As I described above, learning to play bluegrass guitar is not a lot of fun. This being said, however, it’s also not that demanding on your life: its daily time requirements are reasonable and it generates no stress.

This is absurd. Learning to play an instrument at a high level is extremely taxing and certainly stressful at times.

The outside world does not reward specialization like academia does.

I disagree. I think in almost any field, including environmental consulting, building up a valuable expert skill within your field is rewarded. This doesn’t mean, of course, that while building this skill you refuse to do anything else. Those with the most valuable skills, I argue, are best able to survive ups and downs, as they do something that few can. If instead you follow the standard strategy of being diligent and thoughtful, and doing what you’re told in a timely fashion, then you’re replaceable, which makes you vulnerable.

Now I’d better stop procrastinating and get back to running my “Study for finals” club … at 3:30 am …

Cal, I agree with the point eventually say, but I couldn’t
help question myself if being an actual club owner is really
that bad. I know what you mean but the ability to provide an environment for people to enjoy music, and for the performer to submerge in her/his performance is what came across my mind while reading your post.

Then again, this is a blog. This post is I think an example of how blog posts are in fact at the root level personal opinions. I can’t be anal about how the metaphor was this and that.

[...] Are You a Guitar Player or Club Owner? – Cal Newport explains the difference between hard focus and frenzied work: Learning to play bluegrass guitar is not a lot of fun. This being said, however, it’s also not that demanding on your life: its daily time requirements are reasonable and it generates no stress. Furthermore, the effort will eventually provide big rewards, such as the experience of passing around the lead with a group of talented bluegrass musicians. [...]

btw, Cal, I look forward to 20 years from now listening to a guitar concert by you using new radio transmitters implanted in our skulls, also invented by the famous Cal Newport …

No, no, no, a thousand times no. Cal already touched on this, but it bears repeating: it takes a lot of damn hard work to make something look easy. The better you get at a skill, the easier it looks to an outsider, but never mistake “looking easy” for “easy to do.” Putting in the practice time may become more enjoyable as your skills improve, but it’s never effortless.

There seems to be a big difference between people who view making music or playing an instrument as work and people for whom it comes naturally.

No one picks up a guitar and discovers that they can just naturally crosspick without much gritty practice. Regardless of what’s in your soul, mastering hard skills requires hard focus.

Long story short, if you follow your interests, you’ll often automatically become good at whatever you are trying to do. Putting in the time becomes effortless, expanding your domain knowledge becomes completely effortless, honing your skills becomes effortless.

This is a dangerous myth that derails many people on their quest to master something. Read any biography of a famous athlete, musician, comedian, or writer: there’s nothing effortless about their rise. It takes hard focus that never gets easier.