Dr. Jeff Karp

I think it's difficult to practice new skills because of the way that we practice. And that's why one of the tools is actually fall in love with practice. Because what I have found, right, and through some of the people that I've spoke to and interviewed for the book, is that practice can become monotonous really fast. It can become boring.

But there are, just like with everything, there's limitless possibilities in the way that we can practice. And so I interviewed the five times US memory champion, Nelson Delis, for the book. And I specifically asked him, Nelson, how... At some point, it's got to get boring, right? If you're just practicing the same thing over and over and over again. I said, what do you do?

But there are, just like with everything, there's limitless possibilities in the way that we can practice. And so I interviewed the five times US memory champion, Nelson Delis, for the book. And I specifically asked him, Nelson, how... At some point, it's got to get boring, right? If you're just practicing the same thing over and over and over again. I said, what do you do?

But there are, just like with everything, there's limitless possibilities in the way that we can practice. And so I interviewed the five times US memory champion, Nelson Delis, for the book. And I specifically asked him, Nelson, how... At some point, it's got to get boring, right? If you're just practicing the same thing over and over and over again. I said, what do you do?

And he said, well, sometimes when I get to that state, he said, instead of like, he would memorize like a 52 deck of cards and I forget how many, like 20 seconds or whatever it is.

And he said, well, sometimes when I get to that state, he said, instead of like, he would memorize like a 52 deck of cards and I forget how many, like 20 seconds or whatever it is.

And he said, well, sometimes when I get to that state, he said, instead of like, he would memorize like a 52 deck of cards and I forget how many, like 20 seconds or whatever it is.

Like in a random order, someone hands him a deck and 30 seconds, he could memorize like the whole thing. And so I said, what do you do?

Like in a random order, someone hands him a deck and 30 seconds, he could memorize like the whole thing. And so I said, what do you do?

Like in a random order, someone hands him a deck and 30 seconds, he could memorize like the whole thing. And so I said, what do you do?

No. He wasn't. He had someone in his family, I think it was his grandmother, who got Alzheimer's, and he never thought he had a good memory. And he was concerned that that would be his fate, and he turned to memory games and learning how to build his memory. And so he told me that what he does is he will insert a few extra cards in the deck. So he'll change it up.

No. He wasn't. He had someone in his family, I think it was his grandmother, who got Alzheimer's, and he never thought he had a good memory. And he was concerned that that would be his fate, and he turned to memory games and learning how to build his memory. And so he told me that what he does is he will insert a few extra cards in the deck. So he'll change it up.

No. He wasn't. He had someone in his family, I think it was his grandmother, who got Alzheimer's, and he never thought he had a good memory. And he was concerned that that would be his fate, and he turned to memory games and learning how to build his memory. And so he told me that what he does is he will insert a few extra cards in the deck. So he'll change it up.

And he said that presents a new challenge to him that activates his mind and it makes it more engaging. Like when I was younger, and I was always the last chosen for sports at school, right? Actually, it was me and this other kid. And...

And he said that presents a new challenge to him that activates his mind and it makes it more engaging. Like when I was younger, and I was always the last chosen for sports at school, right? Actually, it was me and this other kid. And...

And he said that presents a new challenge to him that activates his mind and it makes it more engaging. Like when I was younger, and I was always the last chosen for sports at school, right? Actually, it was me and this other kid. And...

And I was probably maybe like 11 years old, 10, 11, something like that. And he would just stand with me and he would say, okay, shoot it there. Here's the angle. Here's how to do your hand. And over time, I got better at it. Like I was almost getting it every single time.

And I was probably maybe like 11 years old, 10, 11, something like that. And he would just stand with me and he would say, okay, shoot it there. Here's the angle. Here's how to do your hand. And over time, I got better at it. Like I was almost getting it every single time.

And I was probably maybe like 11 years old, 10, 11, something like that. And he would just stand with me and he would say, okay, shoot it there. Here's the angle. Here's how to do your hand. And over time, I got better at it. Like I was almost getting it every single time.

And to me, that was shifting from the possibility of me just standing there trying to do it on my own to having someone supportive there with me, showing me how to do it. And so it was just, I was engaging in another possibility. It's finding the process that works for you. And when you start, I almost think of it as like a knob, like it's like click, click, click, click. There it is.