Me thinking

The Richard Feynman Technique to learn anything.

The Richard Feynman technique to learn anything, or to explain stuff, is, for a lack of a better word, brilliant. It's simple, it's effective. You should try it.

What is it good for?

The basic steps are:

  1. Pick a topic and study it.
  2. Write about it.
  3. Rewrite it in simple to understand language.

A little more detail about that.


Study:

Selected your topic to study, and, if necessary, break it into smaller workable units. For example, if you wanted to learn a programming language, it could break down into studying variables, functions, structures, etc.

Write & Rehearse:

Once you have studied the material, write about it. Ideally, you would speak out loud while doing so, just like you would if you were teaching it to students. This way, you will find out what you understand and what part is fuzzy. For the material you did not fully grasp, go back and start over again until you can confidently write and talk about it.

Simplify:

When you did your writing/rehearsing, rewrite what you have learned in a simple, easy-to-understand language. Augment it with graphics if appropriate or needed. If your writing in this step turns out wordy or confusing, it means that you didn't understand the material well enough. In that case, go back and start again.

Thinking about a topic by explaining it in layperson's terms is what makes this method so effective.

When you can write about a topic in a simple to understand language, it means that you have a deep understanding of it and will remember it for a long time.

#learning #productivity