Mini Essays: The Ultimate Learning Tool 

this is so true. Nothing has worked better for me than pretending I am preparing a topic to teach in front of someone, it truly gives you more confidence and depth on the topics that you want to learn about.

Oh this is just like what a sketchbook is for an artist.

Hmm. Interesting. I think I'll write a mini essay on why I should start writing mini essays.

As someone who hyperfixates on interesting topics and want to talk about them…. I feel like this concept is a great way to use that energy

FYI: These two books by William Zinsser might be of interest, especially the second: 1. On Writing Well 2. Writing to Learn

Great ideas. I tell my kids, "If it makes you frown, write it down". So capture literally everything that trips you up or you disagree with or you otherwise think twice about. Then try to write to someone about those things. Teach them through an essay they may never read. It is a remarkably effective technique to turn habitual judgement into contemplative curiosity.

I am self studying philosophy and obviously some topics in philosophy are pretty hard to conceptualize. Even after reading several books, Id find I could not very well explain what I had learned to another person.Writing essays on the most interesting ideas was the solution. There is a reason why this is the prime assignment give in classroom environments.

My dad used to do this to me as a teenager. If I ever wondered something out loud, he would assign the topic to me as a project that I would have to present. It was always things I wanted to know, so I honestly enjoyed it.

This concept is one of the foundational methods in Charlotte Mason’s educationally philosophy. Doing oral and written narrations of living books.

I’ve been writing weekly essays on my blog to help me focus my thinking. It’s worked wonders to improve my writing and my ability to be inspired. I haven’t had writers block in a year since I started writing and publishing a weekly essay!

My first semester college English teacher had us read wonderful essays and then write a mini essay with a thesis statement first, on each of these essays. Changed my life! Opened my world to great writing! Changed my way of thinking! So valuable!

I was scrolling back watching your older videos. I must say, the improvement is wild :00 The way you talk is a lot more engaging. It’s quite cool to see; it makes me encouraged to just start whatever it is I want to do even if it’s not perfect in the beginning.

I do this in my head ALL THE TIME. If I am not sure if I will be able to explain something, I go through the whole argument, explaination, idea, etc. in my head, or if I am alone, out loud until I can coherently explain it like it was a written essay. Talking to yourself is SO underrated. It also helps me realize if I actually have enough knowlegde to speak about a subject or if i am just repeating something someone else said.

I'm writing a mini essay about this video

We teach this skill to our students in our homeschool community. We start with rudimentary persuasive essays based on booksthey read, and with each novel, we add a scheme or trope, gradually increasing the complexity. By reading excellent books, they increase their vocabulary and begin to develop an ear for arguments and good writing. We use IEW and LTW. It's been incredible to watch the growth from 7th-12th grade and beyond.

This is one of those videos that feels like it could be life changing. I enjoy reading nonfiction, but I feel like I have terrible retention, and more often than not I'll finish a book and feel like I really didn't learn anything.

Great idea. I keep common books where I add quotes, notes, and my thoughts about what I read. I also write a summary and what I can use in life and resonated with. Makes a difference.

I use a method like this as I work my was through mammoth classics. I write a small summary after natural breaks the author made (sections, chapters, parts, etc.) I’m retaining so much more of the story as well as the historical information generally embedded in the work. It helps me remember where I left off (I’m reading Les Miserbles on Sundays only) and need to reread my last summary before I begin reading again.I know this isn’t exactly what you’re referring to as I don’t always use an essay structure, but the benefit of rethinking what I read enough to summarize really boosts my retention.

I don't know how the algorithm brought me to your channel, but I'm incredibly grateful for it. Not only did I find so many suggestions while scrolling through your videos, but I also find the form in which you deliver the content exceptionally good and understandable. Your channel is absolutely and completely undervalued, I hope you get many more followers.

Wow, man, it's reminds me about my first semester in college. A lecturer in my first semester suggested me, and my friends, to make a "scrap book" (basically just a pile of stapled leftover paper). He told us to write anything that comes to our mind after we read book, journal article, and any other source. I just realized that from that scrap book a lot of ideas can come to my mind and help me to writing paper for exam (or even maybe my thesis). And theh i found this video, just today. I hope i can start writing this kind of mini essay after reading some materials. Ps: sorry my english is pretty broken because it's not my first language

"Get those damn reps in." "Inaction hurts, and there's no good reason why you should suffer from it." Love it.

Love the idea of "mini essays"! This is essentially what I use a blog for!

I have been struggling with this weird fact, you mentioned, about not being able to properly recall what you thought you had clearly grasped a moment ago. I thought that writing a small research paper about what I have just read was a potentially good idea, but I was afraid of it being too time-consuming. So, I hoped to first see if somebody tried it before. And here you come with this brilliant idea that combines the idea I had with its solution. This is absolutely brilliant! Thank you so much! You have a new subscriber 😄.

Metacognitive interaction with your learning experiences is absolutely proven as a way to bind concepts to memory. I like the idea of mini essays as a structured way to engage in this learning. For many years, I’ve asked students to create a “Learning Journal” to capture ideas as they interact with learning, Mini essays seem like great content for these journals. Thanks!

I feel really inspired by the content discussed in this video. Personally, I watch a lot of video essay on youtube and feel that writing mini essay while watching them will really help strengthen my memory and understanding. Thanks for the vid, I’ve happily subscribed to your channel.

This is a great idea to keep writing regularly, especially when you’re uninspired or are stuck on other work and can’t seem to proceed. This still keeps you accomplishing writing. I’ve started incorporating mini essays into my writing schedule.

Funnily enough, this is exactly what I’ve been doing as of late! A great way to consolidate and retain knowledge.

My motivation is peaked right now I don't know why you sound so convincing but I'll come back after one year of practice ❤ wish me luck

This used to be what blog posts were. RIP classic internet.

wow, this semester i've just started turning practice labs into mini tutorials in which i describe why, for what, etc down to the smallest details. and find it actually works surprisingly well. and here's your new video with explanation why mini essays is so good as learning tool! thanks, your channel is awesome✨ p.s. btw there is Writing to Learn by William Zinsser. i haven't read it yet, but maybe it'll be interesting to someone.

This one weird trick English teachers don't want you to know.

1. I don't know why I wasn't subscribed to this channel even if I enjoyed so many videos before 2. I was actually planning to start this habit a while ago, but didn't know exactly where to go with it - you really gave me a light to follow here. Thank you, man!

I just finished watching Before Sunrise and was blown away by the beauty of being able to clearly express such human and genuine ideas to someone you love in conversation. Being able to train myself to turn these complex but jumbled thoughts into writing mini-essays is definitely a great way to achieve this. Thanks for the awesome video :D

Duuuuuude, seriously thank you for this. You've added a filter for me on the topic of writing to think and learn. This method feels so approachable.

This is such valuable knowledge. It can be unbelievably helpful to anybody with any topic that they are trying to learn. Learning is not just a memorization process. It's a process where you should strive to connect the new knowledge to things you already know because that will make you _truly_ understand the world around you and will give you the ability to think abstractly and create new ideas, not just spit out a memorized fact. This is a great way to achieve that and force yourself to really *think* . Great advice and props to you for sharing it!

It's also an awesome way to have your own thoughts and ideas about something. Learning can often feel like the scholars are up on the mountain sending knoweldge down the mountain to you at the bottom. Writing about what you learn forces you to engage with what you've learned and start climbing the mountain.

I like that this guy responds to so many comments and gives so many Hearts. Cheers

I love this and what makes it so special is that I have had this idea before, save the mini aspect of it. This really drives home why I should do it, but with the emphasis being on brevity and concision. Thanks so much 💃🏽

I jusy wrote a mini essay on why I should write mini essays after watching this video

I've done this unintentionally through Journaling my life for a few months. Let me say this, through writing you will learn what you believe. only after that can you change your beliefs.

This is the first of your videos that I have watched. I’ve been trying to find online content to help me develop a practice of writing as a way of learning. This was really great. Thank you!🎉

I’m so glad your channel popped up on my feed. This is a superb video. This sounds like a good strategy for two reasons. First, to polish my writing and second to retain the information that I have just read.

I haven't even watched this video yet but I just want to thank you for putting this out because this is something I've been thinking about for so, so long. I think it relates to my ADHD but when I'm bored I keep thinking of the same thing - "Research something and write about it" This is exactly what I kept thinking of. I never actually tried that out because it sounded so silly in my head. lol

You just earned a new subscriber! I wish this was actually rewarding, because this video deserves a lot more than one subscribe. This idea has offered a lot of hope to me, after I had given up on reading and writing. Thank you for sharing this valuable treasure with the rest of the world! 💚

I can't express just how grateful I am for this video. I had always had a passion for writing, and with this idea you shared, I am very excited to try this out.

This is an underrated channel. I personally use outlines for the Feynman method but am going to try mini essays. Well done sir. I hope you get the recognition you deserve on here

I’m thankful today because you slipped into my feed. I’m deeply cynical about algorithms, but today almost makes me a believer. I’m older, but still taking on the Fool’s Journey. You’ve made me realize that I was following your principles for years. Now I have a narrative hook to hang this on. I’ll be diving into mini-essays as a method to improve and deepen my writing chops.

This has to be the best video ever uploaded. I'm in love. 😭🎀

I have been thinking about this exercise for a while and could do it only occasionally. Thanks for reminding and sharing the steps, purpose and guidelines. I am going to start writing mini essays starting with this video

My favorite professor uses this concept for each reading - we have to write weekly discussion boards on one aspect of the text we discussed in class. Being forced to do it for an assignment helps because it makes me investigate areas of the text that I might otherwise skim over (my favorite was when I did a narratological analysis of "The Sandman" by ETA Hoffman, specifically the shift a few pages in when the narrator explains why they opened the story with 3 letters exchanged between the characters. I didn't take the time to fully question or understand that shift until I wrote that post, and it transformed my understanding of the story). Also love this use for Obsidian. I've been using it myself for a couple years but my vault has stagnated lately, as I've been exploring other notetaking methods. This sounds like a great way to get back into it and really utilize the links between notes! Maybe I'll write a mini essay on it ;-) Thank you for sharing this video!

I realized I've been doing this when I had to read scientific papers. That's what we do in research, a little summary of what is in the paper and why is important for my work

Now that I watched your video, you basically described how I used to keep my diaries - and I guess diaries in general serve the same very purposes.

I've been meaning to start writing, just as a method of clarifying my thinking, for some time. This is the push I needed to actually do it, you have made it less daunting and emphasised the benefits. Really, a fantastic video.

This is insane I’ve come across this video, cause I’ve been trying to figure out how I can build a sort of, at home education system and I’ve been so overwhelmed on where to start, and I think this is probably one of the best things I can incorporate into a regular schedule that will not only educate myself but develop my reading and writing skills which are so incredibly important. Thank you!!!

This channel seems to have the answers to many of my questions, some of which I didn't even know I had. Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us!

You've quickly became one of my fav you tube channels for knowledge workers, this was a great vid! I do something similar which is great knowing im on the right track! Keep it up man with the content 😊

Thank you so much for this video! I feel so inspired now to write for my thesis using this technique! I’ve always felt so overwhelmed with the writing part because I always think of the bigger picture (whole section, chapter, …), but now I feel I can do it better this way. Thanks again!

I have been working on long form essays since the beginning of the year but this is a game changer! I am def going to implement this; thank you for your insight!

Something that immidiately comes to mind rn and Ive learnt in school, knowledge is pretty much like a language and everyone speaks one of their own. When you are taught by somebody, they present knowledge in their own words and you experience it through them, but after thats done youre left with very little actual understanding because its still in their language or at least dialect. When formulating it yourself, effort is put into the "translation" because its not simple repetition, highly effective strategy

I've been doing this on index cards since I first watched, it works brilliantly. Thanks for this technique, it's a gamechanger.

I just stumbled upon your channel and you truly inspired me with your content. I’m extremely passionate about learning and I always struggled in how to take notes and how to keep my knowledge in one place. I like to take notes on a notebook but I struggled a lot in transferring my notes to obsidian, its a dull and boring tast since I’m just typing stuff all over again. The mini essays were honestly the perfect solution for my problem lol I just wrote my first one and I felt like I was back in high school writing a essay in summary my writing is so bad lol I’m hoping to improve that and maybe write my thoughts and studies on medium later on. Thank you very much for your video keep going

i really love writing i used to randomly write pages of things that kept bothering me or things i observed, i'm sure i'm gonna love this a lot

I'm getting insane value from your videos, they are just so great and really what I needed to step up my game as a person. I also use obsidian to take notes, but I am actually not that good, would love to see a vid where you show/explain what functions you personally use and how you use them. Keep up the good work!

i'm reading Homer's Odyssey for the first time and your video appeared on my yt homepage/rec. Great stuff, great editing and I found lots of takeaways to note. Thank you!

probably the most valuable video I've seen in the site, great job and thanks for the help mate

I hadn't thought about those mini essays until I saw your video, thanks for such a valuable tool

I really did this the other day, and this video came along to explain what was my suspicion all along.

i rarely comment on videos that i’ve watched but with someone that has an attention span of a goldfish aka me this is a gem. no frills and all , just write and keep it condensed and short, keep up the good work :)

📝 Summary of Key Points: 📌 Mini essays are powerful tools for learning and improving writing skills by focusing on single ideas or topics extracted from various sources like books, articles, or videos. 🧐 Writing mini essays helps in memory retention, understanding, and application of learned concepts through the Feynman technique of teaching what you've learned to others. 🚀 Mini essays aid in building writing skills by providing volume, novelty, and a bank of ideas, enabling consistent practice and improvement over time. 💡 Additional Insights and Observations: 💬 "Teaching what you learn is powerful for your own learning, as it forces ideas to stick and helps identify gaps in understanding." 📊 The Feynman technique, named after physicist Richard Feynman, is a valuable tool for learning and retention. 🌐 Obsidian, a note-taking app, is recommended for writing mini essays due to its offline usability and organizational features. 📣 Concluding Remarks: Mini essays offer a structured approach to learning and writing, enhancing comprehension, retention, and skill development. By incorporating the Feynman technique and utilizing tools like Obsidian, individuals can effectively engage with content, improve writing abilities, and build a strong foundation for continuous learning and growth. Generated using TalkBud

Love your mini Essay about mini essays

Writing mini essays do resonate with me and I subscribed to your channel after that. Besides, your motto seems to be life long learning which is my primary principle of life. Thank you for sharing the light of knowledge with humanity!

I'm in an advanced (Journeymen/ Master) Beekeeping chat room, we pick a subject for each month, research out published lit. and do a mini essay/ review to present to the group then discuss the subject. Often I'll post five to ten papers so members can choose one to do a review and present. This gives us a chance for advanced education and a way to share it, also a way to practice presentations before teaching to our local clubs.

This is so Inspiring! I always felt the same about writing down my thoughts. I will implement that one

I am generally doing freewriting, but I like this is a more structured way and more productive. Thanks!

Truly a inspiring video. when you said many times a "writer" spends more time talking about being a writer and talking about it then actually writing was so true. i feel like that's me too in some way or form, always dreaming or pondering about what i "will" write but never truly getting to it.

The brain is great for making ideas not for storing them ❤️

Embracing the practice of writing mini essays truly sharpens the mind and refines communication skills. It's a fantastic method for distilling complex ideas into accessible, engaging content that resonates with readers. 📝

Really grateful for this priceless diamond that you gave to us for free. I have been thinking of how to make essay writing easy for me because of the overwhelming nature of writing a large number of words which sometimes result in procrastination for me. However, with this mini essay, you just gave me the solution to my problem. Thanks.

One of the most captivating videos I've watched on writing. Well done.

Thanks for that video! I came to the same realisation 2 days ago. To read and write about things I am reading or even watching, if I dont agree with the author I can write about why i don't agree, if it made me feel a strong emotion, I can express it in some ways. The goal is really to expand the mind and to get that writing working. Anyways, thanks for the confirmation that I was indeed heading towards the right way.

This would be a wonderful extension to my commonplace book. Thanks for the video!

The second video to watch on your channel and I'm already in love with what you share> Keep going bro>>>

Great video and tool. I’ll be applying the concept to work on my prose and poetry

Incredible content. I enjoy both the idea and how you've explained yourself. Going to try this out (12 months and this channel is gonna have 250k+ followers)

These are the types of channels that contain TRUE knowledge and I appreciate it. It's value is not quantified by views.

Great video, man. Very useful advice. I'll be implementing this strategy from now on!

This content has incredible value ❤ This speaks to my soul and current situation

so useful, i noticed whenever i wrote about something i'd suddenly fully understand it. doing that but a mini version will be also efficient and less time consuming!

I will start doing that from now on, great video man Glad I found you

Ah thanks! I've started using cognitive jigs or concept maps recently so first I'll write out & lay out the key points/concepts/figures/events & dates and put that in a narrative form a short summary (2-4 paragraphs) in my words which is a key being able to concisely and succinctly put what've you've read in your words. If you can't simplify it and complicate the work yourself you don't really understand what you've read or heard. Like an artist who does a master study, they don't just copy they break down the artwork and check what art & design principles was the artist using in their creation process. If you copy the painting passively you've only proven that you have good hand & coordination not that you have visual literacy and can apply the artistic foundation yourself. This applies outside of an artistic practice as well. When you write out your ideas out those are your mental models which is what a mini essay or any extension of your mind be it via the vehicle of art or writing is. You then can see the framework laid out in front of you like someone commented a sketch which allows you to see what is missing or what connection you haven't made and so on to then refine your models like a scientist in the lab or out in the field collecting qualitative data to then create models on that. You get to actually intimately engage with the content in your mind when you write it out and then I diagram it out to find the systematic structures. Check out Dr. Caberara he is a system thinker and breaks down diagramming and mental models very well and how one can become a better system thinker and be able to create strong frameworks to add to your existing ones (learning). Thanks for the video you've inspired me to use your approach of making mini-essays and then implementing the diagrams (cognitive jigs using DSRP) to model the framework out and then actively recall the knowledge and then put it in memory palaces that's the mnemonic device I've been using to store relevant knowledge to me.

Essays are kind of like the mothers of writing; almost universally accepted as the first form of real writing you get to do in school, and if you know how to write a good essay, you can pretty much write anything or about anything.

This is such a great video. Thank you for sharing your insight.

Outstanding; I shall dive right in. Thank You

This has been really helpful. I enjoy writing but now as a mother of 3 it has been difficult to write outside of journaling. Changing the goal to a mini-essay is so much more achievable. I always coach clients to break goals down to smaller ones and it never occurred to me to make the final writing task smaller…a mini essay 🤯 I’ve written a few mini essays since watching this video. Thank you for sharing!

🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation: 00:00 *🚀 Mini essays enhance learning and writing skills significantly but require time and effort.* 00:14 *📚 Mini essays are concise writings on single ideas, making them an engaging part of note-taking.* 00:42 *✍️ Writing mini essays on intriguing concepts from various contents improves understanding and retention.* 01:10 *🧐 A mini essay example shows how insights on trust from a Substack article influenced personal understanding.* 02:06 *💡 Despite the effort involved, the clarity and skill improvement gained from mini essays are invaluable.* 03:00 *🧠 Employing the Feynman technique through mini essays bolsters memory and comprehension of read materials.* 04:24 *🔍 Writing reveals gaps in understanding, prompting deeper learning and reinforcing memory.* 06:14 *🖋️ Regular practice with mini essays enhances writing skills, with benefits like increased volume, clarity, and idea generation.* 08:06 *🔄 Mini essays eliminate the common writer's block by providing a clear topic from recent readings.* 09:14 *🎭 The novelty in topics keeps writing engaging and accelerates improvement in writing skills.* 10:38 *💼 Building a "bank of ideas" through mini essays helps overcome the fear of the blank page, fueling consistent writing.* 12:55 *📝 Effective mini essays are short, focused on a single concept, and tailored to the writer's goals.* 14:51 *📱 Using apps like Obsidian for writing mini essays facilitates idea connectivity and access without the internet.* 15:34 *🔄 Consistency in writing mini essays leads to profound improvements in reading comprehension and writing prowess.* Made with HARPA AI

I swear google can sense my thoughts. I’m currently reading Walter issacsons bio on Benjamin Franklin and he goes into how Benjamin Franklin used to make pretty much these mini essays. Thank you for the awesome video and the sage advice.

I do a similar thing for the series or movies I watch, I kinda analyse certain things in different episodes and write about it and how these things affect the person who watches them.. I love doing this and I wish there was a club or a an application where people could do this in groups and discuss and present their point of view! Love this video btw thank you :]

I really agree. Writing and thinking go together so well. Thanks for posting.

the most important aspect is that this forces you to slow down and really engage the material instead of the false confidence of reading many articles alone. the difference between this that is new, is the way it is called a mini essay.

This is a great idea! Im a psychology major and in future i will have to write articles so this is a great way to gain experience and confidence to write longer and more academical papers. Its also great because as a person who likes to improve my cognitive skills and gain knowledge about different areas, i can collect my thoughts and knowledge into one little essay and store it so i can update it or check whenever i forget something. (im still struggling with english grammar so maybe it can improve on that too)