Lesson 3 -  
Stress To Impress

Have you ever tried to learn something new and dropped it immediately because it was too hard? 😤

I remember a few times when I was younger that when the challenge of whatever I was learning was very difficult , I felt overwhelmed and decided to drop it because i was not "good enough". 

Imagine that in your first guitar lesson as a beginner your teacher makes you try to play fast songs and complicated chords when you can't really place your hand properly on the fretboard. 😰

Exactly. Teacher fired! (Or at least highly demotivated student) 

This situation applies when you are practicing on your own and teaching yourself something new too.

You have to find THE SWEET SPOT where the challenge is challenging enough but not discouraging, and not too easy either because if it's too easy then there is no progress.

The 85% Rule for Learning

That's why, according to the latest neuroscience evidence, it has been shown that when we practice,  the optimal ratio for errors during the practice should be around 15%.

Aim for an error rate of about 15% in your practice sessions. This level of challenge is sufficient to stimulate neuroplasticity—necessary for skill development—without leading to frustration or defeat.

This means that if you are practicing with the metronome at 100 bpm and you make mistakes 50% of the time, you have to make it easier so you reach this point of getting your repetitions right around 85% of the time and make mistakes around 15-20% of the time.

By being mindful about this, you are leaning into the sweet spot where things are challenging and a bit stressful but manageable.

Later, when you progress, you can use this technique again to make things more difficult and keep improving.

Tips and Strategies for Embracing and Managing Stress During Practice

• Making mistakes can be stressful, but they the most important thing for learning , thats why is useful to incorporate stress as a positive force by viewing challenging practice sessions as opportunities to build resilience and enhance performance.
  
  Treat mistakes during practice as part of the learning journey rather than setbacks.
  
  
• Explore using controlled, short-term stressors, like setting tight but achievable deadlines for mastering a song, to enhance your focus and performance under pressure.
  
  
• Prioritize quality sleep after intensive practice sessions to consolidate learning and clear neurological 'noise'. This helps maintain focus and effectiveness in subsequent sessions. We learn about this in the next chapters.
  
  
• Use stress as a motivator so you shift your mindset to view stressful situations as catalysts for growth. Ensure to 'turn off' stress responses post-practice to prevent chronic stress .

Some proven tools to turn off these stress responses are: the physiological sigh (we saw this one in the Chill Before The Thrill chapter)  and opening the gaze of the pupils so instead of focusing on something, you try to engage your peripheral vision.

Practical Application: 

Implementing the 85% Rule:

Regularly adjust the difficulty of the songs or techniques you are practicing to maintain the optimal challenge level. Monitor your success and error rates to ensure you are within this target zone. Increase or decrease the difficulty to be around 15-20% of errors ratio during your practice. 

Feedback Loops and Adjustments:

Use tools like recording your practice or getting feedback from instructors to accurately gauge your performance and stress levels. Adjust your practice complexity in real-time to stay within the optimal difficulty range.

Now grab your guitar and try to make 15% of as many mistakes as you can!
🎸✨