3 ways to crank up the volume by Laura Vanderkam

I spent the past week out in California, studying schools that do something called "blended learning." The idea is that, in addition to time spent engaged with effective teachers, students also spend 1-2 hours a day practicing academic skills on a computer. In the ideal set-up, the software moves these kids forward in math
and literacy skills at their own pace and provides instant feedback in a way that it's very hard for even the best teacher to do with 30 kids. This is what you got wrong. Let's go back over that skill. Let's practice it several times, and move forward when you master it.
Schools using blended learning are getting great results. There are likely many reasons for this, but as I toured them it occurred to me that a key one was that students are spending a lot of time engaged in "deliberate practice" (to use the phrase from Geoff Colvin's great book, "Talent is Overrated"). When master pianists spend several hours a day working on improving their weak spots, practicing these skills over and over again, they get better. Fast.
Is it any surprise that kids improve on math and reading tests when they do the same thing?
All of our jobs involve certain basic skills. Likewise, we can improve fast if we spend considerable time every day practicing these skills. If you work in a leadership capacity, these skills likely include writing, speaking to groups, and generating ideas (in addition to specific skills associated with your industry). The problem is that we're all busy these days. So how do you crank up the volume of practice time? A few ideas:
1. Start early. Unless you're a committed night owl, your supply of willpower is likely highest in the morning. You're also less likely to be interrupted. That makes early mornings a great time to log half an hour of writing time (a blog?) or to have a personal brainstorming session.
2. Schedule it in. Sure, your inbox is full, but email management expands to fill the available space. If you put practice time on your schedule, it's more likely to happen than if you just think about it in the abstract. I've given my stump speech on time management dozens of times, but I still put four practice sessions on my calendar before every major speech. The good thing about scheduling four practice sessions is that if my schedule blows up and I can't do one, I've still practiced three times. Which is much better than none.
3. Sneak it in. Once you've identified the skills that are important in your job, if you're clever you can recast all kinds of activities as practice. Teaching Sunday school at your place of worship could help you up the volume of public speaking you do. Ask for feedback, so your pupils can help you improve. Writing stories with your kids can crank up the volume on this skill, or doing mental math with them can increase the volume of sheer problem-solving you do.