10,000 hours of deliberate practice is what it takes for great achievement. That’s a lot of time to put in on anything, especially if you’re constantly pushing yourself to improve, which is necessary for the 10,000 hour rule to work. You’d better be really interested in what you’re working on.
Michael Nielson has a slightly different take. He points out a number of people, like Werner Heisenberg who discovered quantum mechanics, who did not spend that much time on the specific subject. Instead, they had focused on broad background in subjects that they were interested in and were able to apply that expertise in one specific domain. So instead of dedicating 10,000 hours to on subject:
[P]ick a set of skills that you believe are broadly important, and that you enjoy working on, a set of skills where deliberate practice gives rapid intrinsic rewards. Work as hard as possible on developing those skills, but also explore in neighbouring areas, and (this is the part many people neglect) gradually move in whatever direction you find most enjoyable and meaningful. The more enjoyable and meaningful, the less difficult it will be to put in the time that leads to genuine mastery. – Nielson, 2010
However, he does point out that if you were really interested in a particular subject, like being a concert pianist, you should probably put in the hours.
