Learn any skill: The Power of the Feynman Technique
Learn how to simplify, deepen, and own any knowledge using Richard Feynman's timeless framework.
I’ve sat through meetings, nodding along, afraid to admit I was lost. I understand just enough to follow along but it was not enough to explain.
That changed when I discovered the Feynman Technique. It taught me how to truly learn, not just memorize.
🧑🔬 Who Was Richard Feynman?
Richard Feynman (1918–1988) was a Nobel Prize-winning American physicist. Known for his pioneering work in quantum electrodynamics, he was equally famous for one thing: making the complicated sound simple. He worked on the Manhattan Project, and later became a professor at Caltech.
He firmly believed:
"What I cannot create, I do not understand."
This idea shaped his approach to learning and teaching. To Feynman, true understanding meant being able to build the idea from scratch and explain it in simple language.
🔍 What is the Feynman Technique?
The Feynman Technique is a learning strategy designed to help you deeply understand anything by pretending you're teaching it to someone else.
In four steps, it looks like this:
Pick a concept you want to learn
Explain it simply, like you’re teaching a 12-year-old. (or someone completely unfamiliar).
Identify gaps where you get stuck..
Refine and simplify, using analogies and clearer language..
If your explanation isn’t clear, it means your understanding isn’t either.
🧪 How Richard Feynman Developed This Framework
After WWII, Feynman saw that even top scientists often recited theories they didn’t truly understand. That didn’t sit well with him.
To master topics himself, he developed a personal system. He created a "Notebook of Things I Don't Know About," where he would pick a subject and try to explain it from first principles (More about first principles in future posts). Whenever he hit a wall or couldn't explain something clearly, he treated it as a signal to revisit and learn more.
He then refined his explanation until it became so simple that even a child could understand it. This continuous loop of explanation, identification of gaps, study, and simplification became his signature approach. It helped him not just learn faster, but communicate more effectively.
📘 How to Use the Feynman Technique
Let’s say you want to learn "Large Language Models"
Step 1:
Choose the concept: LLMs.
Step 2:
Try explaining it simply: "A large language model is ..."
Step 3:
You get stuck: "Wait, how does it predict next words? What's a transformer again?"
Note the gaps. Research and learn deeper.
Step 4:
Simplify using analogies. It helps you recall the concepts relatively easily.
Step 5:
Repeat from step 2 until you feel you got good grasp on the fundamental concepts.
Repeat this cycle until your explanation is both accurate and easy to understand.
🌟 Why it works?
✅ It promotes deep learning: You move beyond memorization into real understanding.
✅ It reveals gaps: You know exactly where you need to focus your efforts.
✅ It enhances communication: You learn how to talk about complex topics clearly and simply.
✅ It builds confidence: When you can teach something, you truly understand it.
✅ It accelerates growth: The technique works across domains, from programming to investing.
Conclusion
The Feynman Technique is more than a hack. It’s a philosophy: Clarity over complexity. Simplicity over sophistication.
If you consistently use it, you'll not only become a faster learner, but a better thinker, communicator, and leader.
Pick a topic you’re struggling with. Try teaching it back to yourself or find someone. It has helped me in the past and it’s helping me now by sharing my thoughts here. You can get better too! Start today.