There is much to learn from Joseph Kaufman's TED Talk. It's a very short, to-the-point talk about how anyone can aquire a new skill in just 20 hours, and he proves his point at the very end by demonstrating how he taught himself to play the ukulele in 20 hours. This of course contradicts many "official" theories on how many hours it takes to learn a new skill, which he addresses in more detail in his 20 minute lecture.
He says the important detail is that the time spent learning must be FOCUSED AND DELIBERATE. He explains it in four steps:
Deconstruct the skill. Break it down into smaller and smaller parts.
Learn enough to self correct.
Remove all practice barriers. (distractions)
Practice for at least 20 hours.
He adds that the most prominent barrier to skill acquisition isn't intellectual- it's emotional!