focus, and Working Smarter All Day Long](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0061771295/farnamstreet-20): --- > “” --- We all need [**routines or rituals**](http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2013/10/he-science-of-high-performance/), in part to make sure our decision-making energy goes toward the hard things, not what we’re ordering at Starbucks. From [Maximize Your Potential: Grow Your Expertise, Take Bold Risks & Build an Incredible Career](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1477800891/farnamstreet-20): --- > “” --- The energy saved from routines and rituals gives us more energy to make better decisions. Some companies, like Google, [take this very seriously.](http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2009/12/david-rock-your-brain-at-work-google-talk/) From [Your Brain At Work:](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0061771295/farnamstreet-20) --- > “” --- Mark McGuinness argues that you should [**move your creative or mentally intensive work to the start of your day**](http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2013/05/the-single-most-important-change-you-can-make-in-your-working-habits/)**.** From [Manage Your Day-to-Day: Build Your Routine, Find Your Focus, and Sharpen Your Creative Mind](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00B77UE4W/farnamstreet-20): --- > “” --- We also shouldn’t forget [**the importance of leisure**](http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2014/04/the-art-and-science-of-doing-nothing/). This, in addition to health benefits, makes us more creative. From [Autopilot: The Art and Science of Doing Nothing](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00EA6QHNY/farnamstreet-20): --- > “” --- Oh, and you should [**exercise**](http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2013/03/brain-rules-12-things-we-know-about-how-the-brain-works/)**.** From [Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving At Work, Home, and School](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/098326337X/farnamstreet-20): --- > “” --- Some philosophers [walked to think and others walked to escape](http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2014/05/a-philosophy-of-walking/). Kant combined walking and habit. From [A Philosophy of Walking](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1781682704/farnamstreet-20): --- > “” --- \*\*\* **_This piece originally appeared on_** [**_Farnam Street_**](http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/)**_._** **Join over 50,000 readers and get a free weekly update via email** [**here**](http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/newsletter/)**.** ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3704914/improving-performance/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3704914/improving-performance/"},"headline":"The Science of Improving Your Performance at Almost Anything","datePublished":"2015-02-11T19:26:44.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:49:38.141Z","description":"Avoid multi-tasking and rather work in chunks","url":"https://time.com/3704914/improving-performance/","keywords":["Psychology"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltcb4ee1f6ff64b4e8/69877ea2524fc0fdcddec6bc/86528495-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Shane Parrish","jobTitle":"","url":"https://time.com/author/shane-parrish/"}],"articleSection":"Ideas","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltcb4ee1f6ff64b4e8/69877ea2524fc0fdcddec6bc/86528495-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"soccer-player-soccer-ball","caption":"soccer-player-soccer-ball","creditText":"Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/ideas/","name":"Ideas"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/psychology/","name":"Psychology"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3704914/improving-performance/","name":"The Science of Improving Your Performance at Almost Anything"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Giorgio Moroder Describes the Perfect Pop Dance Song","description":"At the age of 74, electronic music producer Giorgio Moroder is releasing his first album in three decades.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/J4PWndMR/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-02-06T22:07:47.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/J4PWndMR.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3704914/improving-performance/","duration":"PT1M15S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3704914/improving-performance/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```