How to Practice, Build Skills & the Role of Flow State | Dr. Cal Newport & Dr. Andrew Huberman

Dr. Cal Newport and Dr. Andrew Huberman explore the role of deliberate practice in skill improvement, contrasting it with the state of flow.
Cal Newport, Ph.D. (@CalNewportMedia) is a professor of computer science at Georgetown University and bestselling author of numerous books on focus and productivity and how to access the deepest possible layers of your cognitive abilities in order to do quality work and lead a more balanced life. Dr. Andrew Huberman is a tenured professor of neurobiology and ophthalmology at Stanford University School of Medicine and host of the Huberman Lab podcast.
Watch the full episode: • Dr. Cal Newport: How t...
Show notes: www.hubermanlab.com/episode/d...
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Timestamps
00:00 Unlocking Mastery: The Power of Deliberate Practice
01:58 The Battle of Concepts: Deliberate Practice vs. Flow
03:14 Neuroplasticity and the Science of Learning
05:32 Deep Work and the Misconception of Flow
07:09 Performance vs. Practice: Understanding Flow's Role
08:17 Closing Thoughts
#HubermanLab #CalNewport
The Huberman Lab podcast is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute the practice of medicine, nursing or other professional health care services, including the giving of medical advice, and no doctor/patient relationship is formed. The use of information on this podcast or materials linked from this podcast is at the user’s own risk. The content of this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Users should not disregard or delay in obtaining medical advice for any medical condition they may have and should seek the assistance of their health care professionals for any such conditions.

[@Stritis]

It sounds like these two gentlemen are disagreeing with Mihaly, but Mihaly outlines this in his framework. "Flow" is not the state where you learn the most, but rather the state of "Arousal" is where you learn the most. This is where your skills are being challenged because they're not up to par. You're in a state of discomfort. It sounds like neither of them have dug deeply into the "Flow" book nor Mihalyi's research because the late Csikszentmihalyi would agree with them. If you want to get better at something, "flow" is NOT where you want to be. Flow is where your skill level is up to par with the challenge. The discomfort from challenging yourself comes in the "Arousal" state because you're vexed.

[@YoutubeUsedtoBeFree]

The grind he's talking about, when you push yourself relentlessly to get better and better, is what allows you to have a flow state. First you grind to to the maximum of your time and ability. This takes many years. Then, when you feel you are good enough, you can easily enter a flow state, where muscle memory takes over and you stop thinking and just do. First grind then flow.

[@eshaandalal8192]

exactly . perfect explanation of what happens in real world.

[@annabethchase4568]

you just decoded life

[@e-aawara7822]

I love this man

[@BallietBran]

Thank you Andrew!

[@Therover19]

tldw: in order to improve you need deliberate practice. deliberate practice is hard. deliberate practice is not flow. flow does not fit into Newport's deep work framework.

[@soulitude814]

What does tldw mean?😅

[@sharkfire231]

@@soulitude814to long didn’t watch

[@ReflectionOcean]

By YouSum Live 00:00:07 Professional musicians focus on deliberate practice, not comfort. 00:00:30 Deliberate practice involves pushing past comfort zones. 00:03:00 Neuroplasticity requires discomfort to trigger learning. 00:06:23 Deep work necessitates intense concentration, not flow. 00:06:48 Deliberate practice and flow are distinct for skill development. 00:07:27 Flow is more about performance than skill improvement. 00:07:54 Virtuosity may involve surprising elements during performance. By YouSum Live

[@igorklimczak1938]

great one

[@mr.mani707]

Pls do one podcast for students

[@Mind2MotionGolf]

I’ve trained golfers for 26+years using ALL deliberate practice, with specificity of movements, like musicians. Traditional lessons lack specificity and rely on abstract “flow”. I can assure you deliberate practice is the key. It is almost unheard of in sports because they attempt to learn while already moving at full speed!! It never works. Neurons hardwire more efficiently at a fast speed, which is a huge drawback for golfers! I know by first hand experience deliberate practice with specific movements is the key for sports. Only problem is, you got to get rid of all the subjective opinions that dominate instruction of mechanics of the sport. Most Sports instructor do not teach objective science based fundamentals but rather mere subjective opinions about what a coach “thinks” they see or feel.

[@ShelterDogs]

The whole flow thing can be confusing because there are popular channels like Rian Doris who tout its benefits. He even suggested in one video not to get up and get sunlight because that is the best time to be in a flow state.

[@zeyadmohamed6315]

Please have steven kotler and rian doris on here!!!

[@akashkadam1350]

My takeaways: There can't be flow in learning or practicing. Practicing is done by focusing and in uncomfortable state of mind. Then flow is achieved in the work where we are applying our learnings.

[@Dm3qXY]

good enough. i wish they addressed practicing/learning towards a state of flow about learning (like perfecting a strategy, around discipline, reframing that stress that's supposed to trigger neuroplasticity, and thirst for new knowledge/skill)

[@joaomartinspersonalteacher859]

I think both are useful when learning, it's not as simple as it seems

[@IntegrityMeansAll]

I usually love these clips especially regarding the topic of motivation, focus etc. This said, this particular video was strange. They said a lot of nothing aka “flow flow flow” the entire video until it was over. A bunch of repetitive words without anything truly worthwhile

[@kelvinmontage9001]

if u pay attention, they were discrediting the whole hype about flow and saying deliberate practice is more pivotal and isn't FLOW.

[@bintangriksa9121]

I suggest you to watch it after geting a good rest. Points are well-delivered, everytime they mention 'flow' it always come with a context. But, it surely quite challenging to understand (or maybe because im just dumb) and need extra focus.

[@IntegrityMeansAll]

@@kelvinmontage9001 they explained neither nor gave details or tips, so just throwing around a term in a video without any explanation, example or details is a waste of time. This video was useless - without any less respect for Huberman but it makes no sense cutting up clips that aren’t of any value

[@JoaoBatista-yl3xc]

these aren't your high school teachers; they're two scientists delving into a complex subject. It's absolutely okay if you don't grasp it immediately. But it's also not their fault if it's challenging to understand.

[@IntegrityMeansAll]

@@bintangriksa9121 I suggest you type your comment again - this time minus all the spelling mistakes.

[@henri_payanbee4919]

Surprised he didn't mention Steven Kotler or the hot, new face Rian Doris. My guess is that Newport enters flow often times without knowing. Consider having the Flow Collective guys....

[@zeyadmohamed6315]

I wish they read this comment because you’re so right!

[@DAYMENEA]

Take my engagement You're awesome

[@ishmammohammadadnan1525]

I know Harry Mack be watching this