The Law of Effort: The Secret to Becoming a Master of Any Skill

A way to convert your knowledge into a skill

There are many things in life that are only earned through the effort you put in, whether you’re trying to achieve a high grade on an assessment task or trying to land a job you really want, you can’t find shortcuts for it by simply cheating or lying about the skills you never used, you’ve got to put in the effort and hard work, like everyone else is doing.

Every skill no matter what you’re trying to learn is learnt throughout consistent application and assessment, whether it’s you learning a new maths concept, or learning public speaking, you can’t just learn it by just reading about it, you’ve got to apply the new knowledge that you have gained into the actual skill. Such as you’re trying to learn how to cook, watching a bunch of cooking tutorials may help you gain knowledge, but it wouldn’t be a skill unless you apply it and actually go to the stove to cook.

The Law of Effort

As there are countless examples on how applying your knowledge can transform it into a new skill, you may be wondering how this process actually works.

I’ve put together a step-by-step guide on how you can convert knowledge into a skill. For some readers this heading may seem similar to “The Law of Least Effort” in the book Atomic Habits, but it follows a different structure, a structure that teaches you to build a skill.

1. Gain Knowledge

You can choose to learn pretty much anything you like if you just put your head to it. You can read a book about a new skill or watch a tutorial. There are many ways to gain knowledge, you just have to put the effort in and have the right mentality and mindset.

2. Apply Your Knowledge

You knowledge can be applied in many forms, depending on what you learn. If it’s reading a book on leadership, think about how you can apply it, when you can apply it, and where can you apply it. These three questions would give you an understanding on how it would convert into a skill.

3. Teach Your Knowledge

Teaching what you’ve learned is a powerful technique to help you master something. It could include you teaching it to a friend, or a family member. This is known as the Feynman technique, developed Richard Feynman (A Noble prize winner- Physicist)

When you teach, you reinforce your knowledge and make the skill stick with you for the long run.

These three steps are crucial when you want to learn something new and want it to stick with you as a skill for a lifetime. There are many successful people around the globe who have used this law to become successful. We all know Elon Musk, a visionary entrepreneur, and an engineer. He wasn’t born with all of those skills ready to be applied. He used to law of effort to form his complex skills that are shown throughout his works. With his passion to start a business we now know today as Space X, he taught himself rocket science by reading in his spare time (Gain knowledge). He applied his knowledge by creating prototypes for rockets and launching them (Apply your knowledge). He taught his knowledge to the world by sharing his insights with engineers and also sharing his mission and methods through public speeches (Teach your knowledge). I would further discuss on how you can maximise your gains with this law.

Gain Your Knowledge

There was once a young man who sought wisdom, so he climbed a distant mountain in search of a master, who was said to possess all the great knowledge in the world. When he arrived, the master welcomed him and offered him tea. As the young man eagerly sat, he began talking, listing out all of the books he’d read, the videos he’d watched, and the ideas he already knew. The master quietly listened and began pouring tea into the young man’s cup.

He kept pouring…

And pouring…

Until it eventually overflowed, spilling onto the man’s lap. “Stop!” the young man shouted. “The cup is already full; it can’t hold anymore!”

The master paused and quietly whispered, “How can I teach you anything, if your mind is already full?”

What does this teach us? That true learning requires an open mind with space. You can’t learn more, if you believe you know it all, having this belief limits your knowledge intake. Change your mentality and mindset, that is what would create more room for knowledge.

Apply Your Knowledge

This is the part where most struggle. Lots of people know how to gain knowledge, but they stop there. Not applying what you’ve learnt makes knowledge stay the way it is, it won’t become a skill. You’ll be stuck in a loop where you keep on acquiring knowledge and then forgetting. To be able to apply your skills you first need to know the answers to these questions.

How Can You Apply it?

Steve Jobs was fascinated by computers and engineering at an early age. His father, Paul Jobs was a machinist and a car mechanic, and taught Jobs everything he knew. When he was young, he used to go to an old junkyard with his friend Steve Wozniak and would scavenge for old electronics and spare parts. Using this new gained knowledge Steve and his friend would pull apart electronics and try and create functional tech products. One of their creations was the Blue-box, where it allowed them to make free long distance phone calls, by mimicking telephone tones. Jobs didn’t only study technology, he applied his knowledge with Wozniak, to create and sell prototypes. What this teaches us is that to be able to apply your knowledge, you must first know how to apply it.

When Can You Apply It?

Many think that there is a set time to apply or use your knowledge. Unfortunately, there is no ‘right’ time to. The only time is now, use what you’ve learnt to create or do something. This question may seem unnecessary, considering that you now know that there is no proper time to use your knowledge, but it is the most important of all. Many people think that age and time matters when learning something or applying it, in some rare cases it does, like getting your first job, or setting up a business, but most of the time, there are many other ways to apply it. For instance, you have learnt how to invest. Your parents might not allow you to invest real money into the market. But there are many other ways you can apply the knowledge you have on investing. You can download free simulator apps and practice with fake money.

Where can you apply it?

You actually don’t need a specific place to apply your knowledge; you just need opportunity. The mistake most people make is that they keep waiting for that opportunity to come to you, but the truth is, that you are the only one who could create the opportunity. Your knowledge isn’t only used in the classroom or at work, it’s also used in our everyday lives. Like I said before, Elon Musk taught himself rocket science by reading books. He didn’t leave it at that, he found a way to create rockets through his company SpaceX, despite lacking aerospace knowledge.

“The one thing that limits your application of knowledge is your mindset.”
Sparsh Saini

Teach Your Knowledge

I get it, teaching is hard, but once you have enough knowledge, you would easily be able to share it with others. Sharing your knowledge not only helps other’s but it also reinforces your knowledge, helping you to truly master it.

The following includes a revised structure by Steven Bartlett (author of Diary of A CEO) on the Feynmann Technique.

Step 1: Learn

This is the first step in The Law of Effort, where you go and gain knowledge about the skill you want to learn.

Step 2: Teach it to a child

As Steven Bartlett puts it, “you should write the idea down as if you were teaching it to a child; use simple words, fewer words, and simple concepts”.

Step 3: Share it

You should share your knowledge with the world, like how Elon Musk did, try and explain complex problems in a simplified form. This can be done throughout blogging, you tube, or even with your friends. Sharing your knowledge is what actually consolidates it.

Step 4: Review

Gain consistent feedback from friends, teachers, or peers, see where you can improve, and then implement this feedback, and keep repeating the process until the other person can explain what you’ve taught them.

Final Thoughts

In our world, we have two types of people: the first type being the ones who gain knowledge, and just leave it at that, and the second type being the ones who apply there gained knowledge to create something. Knowledge is useless when it isn’t used. A skill only forms when you apply your knowledge. Knowledge is easy to access and gain, but hard to apply and teach. To become the master of a skill, you must use The Law of Effort.