The Feynman Technique Model to learn better

The Feynman Technique is a Mental Model named after Richard Feynman, a Nobel Prize Winning Physicist. It is designed as a technique to help you learn pretty much learn anything - so understand concepts you don't really get, remember stuff you have already learnt, or study more efficiently.

The Feynman Technique was actually a big inspiration for this blog - I try and apply this to a lot of the concepts and Mental Models that I write about.

The technique can be broken down into four easy steps, but first a quick video from Scott Young that sums it up very simply.

Learn Faster with the Feynman Technique

So now for a recap of the steps:

Step 1

Write the name of the concept at the top of a blank piece of paper.

Step 2

Write down an explanation of the concept on the page. Use plain English. Pretend you are teaching it to someone else (e.g a new student). This should highlight what you understand, but more importantly pinpoint what you don't quite know.

Step 3

Review what you have pinpointed you don't know. Go back to the source material, re-read, and re-learn it. Repeat Step 2.

Step 4

If you are using overly wordy or confusing language (or simply paraphrasing the source material) try again so you filter the content. Simplify your language, and where possible use simple analogy.

Conclusion

That's it. A simple and powerful technique to ensure you can rapidly learn and retain new concepts and information.

Comments

How to become mentally strong: Tips and techniques

1. Never ever get uncomfortable. If you are uncomfortable, it means there is something you fear from. Don’t let fear ruling you! You will see they don’t even exist. 2. Fake it till you make it. Perception beats reality. Before I start doing something challenging, this is simply what I do. If the goal is too keep yourself mentally strong, don’t hesitate to believe you are. I bet it works. 3. Say it out loud! Say what you want out loud. It is that much simple to keep yourself motivated and so mentally strong. 4. Try to define actions reversely. Maybe you call yourself a procrastinator or late doer. This is not the true way of defining your actions. Approach from the different perspective and say you are able to do it such quick that you don’t even need to start so early. 5. Act of kindness. I think act of kindness interestingly and impressively increases the level of happiness. You should also try. 6. Try to spend time with motivated people. In ...

How reading can help you succeed in life.

He makes time for it. Buffet once gave students in an investing class at Columbia University the following advice: "Read 500 pages like this every day," Buffett said to the students, while reaching toward a stack of manuals and papers. "That's how knowledge works. It builds up, like compound interest. All of you can do it, but I guarantee not many of you will do it." Well, we can all build up that knowledge. But are we really doing it? Warren Buffett says, “I just sit in my office and read all day.” What does that mean? He estimates that he spends 80% of his working day reading and thinking. This leads to what is known as the Buffet Formula: “Going to bed smarter than you woke up.” Why is that so important? We’ve been recording knowledge in books for a long time. That means there’s not a lot that’s new; it’s just recycled old knowledge. Odds are that no matter what you’re working on, someone somewhere, who is smarter than you, has...

Simple advice for everyone in their 20's

Let me walk you through a story before going to the point. He was furious. “You're getting old, Dad! Stop telling me to quit using social media,” my teenager told me. “There’s nothing wrong with social media, Dad!” he continued. “Everyone uses these devices… maybe you are the one with the problem,” he retorted. “Son, life is like a ladder. The higher you go, the easier your life will be — the lower you are on this ladder of value, the higher the odds you will struggle in the future.” That got his attention. “Ladder of value? What do you mean, Dad?” The same lesson I gave my son, will answer your question: do you have any advice for my early 20s life? “We all have the same twenty-four hours a day. No matter who you are, time makes NO distinctions. The ground is leveled. When we're young, we feel like time is infinite, but never underestimate your time. It’s your most precious resource of life.” “What does this have to do with my smartphone?” he asked. “E...

Life and Productivity Tips

Search This Blog