The 5-Hour Rule
/About two years ago, there was a pretty sizable buzz about something that the media was dubbing “The 5-Hour Rule.”
In it’s most basic form, it was being described as: “Read 5 hours per week or you’ll never amount to anything!!!” Which caused a little bit of blowback and debate…you know, so news outlets could sell more advertising and drive more traffic.
But what is the actual principle behind the rule, and how is it useful to creatives?
5-10
The actual rule can more effectively be described as:
“Spending 5-10 hours per week, or 1-2 hours per day, focused on deliberate learning. This means setting aside time to give your full attention to learning and development, without getting distracted by other work.”
Well, that doesn’t sound too difficult at all!
So then what’s the idea behind the rule? Why would this be helpful or effective?
If you were to believe “the world’s smartest and busiest people” - the categorical name bestowed upon the likes of Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, Barack Obama, Warren Buffet, Oprah Winfrey, etc. - the answer seems to boil down to this:
“Slowing down our fast-paced world while acquiring new knowledge allows the brain to absorb more information and begin making connections that allow for creativity, innovation, and progress.”
This sounds useful for most everyone, but that sounds also a lot like the type of creative problem-solving that artists engage in constantly.
[Side Note: There is also a secondary sociological benefit - the reason this was being discussed so widely two years ago - that it makes any individual citizen able to become more skilled for the future of the job market. But that is not where my focus lies with this concept for today.]
So, if 5-10 hours of learning per week is that powerful, then what constitutes “deliberate learning”?
Deliberate Learning
We learn new things all the time, essentially with every moment that we’re alive. Our brains are machines that are highly effective at knowledge intake, though the retention of that knowledge is dependent upon what the brain deems necessary to carry forward into the following moments of time.
So this constant learning and evolving that we do naturally would not be considered “deliberate learning.”
Then what is?
The experts in all those 2017 articles would tell you there is one answer: Read More Books.
And reading books is great! An oddly large number creative people scoff at the idea of learning from books, which has always baffled me. Many of the great masters in artistic fields took the time to put down their knowledge of craft and the intimate details of their experiences in books for the rest of us to learn from. It would be a waste if no one ever read them.
Creativity books are some of my favorites, personally. And when my book choices aren’t about creativity, they are often about the creativity business. For instance, I recently finished reading both The Art of Asking by Amanda Palmer and Creativity Inc. by Ed Catmull (President of Pixar) and learned oodles. (I highly recommend both to all!)
“But what if reading books isn’t my cup of tea?”
Fear not, dear reader! There are many ways to learn new information that have nothing to do with books, or even with reading if you so prefer:
Articles - (Okay, this one is reading) Particularly from peer-reviewed journals and non-biased news sources.
Podcasts - Listen while you travel, run, clean, or anything else! There are hundreds of podcasts about creativity and many of the specific creativity fields.
TV - There is a lot of educational programming out there, which we often forget about. Entire channels are dedicated to learning, and even streaming services like Netflix have these programs (“Explained” is one of my faves).
Documentaries - Recently there has been an explosion of documentary filmmaking that we should all be taking advantage of.
Radio - NPR anyone? There are of course others as well. And just because we all have cellphones doesn’t mean that we should discount radio programs (your phone has a radio chip built-in)!
Ted Talks - Or other similar lectures. These are available in video form, podcasts, and radio, and they tend to be both short and incredibly information/often eye-opening.
Classes - There are so many classes (in educational institutions and outside of them) for people to learn new skills. I bet there’s a list of classes available in your area that you can find with a quick Google search!
[Insert Other Ways I’m Not Thinking Of Here]
With all of these paths available to us, 5-10 hours per week seems like nothing!
Find some avenues that you particularly enjoy, and see if you can insert them into your lives and routines in ways that are convenient. For me, I like to listen to podcasts as I drive. Time that could be wasted is now time that is expanding my knowledge base, and at no extra inconvenience to my schedule!
But Why?
“Okay, but why actually do this? What does it get me?”
I mean, besides the fact that having knowledge is an awesome thing and being a nerd is totally cool again, there are a lot of other great benefits:
Your Brain Learns More Readily - It has been shown that this type of consistent learning environment allows your brain to retain more of its ability to learn new tasks, which could help you in a millions different ways, both personally and professionally.
Fight Off Dementia - Learning and Problem-Solving at high levels have been shown to be extremely effective ways to fight off the onset of dementia and Alzheimer’s, even in people whose genes make them particularly susceptible.
Creativity and Innovation - Our brains work in wonderfully mysterious ways, and one of those ways is that they like to make connections subconsciously. These connections have been described throughout history as “Aha!” or “Eureka!” moments for many scientists, inventors, writers, composers, lawmakers, and entrepreneurs. The more information you feed your brain, the more unexpected connections it is likely to make.
It’s Fun! - I know that sounds lame, but it’s true. Think back to when you were a kid in school, learning anything and everything you could because you brain was hungry for more. If you practice learning, your brain will get there again and will light up with every new bit of information!
Nerds Are The Best - No further explanation required.
There are so many ways in which learning and remaining knowledgable can translate into a higher quality of life. And remember, we only get one of those!
Your Interest
So what interests you?
Is someone teaching a class on that? Is there a podcast about it? Perhaps there’s a best-selling book about it?
No one is judging what you’re interested in learning about, so what’s stopping you? With so many great possible benefits, is there any reason to not give it a try?
So, go forth and find something that captures your interest and attention. I think you’ll find more enjoyment than you expect.
Happy Learning, Everyone!
