Aaah. The word “practice”. The repetition of an action with the goal of improvement. For many of us, it evokes painful imagery of countless hours spent hunching over a desk with cramping fingers clasping intensely on a pencil. And it is also this very image that hinders more and more of us every day with a fear of anything associated with learning. We’re afraid of everything these days — hard work, effort, asking questions, and practicing. But these are all essential parts of us, not only academically, but as citizens of society.

Why does practice make such a huge impact in life? It all starts in the brain, as do all of our academic endeavors. The white matter in our brains consists of fatty tissue and nerve fibers called axons. These axons are wrapped in a fatty substance called myelin and are crucial to learning. Myelin acts as insulation to the electrical signals that our brains emit; as practice intensifies the myelin thickens. The more insulated the signal, the stronger it is, making it easier for our brains to interpret those patterns as they are sent across the axons. To summarize, this means that we remember and retain actions with greater ease and precision the more we’ve engaged in that particular action.

Practice is a crucial part of our education in many ways. In order to master a particular skill, you must’ve seen it and know the basic variations and steps to encourage a further interest in gaining a deeper understanding of a subject. But, your success in mastery depends not only upon the amount of time you spend on it, but also on what the quality of the practice is in order to make it count. What does this mean? For you to truly learn something, you must employ targeted practice, which is highly focused, very consistent, and tackles any weaknesses you currently have.

To have an efficient practice session, eliminate any distractions surrounding you and immerse yourself entirely in what you are currently doing. Begin slowly, repeating steps while increasing your speed incrementally each time through until you reach mastery. Worry first about the overall structure of steps, and refine the small details and omit the mistakes later. Frequent practice in shorter bursts using the highly focused method of practicing is the crucial step in reinforcing memories. And lastly, try to think out the steps of what you’re trying to execute in your head. Mental imaging after a physical motion has been established in practice has actually been proven to be just as effective in aiding a person’s learning process as engaging in physical practice.

These techniques are applied in everyday actions as well as in academics and athletics. When employed the right way, it leads to a more time- and energy-efficient workload. Be it for a sport, a recital, or a math test, practice gives you the extra edge in your abilities. Whether you love it or hate it, practice plays a huge part in your education, and eventually, your future career. As that famous saying goes, “Practice makes perfect!”