# Break a new skill into sub-skills and decide what to learn first

A map of the parts of a skill, the few that matter most for your goal, and a benchmark to measure progress.

- Topic: Learning & Teaching
- Framework: Few-Shot
- Level: Advanced
- Tags: Fill-in Template, Step-by-step
- Source: https://www.thinkwithprompt.com/prompts/break-a-new-skill-into-sub-skills-and-decide-what-to-learn-first

## Prompt

```text
Help me break a skill I want to learn into its parts and decide where to start.

**Skill:** [WHAT - e.g. "public speaking", "watercolor painting", "financial modeling in Excel"]
**Why I'm learning it:** [GOAL - e.g. "present at work without notes", "sell prints online"]
**What "good enough" looks like in 90 days:** [A CONCRETE THING I WANT TO BE ABLE TO DO]
**What I can already do:** [CURRENT LEVEL and any related skills]
**Time available:** [HOURS PER WEEK]

Steps:
1. Split the skill into 6-12 sub-skills. For each, say whether it is foundational (other sub-skills depend on it) or advanced.
2. Apply an 80/20 test: mark the 3-4 sub-skills that will produce most of my 90-day result.
3. Flag sub-skills I can postpone or skip for now, and say why.
4. Name the most common beginner mistakes and plateaus for this skill.
5. Define one simple benchmark task I can repeat on day 1, day 45, and day 90 to measure progress, with a way to score it.

Return:
- A table: Sub-skill | Foundational or advanced | Priority (now / later / skip) | Why.
- The 3-4 focus sub-skills in the order I should learn them.
- The benchmark task and its scoring method.
- Beginner pitfalls to watch for.
- A one-line reality check: is my 90-day goal realistic for my hours? If not, suggest a smaller version.

This is step 1 of the "Teach yourself a new skill in 90 days" pack. The focus list and benchmark are the inputs for step 2 (choosing resources).
```

## What to fill in

- A CONCRETE THING I WANT TO BE ABLE TO DO
- CURRENT LEVEL and any related skills
- HOURS PER WEEK

Free to copy and use. From ThinkWithPrompt (https://www.thinkwithprompt.com/), a library of 2,663 curated AI prompts.