The Feynman Technique: The Best Way To Learn and Master Anything
Wisdom
One piece of wisdom that motivates, encourages and empowers you to grow.
“If you can’t explain it simply, then you don’t understand it well enough.” — Albert Einstein
Insight
One insight that helps you deeply understand a situation, idea, or concept.
What is The Feynman Technique?
Originating from physicist Richard Feynman, the Feynman Technique is a learning method that simplifies complex ideas by explaining them to an imaginary child. This technique uncovers gaps in your understanding and solidifies your learning.
Richard Feynman, a Nobel Prize-winning physicist, was skilled at unravelling intricate subjects. His insight was that complex concepts often mask a lack of comprehension.
The 4 Steps of The Feynman's Technique
The person who says he knows what he thinks but cannot express it usually does not know what he thinks. — Mortimer Adler
Step 1 - Choose a concept to study.
Select a subject you're curious about. Use a blank sheet of paper to jot down what you already know about the topic. As you learn more, add new insights. Using different colours to mark new information can visually track your progress.
When you feel confident with your grasp, move on to the next step.
Step 2: Explain it as if teaching a child.
Can you explain your chosen concept to a 12-year-old? Simplify your notes, avoiding complex terms. Clear explanations reveal depth, while jargon hides ignorance.
Simplicity is the hallmark of true comprehension.
Step 3: Review and refine your understanding.
Write your simple explanation. Writing helps you learn and think better. Clear writing shows if your thoughts are unclear. Remove complicated words and confusing bits. Read it aloud as if talking to a child. If it's not clear, make it better. If you're still unsure, study the tricky parts again.
Keep refining until your understanding is crystal clear.
Step 4: Organize and revisit your notes regularly.
Show your explanation to someone else to see how well it works. Remember their questions and where they got confused.
When you're happy, put your clear explanations into a binder. Look at this collection now and then to keep learning.
The Hidden Power of The Feynman Technique
The Feynman Technique offers more benefits than you might think:
Accelerated Learning: It helps you find where you're not understanding well, so you can study better and faster.
Overcoming Biases: It helps you see when you're not really understanding something, even if you think you are.
Aligned with Spaced Retrieval: It works well with memory tricks, like spaced retrieval, to help you remember things more easily.
Think Like a Teacher: It makes you explain things like a teacher, which makes your learning stronger.
Creating Connections: It uses simple pictures and stories to connect new ideas with stuff you already know.
More Than a Study Hack: A Way of Thinking
While it’s often thought of as a study hack, The Feynman Technique can actually be used for practical learning and better understanding.
When you use it in different situations, it helps you think more clearly, make more sense of things, and turn learning into a regular habit.
Living Legend
One inspiring story of a famous person who is still living for doing something exceptionally well.
Bill Gates
Bill Gates, the co-founder of Microsoft and an iconic figure in the technology realm, openly acknowledges his affinity for the Feynman Technique as a powerful tool for learning. This technique, named after physicist Richard Feynman, resonates deeply with Gates' own strategy for comprehending intricate concepts.
Gates's utilization of The Feynman Technique involves a two-fold process. Firstly, when confronted with complex ideas, he meticulously deconstructs them into smaller, manageable components. This meticulous dissection allows him to unravel layers of complexity and identify potential gaps in his understanding. For instance, when grappling with elaborate technological advancements, Gates dissects them into their elemental facets, making the overall concept more accessible.
However, Gates does not halt his approach at simplification. The second step involves the pivotal aspect of explaining the concept to someone else. This aspect truly exemplifies the essence of The Feynman Technique. By conveying the intricate idea to another person, be it a colleague, friend, or even an imaginary audience, Gates effectively tests his own mastery of the subject matter. Successfully breaking down the intricate concept into comprehensible terms and effectively transmitting it demonstrates his true assimilation of the concept.
Bill Gates respects The Feynman Technique so much that he called Richard Feynman "the best teacher I've ever had." This shows how well Feynman's teaching style works. Just like Feynman said to explain things like you're talking to a kid, Gates follows this to understand complex science things.
In short, how Bill Gates uses The Feynman Technique goes beyond learning tough things. It proves that this way of learning isn't just for school, and it shows how simple explanations and good communication really matter.
Final Thoughts
Questions for you to ponder and think carefully about.
When applying the Feynman Technique, asking yourself the right questions can enhance your understanding and ability to explain the topic. Here are some questions to consider:
What concept do I want to understand?
How can I teach this concept to a young child?
Where can I learn more about this concept?
Cheers,
Ben Mumme
Founder and CEO of Living Your Greatness
P.S. Check out this video by Bill Gates where he shares that Richard Feynman was the best teacher that he ever had.
Notes
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Great article, Ben. I’ve (unknowingly) been applying parts Feynman technique to understand complex topics at my company. ChatGPT has been a great tool for getting explanations at different levels, almost Bill’s application but in reverse. I’ll typically start off with asking how it would explain X topic to a 7-year old using a story, a high school senior, a college graduate, and then a domain expert. From there I find I know enough to hold a conversation and sanity check learnings with actual domain experts.