Are you working towards a specific goal but not seeing the results you hoped for? Does your effort involve repetition yet your progress feels stagnant? You might be missing one powerful piece:

Purposeful Practice?

Unlike mindless repetition, purposeful practice is intentional, structured, and designed for rapid skill development. It’s used by elite performers across music, sports, business, and even public speaking. This can be applied to refine your presentations, improve productivity, or prepare for high pressure performances.

Here’s how to use it to sharpen your aim, boost accuracy and accelerate growth.

Step 1: Identify Your Weakest Link

Don’t settle for vague goals like “I just want to improve.” Pinpoint a single micro skill that’s holding you back. Some examples could be:

• Your pacing in presentations
• How you recover after making mistakes
• Your reaction time under pressure

Step 2: Set Specific and Measurable Goals

General intentions don’t drive results, so use quantifiable targets instead. As an example try replacing: “how can I be more productive” with:

• ✅ “How can I reduce task switching to fewer than 3 times per hour?”
• ✅ “How can I improve my typing accuracy to 98%”
• ✅ “How do I cut my meeting overrun time by 50%”

Step 3: Use Feedback Loops

I find that feedback works best for me when it’s instant, specific and actionable.

For you useful sources of feedback might include:

• A teacher or mentor
• Apps or tools (e.g., timers, habit trackers, analytics tools)
• Video recordings or self-reflection logs

The key? Make sure your feedback is directly tied to your performance objectives and be honest with yourself.

Step 4: Schedule Improvement Blocks

Be you own coach! Set aside 15 to 30 minutes daily not to do the task, but to improve how you do it.

This could include:

• Practicing transitions in speeches
• Developing a specific technique if you’re musician
• Practicing a certain task under time pressure

Treat this like training, not working. Ensure that you’re super aware of how you’re doing this, and not repeating the same mistakes in these sessions.

Step 5: Track Your Progress

Keep a simple performance journal. Each week ask yourself:

• What worked well?
• What needs adjustment?
• What do I focus on next time?

How This Worked For Me

The suggestions above helped me earn a Distinction in a high-pressure Music Performance Licentiate exam.

By targeting my weaker areas and devoting more time to these, I was able to strike a focused balance in how these worked alongside my stronger areas. I maintained a journal of my achievements and reflected daily and weekly on my progress. I would make any necessary adjustments via the feedback received. As a result, I achieved the highest mark possible.

This was extremely self gratifying and can be the same for you.

Final Thoughts

If you’re serious about improving your performance whether in sports, business, music, or just daily productivity, practice with intention.

These five steps will help you develop your skills and performance level faster, with less frustration.

Georg Voros is a Performance Consultant with 45+ years of top-level experience and author of two books on performance. He delivers high-impact workshops on productivity and flow, and offers tailored mentoring packages to support personal growth and achievement. Learn more at www.vorosperformance.co.uk