How to Become an Expert

Making a Plan of Action

Choose a field that you’re interested in. Think about the topics and subjects you’re passionate about, whether it’s a hobby or something more academic. Narrow your interests down to a general category, which will make it easier to choose something specific to study or practice. For instance, you may narrow your interests down to learning a new language or musical instrument.

Focus on 1 particular interest that you’d like to specialize in. Think about what you gravitate toward the most in the category you’ve chosen. Write down a list of the specific topics that interest you a lot, and decide which one you’d like to dedicate your time and energy to studying. Pick a topic or field that really interests and fascinates you, as you’ll need to study and practice for months and years before you become an expert. For instance, if you want to become an expert in science, write down the different science subjects that interest you the most, like biology, chemistry, physics, or forensic science. Pick the specific scientific field that interests you the most out of this list! If you have an interest in crafts, choose what specific craft you’d like to practice, like knitting, jewelry-making, weaving, sewing, or something similar.

Commit to a long learning process. Think about how much time and energy you’re willing to dedicate to your study and practice. Keep in mind that it takes at least a decade of regular practice and focus to become an expert in something. If you don’t think you have the time or attention span, you may want to pursue your interests casually instead of at an expert level. Think about yourself a year from now. Are you still going to want to be playing the flute, studying German, or practicing whatever topic you’ve decided to focus on? If not, you may want to take a step back.

Reach out to a mentor who’s willing to teach and support you. Talk to a teacher or instructor in your area who is already an expert in the field that you’re studying. Ask them if they’d be willing to look over your work and offer criticism to help you improve. A mentor can provide a lot of necessary encouragement and guidance, and will make your journey to becoming an expert much easier. A mentor may look different depending on the field you’re studying. For instance, if you want to become an expert at karate, you’d study with a black belt instructor. If you want to become an expert at electric guitar, you’d contact a professional musician.

Create specific goals for yourself as you start out. Write out small, attainable goals that you can work toward in the first few months of your studying and practicing. Don’t make these goals too difficult—instead, break them in bite-sized tasks that are easier to accomplish. For instance, if you’re trying to become an expert in the Chinese language, you can set a goal of memorizing 10 simple verb conjugations in the first month of studying. If you’re trying to become an expert in a certain subject, like calculus, you can follow a workbook or textbook to set small, workable goals for yourself. If you’d like to become an expert soccer player, you can set a goal of memorizing all the rules in 1-2 months.

Advancing in Mastery

Anticipate and accept negative feedback on your performance. Keep in mind that you won’t become an expert overnight—in fact, you’ll need to mess up many, many times before you start seeing real progress. Don’t be afraid of the critiques you’ll receive along the way! Welcome negative or constructive criticism as a way to improve. If you can, ask a trusted mentor or expert to give you feedback instead of a random stranger. A mentor will have your best interests at heart, and can help you improve along the way.

Develop long-term goals as you develop basic knowledge. Write down large goals to achieve as you gain more expertise. Make your goals actionable and achievable signs of the progress you’re making as you learn and study more. Keep in mind that these goals will be fluid, and you may edit them later on. For instance, if you’re trying to become an expert in piano, a long-term goal could be playing or memorizing a tricky piece of music. If you’re becoming an academic expert in a specific subject, like chemistry, a long-term goal could be finishing a college-level worksheet without needing to use references or ask for help. Long-term goals can help you pinpoint a career in the field that you’ve been studying. For instance, if a job requires you to be an expert accountant, you can focus on mastering different computer programs that accountants use.

Help teach others about the topic you’ve been studying. Take time to teach some concepts of your field to a friend, family member, or fellow peer. Break parts of a topic down into full detail so your “student” can understand completely. If you feel confident teaching others about a topic, then you can assume your expertise is growing. If you don’t know anyone who’s interested in what you’ve been studying, ask a friend or family member if you can sit down and teach them.

Jot down your learning progress in a journal. Set aside a notebook or journal so you track your goals, along with everything you’ve learned along the way. Break your new knowledge down into steps, which may help round out your learning experience. You can use the notes in your journal to present what you’ve been studying at a conference or seminar. For example, you can write something like: “In my journey to become an expert French Revolution historian, I’ve written down and memorized different timelines.” You can also write something like: “As I’ve practiced and studied to become an expert chess player, I’ve tried different techniques in the past 5 games I played.”

Spend more time practicing than studying. Allot about ⅓ of your time studying up and gaining basic knowledge on the topic. Dedicate the other ⅔ of your time to actively practicing and demonstrating this knowledge in an actionable way. Active practice looks different in specific fields. For instance, someone trying to become an expert biologist could practice that knowledge by teaching a class, while someone becoming an expert in Portuguese might try having a fluent conversation with a native speaker. If you’re trying to become an expert at crocheting, try making different crafts for your friends and family members to gain experience.

Practicing Consistent Habits

Spend at least 45 minutes each day practicing or studying. Create a rough schedule for yourself so you can study and practice your craft regularly. It’s okay if you don’t have a lot of time to spare—just 45 minutes can make a difference over time. It may help to practice or study at the same time each day. For instance, you can slot 7:00 to 7:45 PM as your study time for philosophy, or take time from 8:00 to 8:45 AM to knit before you go to work.

Study your desired topic in a lot of different ways. Look online or in your local library for different resources that can help expand your knowledge. Check out any relevant reference books and watch videos made by experts that help explain a certain skill or topic. Additionally, you can register for webinars or other classes specifically dedicated to your topic of choice. Use a medium that caters to your learning style. For instance, if you’re an auditory learner, you may prefer listening to an informative podcast, while a visual learner may prefer to read a textbook. For instance, if you’re trying to become an expert hockey player, you can spend some time watching professional hockey games and the rest of your time practicing on the ice.

Prioritize learning the most important information of your craft. Research your topic to figure out what’s most important and relevant. Dive into the topic and study these relevant points, even if it seems more advanced than your current knowledge base. You can always backtrack to other lessons and topics after you’ve learned the most important information first! For instance, if you’re trying to become a chess expert, you may want to study more advanced techniques first so you can be actively prepared for a chess match. Afterwards, you can backtrack and learn more common techniques. For example, if you’re trying to become an expert in Japanese, you may want to study conversational verb forms instead of the formal verb forms that are in a lot of textbooks.

Choose effective study methods that force you to remember information. Don’t study like you’re cramming for a test—instead, use study techniques that really force the information into your long-term memory, like flash cards. To test yourself, try writing a summary of a certain topic to see if you know and understand it. Some topics may be more difficult to learn and memorize than others, but don’t let that discourage you! If you put a lot of effort into learning and remembering something, it’ll be more solidified in your memory. For instance, if you want to become an expert at martial arts, it may help to practice different moves with an expert who can observe and correct your stance.

Practice your topic in the same way you’d plan on performing. Put a lot of intentional effort in everything you do, even if you’re only “practicing.” Pretend that you’re performing or teaching in front of a group of people, as this can help you improve. For instance, if you’re trying to become an expert at physics, pretend you’re teaching a class instead of just completing a worksheet.