As people are ending their third or fourth week of working from home, keeping occupied in a productive manner can be a challenge.

Johan Zammit, founder of innovation and technology firm Smart Studios, is choosing to turn this period of involuntary down-time into an opportunity to learn something he has dreamed of since he was a child – playing the piano.

Inspired by Josh Kaufman's book and TEDx video on the subject, suggested to him by a friend, Johan shared on LinkedIn :

“So far, in just a week, I practiced for around 20 hours using the YouTube video below and I learned most of my favourite piano song "I Like Chopin" by Gazebo from 1983.

“It is the first 20 hours of focused practice that really makes the difference.

“Yes, you'd tell me ... "haven't you heard about the 10,000 hours rule". I did but that is to become an EXPERT in a very competitive field not to learn a new skill. It just takes a first step and some dedication in the first 20 hours to learn something new.

“Remove some of the distractions around you. Stop watching the news. And start practicing one hour a day for three weeks. Hit two birds with one stone - beat COVID-19 while learning that skill that you always wanted to learn.

“By doing so you will come out of the COVID-19 curve a better person than when this crisis started.

“You might not have this opportunity again. So, go ahead - JUST DO IT - learn something new - in just 20 hours! And feel free to write me how it went. Did the 20 hours rule work for you?”

Johan's company Smart Studios, through the use of methodologies like design thinking, provides digital solutions for leading brands and emerging start-ups, empowering them to embrace opportunities of emerging technologies like Blockchain, AI and IOT. www.smartstudios.io