2025-01-11 20:08
Status: child
Reference
https://aliabdaal.com/studying/the-feynman-technique/ https://todoist.com/inspiration/feynman-technique
What is the Feynman Technique
Richard Feynman attributes his success not to any innate talent, but his systematic way of revealing and attacking the fringes of his own knowledge until he understood the topic inside and out. Increasing the dimensionality and resolution with which he sees it. He found that most people’s knowledge was quite fragile and flimsy. One-dimensional.
“The person who says he knows what he thinks but cannot express it usually does not know what he thinks.” - Mortimer Adler
The Feynman Technique has 4 phases
- Identify the Topic
- Teach it to Someone
- Identify the Knowledge Gaps
- Revise and Simplify
Anyone can complicate a subject, but only someone who truly understands can make it simple.
1. Identify the Topic
Make it specific enough so it’s not too big to tackle and can be taught in a few minutes. In terms for how I use it here, try to aim for the atomic note. Complexity can be added on as I tackle more sub-skills or topics within a larger subject. From the ground up this would look like adding links to a foundational note. Topic grows from Note → Tag → Index.
This can look a few ways, the mini-essay is a good place to start, for analog try The Blank Sheet Method what I’m doing here is priming what to study by writing down everything I already know or could put into writing. You can also write down what you don’t know about the topic.
2. Teach it to Someone
Write out the topic as if you are teaching it to someone with no prior experience. Use your own words and avoid jargon and technical terms. Try to make the information as simple and actionable as if your audience is a child.
Teaching is a form of active learning, not passive. It will beat all highlighting, listening, reading, or watching as that material is passive. This will reveal gaps in your knowledge as you get in and start engaging with the material. You can’t fake your way through (intentional or not) it will reveal your understanding. GREAT!