Anyone Can Become an Expert in Six Months

A friend of mine works in quantitative investment. He studied computer science as an undergraduate and finance for his master’s degree. During a previous gathering, he told me that despite studying Python for three years, he couldn’t even write a decent web scraper. At this year’s Spring Festival gathering, he showed me his quantitative stock selection, fund selection, and valuation strategies. After using them for over a year, his investment results were remarkable. When I asked how he suddenly had this breakthrough, he smiled and said, “Actually, it only took me about six months, but this time I invested my time in the right place.”

Have you noticed? We always think “experts” are made through grinding it out, like brewing Chinese medicine with slow fire. But in reality, those who rise quickly don’t rely on grinding through time.

Einstein once said: “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” Too many people are stuck in this cognitive trap—spending two hours daily scrolling through their phones, then ten minutes pretending to study, and finally complaining they’re not geniuses.

True transformation begins with breaking three illusions.

Breaking the Three Illusions

The first illusion is the “10,000-hour curse.” The original quote from Malcolm Gladwell, author of “Outliers,” was actually “10,000 hours of deliberate practice.” Many people selectively ignore the word “deliberate.” I’ve seen too many “skilled workers” with ten years of experience who simply repeated their first year’s skills ten times over.

The second illusion is “talent determinism.” When Leonardo da Vinci learned to paint, he drew eggs daily—hundreds of eggs from different angles. What does this have to do with talent? It’s simply training observation skills into muscle memory. Modern neuroscience research has found that the human brain’s ability to process information through “chunking” can be completely strengthened through training—just like memorizing phone numbers, transitioning from remembering individual digits to holistic memory. For deeper insights into this concept, I recommend reading “Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise.”

The third illusion is the “systematic learning trap.” Want to learn writing? Buy 20 writing books. Want to get fit? First study exercise physiology for three months. My friend later told me that his secret to rapid progress in six months was first identifying the most cutting-edge quantitative tools and models in the market, then learning the required skill modules with surgical precision.

I heard of a case where a nurse wanted to transition to psychological counseling. Instead of enrolling in training courses, she read many psychology books and then spent her after-work hours providing free consultations to people on an app. In three months, she accumulated over 200 practical cases, which provided strong evidence for her career transition.

This validates the “situational memory theory” in cognitive psychology—knowledge acquired in real scenarios has retention rates several times higher than classroom learning.

The Three-Pronged Approach

First: “Problem Storm Method” - Record specific problems encountered daily, then select three of the most painful points each week for in-depth research.

Second: “Modular Decomposition” - For example, when learning short video operations, don’t rush to enroll in courses. First break down viral videos into multiple dimensions: topic selection, copywriting, setting, rhythm, and visuals, then tackle each one individually.

Third and most crucial: “Output-Driven Input” - A mother, to handle parent-child relationships, persisted in sharing her parenting insights daily on a public account while continuously learning in this area. Within six months, she accumulated over 10,000 followers. Now she not only excels in family education but also helps many subscribers resolve parent-child conflicts.

But don’t misunderstand—this isn’t about taking shortcuts. Neuroscientists have discovered that true deep learning produces physiological changes in “myelin.” This process comes with pain. Just like fitness requires muscle tears for growth, you must ensure 2 hours of completely focused “flow time” daily.

How to judge if you’ve entered “flow”? The standard is simple: if you frequently check the time while learning, the intensity isn’t enough; if you consistently forget about time, you’re on the right track.

The Counter-Intuitive Truth

Finally, here’s a counter-intuitive truth: the key to becoming an expert isn’t learning more, but forgetting fast enough. Leonardo’s manuscripts are filled with various “incorrect” concepts. It was precisely this courage to constantly overthrow himself that made him a polymath.

Every time you learn a new skill, I recommend immediately finding three application scenarios for practice, then actively seeking gaps in your existing knowledge—this process is professionally called “cognitive restructuring,” essentially installing upgrade patches for your brain.

Now back to the original question: why six months? Because the modern knowledge iteration cycle averages 180 days. Six months allows for three complete cycles of “learning—practice—correction.”

Next time someone tells you “becoming an expert takes ten years,” you can smile and tell them: that was true in the agricultural era, but in today’s algorithm-driven world, six months is enough for those who know how to learn to rebuild their knowledge moat.

The key isn’t the length of time, but whether you’ve mastered the scarcest ability of this era—continuous precise evolution.

Let’s encourage each other in this journey.