--- ---  # Research Shows These Four Things Will Make You a Peak Performer by [Eric Barker](https://time.com/author/eric-barker/) ## Eric Barker Mar 25, 2015 4:01 AM UTC  Woman's hands playing piano Woman's hands playing pianoGetty Images by [Eric Barker](https://time.com/author/eric-barker/) ## Eric Barker Mar 25, 2015 4:01 AM UTC It’s all about the way you practice the skills key to the task at hand. Research has shown that “[Deep Practice](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/is-it-true-that-10000-hours-of-practice-will)” (or Deliberate Practice) is how experts train. Here is the four parts to focus on: ## 1) Make your practice as similar to the real life scenario as possible. Via [The Talent Code: Greatness Isn’t Born. It’s Grown. Here’s How](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/055380684X/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=spacforrent-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=055380684X): --- > “” --- Via [Choke: What the Secrets of the Brain Reveal About Getting It Right When You Have To](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1416596186/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=spacforrent-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1416596186): --- > “” --- ## 2) Don’t be passive. Testing yourself is far better than just reviewing. Via [Bounce: Mozart, Federer, Picasso, Beckham, and the Science of Success](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004NSVE5U/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=spacforrent-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B004NSVE5U): --- > “” --- [Testing yourself](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/should-we-study-to-take-tests-or-should-we-ta) is the best way to learn — even if you [fail the tests](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/does-getting-it-wrong-help-you-get-it-right). ## 3) Practice is not just repetition. Be ruthlessly critical and keep trying to improve on the constituent elements of the skill. Via [Talent Is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everybody Else](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1591842948/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=spacforrent-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1591842948): --- > “” --- Via [The Talent Code: Greatness Isn’t Born. It’s Grown. Here’s How](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/055380684X/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=spacforrent-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=055380684X): --- > “” --- Via [Bounce: Mozart, Federer, Picasso, Beckham, and the Science of Success](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004NSVE5U/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=spacforrent-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B004NSVE5U): --- > “” --- A negative attitude, not a positive attitude, makes you [more likely to learn from your mistakes](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/does-a-positive-attitude-make-you-more-motiva). In fact, the shift to focusing on negative feedback is [one of the marks of an expert mindset](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/what-marks-the-transition-from-novice-to-expe). Ruthlessly critical in practice, blindly optimistic on game day. [It’s irrational, but it works](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/what-can-we-learn-about-peak-performance-from). ## 4) Practice a lot: 10,000 hours worth. Via [Talent Is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everybody Else](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1591842948/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=spacforrent-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1591842948): --- > “” --- And when the big day comes, make sure you know [the methods to resist choking under pressure](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/10-ways-to-make-sure-you-dont-choke-under-pre). **Join over 161,000 readers. Get a free weekly update via email** [**here**](http://eepurl.com/o6uAD)**.** Related posts: [New Harvard Research Reveals A Fun Way To Be More Successful](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2014/09/be-more-successful/) [The 8 Things The Happiest People Do Every Day](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2014/06/happiest-people/) [How To Stop Being Lazy And Get More Done – 5 Expert Tips](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2014/08/how-to-stop-being-lazy/) ### 5 Horrible Habits You Need to Stop Right Now  Do Not Email First Thing in the Morning or Last Thing at Night “The former scrambles your priorities and all your plans for the day and the latter just gives you insomnia,” says Ferriss, who insists “email can wait until 10am” or after you check off at least one substantive to-do list item. Chris Pecoraro—Getty Images  Do Not Agree to Meetings or Calls With No Clear Agenda or End Time “If the desired outcome is defined clearly… and there’s an agenda listing topics–questions to cover–no meeting or call should last more than 30 minutes,” claims Ferriss, so “request them in advance so you can ‘best prepare and make good use of our time together.'” Sam Edwards—Getty Images/Caiaimage  Do Not Check Email Constantly Batch it and check it only periodically at set times (Ferriss goes for twice a day). Your inbox is analogous to a cocaine pellet dispenser, says Ferriss. Don’t be an addict. Tools like strategic use of the auto responder and Boomerang can help. Jetta Productions—Getty Images  Do Not Carry a Digital Leash 24/7 At least one day a week leave you smartphone somewhere where you can’t get easy access to it. If you’re gasping, you’re probably the type of person that most needs to do kick this particular habit. by nacoki ( MEDIA ARC )—Getty Images/Flickr RF  Do Not Let People Ramble Sounds harsh, but it’s necessary, Ferriss believes. “Small talk takes up big time,” he says, so when people start to tell you about their weekends, cut them off politely with something like “I’m in the middle of something, but what’s up?” But be aware, not everyone agrees with this one (and certainly not in every situation), and you may want to pay particularly close attention to norms around chit chat when traveling internationally. Reza Estakhrian—Getty Images _Read next:_ [_What Do the Words You Use Say About You?_](http://time.com/3380533/what-do-the-words-you-use-say-about-you/?iid=time%5Freadnext) [_Listen to the most important stories of the day._](http://time.com/newsletter/the-brief/?sl%5Fautoplay=true&xid=spl-fullbrief-article) Research Shows These Four Things Will Make You a Peak Performer ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3754241/four-things-make-peak-performer/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3754241/four-things-make-peak-performer/"},"headline":"Research Shows These Four Things Will Make You a Peak Performer","datePublished":"2015-03-25T04:01:10.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:49:41.554Z","description":"'Deep Practice' (or Deliberate Practice) is how experts train","url":"https://time.com/3754241/four-things-make-peak-performer/","keywords":["Psychology"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb130b35f3cd0f3c1/698784b7e20a870e62a85b1c/117454953-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Eric Barker","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/eric-barker/"}],"articleSection":"Ideas","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb130b35f3cd0f3c1/698784b7e20a870e62a85b1c/117454953-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"hands-playing-piano","caption":"hands-playing-piano","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/3754241/four-things-make-peak-performer/","name":"Research Shows These Four Things Will Make You a Peak Performer"}}]}] ```