My Biggest Studying Mistake - The Feynman Technique 

Thankful I don’t have to study mitosis again Get Nebula using my link for 40% off an annual subscription: go.nebula.tv/zachhighley Watch my exclusive Nebula Class: nebula.tv/study-smarter-not-harder on studying smarter.

I find that my biggest studying mistake is taking too much time to watch videos about studying techniques.

Personally, I find that regardless of the studying technique I use, the one thing I need the most for the fastest and most efficient studying is... just a simple curiosity, the want to know it, the want to do it, the want to learn, when I have curiosity for what I'm learning, I pretty much remember it for lifetime and learn it incredibly fast

Notes: 1. Fully understand the complex topic first: Don't begin the learning process by explaining it before you actually understand it. Retention methods such as Feynman technique, active-recall and spaced repetition are for solidifying information that you already understand. Trying to solidify an information before you understand it might end up encoding wrong interpretation of a topic. 2. Consolidate the information concisely onto a flashcard/some other place for long term retention: Once we really understand a topic to be able to explain the core principles without having to use jargon, we should hold onto that understanding. Unfortunately, a large portion of that information that we just gathered is lost within first 48 hours after learning. So note it down somewhere before you lose it. Optimize for spaced-repetition for next sessions. 3. Don't write notes on notes: Life is short. 4. Choose your topics carefully: Not everything that you study suits this technique. Usually abstract complex ideas are best understood by Feynman technique but ideas that are evidence-based/observational might not really be suited for this. 5. Actually put the time and effort: Once you have selected the correct set of topics, make sure you actually spend the time and effort to go through the entirety of the techniques. Feynman technique is great for having a basic framework of the topic inside your head with the details chopped off. It's important to get a very clear picture of the basics in your head right - the details can be filled in later. 6. Avoid jargon and complexity. The simpler the explanation, the more likely you are to remember it. 7. Use it for real: perfectly suitable for weekly tech-talks/lectures/paper-reading sessions. 8. Simplify your explanation so that YOU understand it. As long as the explanation is not simple enough for YOU to understand, spend more hours to break it down to basic, bare-bone, core ideas.

My mother (a university professor) used to say that the best test of whether someone understood something is whether they were able to explain it to somebody else.

my atoms don't jiggle jiggle, they BOUNCE. The less they wiggle wiggle, its COLD. - i'll let myself out thank you

Principles and time codes: 2:33 - The basics 1) Identify the problem. 2) Imagine how you would explain it to a twelve-year old. 3) Look at your explanation then. Did you use too many complicated words or concepts? Can you make sound even simpler without leaving out the main things? If yes to both, redo it. 2:58 - The specifics 1) You must actually understand the problem before using the Fine-man Technique (FT). It is best suited to help you deepen you understanding, not to make your very first steps into the unknown. 2) Having successfully used the Fysics-man Technique on a complex problem such as mitosis, don't just drop it and run to the next problem. Solidify your understanding and long-term retention by applying other techniques, for example, write it on a flashcard first. 3) Writing notes on your notes on your notes and so on doesn't work. Rather than simply summarizing the contents of the notes, it's better to spend your time on a more advanced learning technique such as active recall. 4) Don't use the Funny-man Technique for every singe piece of information. It's inefficent and more than that, not all information is fit to use it on. It is best suited for large and general enough pieces of information. For other stuff, like histopathology, where you should study large amounts of pictures, it doesn't conform very well. 5) If you're using the Filanderer-man Technique, then do it properly. Invest the time and resources to achieve full effect. Cutting corners will help no one and especially not you. 6) Leave out jargon and complex words from your explanation. Use words as general as you can without butchering the original idea behind. 7) If you finally have your wonderful simplified explanation, then don't stop at your cactus, go out and tell it to other people. You will concentrate on different points while talking to different people, and emotional effect from it will ensure a better quality of retention. 8) Simplify and be on alert for any breaks in your explanation. As soon as you feel that your explanations loses coherence, go back and find the point you're not sure in, work on it and try again. Ideally, you'll want your explanation to be steady and consistent without stuttering from trying to remember what goes where.

Sensational intro and loving this series man! The danger of spaced repetition next? 🤔

I do this technique sometimes without even knowing. I explain concepts I learn in college or in books to my mom in Spanish. It forces me to understand something well and then explain it in a different language which I think adds a layer to it. I love doing this cause I have realized it helps me learn better and I will even be learning different angels of the subject while teaching it to my mom. I’ll come to realizations and make new connections while I’m explaining it.

One tip I've found helpful for improving my learning process is to actively engage with the material by creating my own summaries and asking questions about what I'm learning. Additionally, breaking up study sessions into shorter, focused chunks of time rather than marathon study sessions can help improve retention and comprehension. Finding different ways to engage with the material, such as through discussion with others or hands-on activities, can also help with understanding and retention.

This method has always helped me so much! It takes a lot of time but it’s so effective if used correctly. Love this video! ☺️

Stumbled upon your channel recently and must say this is amazing how you brought this topic to light. Most of us been taught a rudimentary way to study and consolidate so I appreciate you showing the world your trails and solutions. I just graduated from medical school and studying for step 2, I have went through my studies pretty much doing notes on notes, and yeah was inefficient looking back but I kept everything! All my notebooks and glancing through them it kinda insane I’ve written notes on notes on same topics at different times throughout my basic sciences and clinicals. Like rewriting the same tables and pathophys lol 😂 that just proves notes on notes don’t always work but just mind blowing how long it took me to realize. Now I’m just having to relearn how to learn again but hey better late than never! And if i can graduate and still have room for improvement everyone can! Never lose faith all the work you’ve done up until now is just the beginning of something even greater! 🎉 good luck everyone :) we got this

Great video Zach! Keep up the good work. Haven't made it through the video yet, but I am really hopeful that your techniques help me revamp my study process!

I like the idea how Zach studies and simplifies his lessons with the lamp, this really helps with that audience pressure once your in it for the explaining it to your other colleagues.... a way they'll understand it easily. no struggles and are straightforward information, I like that.

Thank you so much! You have a perfect command of the technique because you explain everything very well. I feel like I've been studying all my life the wrong way - writing notes, underlining sentences, and I want to finally learn how to use effective methods. Thank you!

Hi Zach! I love your videos and they inspired me so so much this summer. I’m a junior in high school now. Last year was tough and I didn’t feel smart or great enough to achieve the life I wanted. I always felt tired and my curiosity for learning new things began to deplete. Watching your videos made me smile, though, and for the first time in a long time I felt like trying new things again, and doing better not only to build a better life for my future but to nurture my happiness and appreciation for information as well. I would be happy to see your channel grow and when I make new friends at my school, I’ll definitely show these videos to them as well! Thank you!

Thank you for this! Feynman's lectures were so fun to listen to and I can't believe I never heard of them before.

To everyone out there i recommend that you stop watching these videos about how to study because believe me they will ruin you. When i was a high schooler i had my own unique technique which somehow worked for me very well although it needed some improvements but it have worked. So when i went to university i started searching about those studying techniques like flashcards, mind maps, feyman technique.. and stuff like that and after trying pretty much every technique that could exist i can assure that nothing can top the technique of yours, like when you hear someone talking about those techniques they only talk about the technical side of it like Anki is good and it has an algorithm and even Zack is using it, so technically you need to use it in order to succeed, and that is very wrong the moment i stopped watching those guys and their stupid techniques it started working for me.

One tip I usually do (though this is only for multilinguals) is to teach what I'm studying in another language. This gives me assurance that if I'm able to explain it in another language, I probably understood most of the learning material. Try it out, you never know, it might make things easier haha. Btw, great video and nice timing, Zach! This past month I've have to do a lot of studying for our mock boards and I could definitely use some of the tips you've given, so thank you!

And here I am just now learning that I've been using the Feinman technique my whole life. Well, I don't have proof but I have many reasons to think that I have some degree of ADHD and this is my best method; to just start writing down and, if possible, saying out loud what I'm learning. I find myself walking around the room just explaining to myself what I'm learning and why it works like this. Definitely worth it but so slow and not very compatible with the usual school system with short deadlines and lots of (not needed) content. Additionally it helps a lot for me to graphically see an explanation with some drawn model. No wonder why I always went through my books at a slower rate than my colleagues at school, but I finally had the good grades and I later remembered everything that I actually studied, versus my colleagues not even having a clue what it was about.

Thanks for your great inspiration ! It sets a great example for confident learning ❤

I just discovered your channel and watched some videos !! I’m already loving it! Thank you so much. I was kind of using Feynman technique the wrong way😅

This is like those videos that no asked but is soooo important for everyone, thanks man..! Big up!✌🏻

Finally, I found a video that explains throughly when and how to use those study techniques. Thank you for your informative and Impressive video:))).

Wow! It gets very simple how to summarize and get the main idea of the topics ❤️🎉 thanksssss, Zach!!! Always following you

Exceptional video Zach! Perfect timing, watched beginning to end! I always found the Feynman technique helpful in medical school, but I'd spend AGES on a single topic without being very productive and neglecting other topics. This refinement is just what I needed - and what I need right now, as I try to make more medical education RU-vid videos as well as teaching sessions for medical students & colleagues!

Really well explained, Zach. Your suggestions really add depth to the technique. Thanks for posting

you have the best videos and best tips! straight to the point and likable.

Niceee been waiting for another video thank you🙏🙏🙏

I have been doing this for a year, I never thought there was a terminology for this kind of studying technique until today. I could say it is really effective as it mimics a teacher teaching a lesson at students; except for the fact that the simplified explanation of complex ideas and concepts are coming from yourself.

Wow, this is one of your best videos yet... like Feynman, your ability to teach these metalearning concepts continues to be invaluable! Here's a future video idea: I'd love to see a video example of you breaking down a concept and translating it into anki cards. I'm struggling with combining the feynman technique w/ anki whilst also adhering to the minimal information principal! 🤯 Thanks, Zach!

Great video Zach! Keep up the good work

Thanks for being practical while explaining the Feynman techniques. You really really simplified the anaphase. It made me realise that my own version of simplified explanation is complex complex .😂💔💔

Love these videos! Genuinely find this channel very helpful.

In most cases understanding means trying to visualise/imagine what you are reading like a kind of movie adding all the information to the movie as you read more and more. Like completely visualise the flow of concepts end to end, as if you are watching a complete movie. So If you misunderstood something in between, the whole imagination wouldn't make sense in the end and you couldn't remember it, which demands you to understand that missing part also. There is another technique called mind mapping which is very useful and pretty simple.

Thanks man for all of your advices Take care and the best wishes for you and your love ones. 🌍💯

amazing content bro, really put work into it

Wow, this sounds like a great technique - thanks for sharing! Good luck to all my fellow students out here!!

You've really made my day bro, thank you very much. I've been studying wrongly all day!! Your middle video too is very funny.

Feynman to understand, Active Recall to learn& practice, Spaced Repetition to keep the information :)

What an outstanding content, keep it up ❤ love your videos

That is a very informative video. Thanks Man

Just clicked for the production quality. Appreciate the effort!

Hello from Brazil!!! Feynman lived a part of his life here, in Rio🇧🇷

As a child always use this technique to study. i used to explain stuff to my invisible students and eventually it helped me with my grades. at that time i didn't knew it was a great technique. as i grew old i fear that what if someone watches me like that, a crazy girl. so i stopped. ig that's where my downfall started.

Tutoring can be a big help: it's a nice side gig, and compels one to develop and convey the simplest and most accurate explanations.

Thank you, Zach!

I've done this basicall all my life before knowing this was an actual technique! I always found that when studying flashcards or information I'd cut out all the information I didn't deem "Important" and only the short basic explanations. I'd use comparisons to to help me understand even if no one else knew wtf I was talking about XD later I'd add on any extra info that was needed for detail and just repeat the information again and again with hand motions or some other way to recall information. When I let myself just study the way I wanted instead of the way I thought was "right" My grades SKYROCKETED and I started taking notes the same way (and now I was ACTUALLY using them instead of never looking at them again). Soon enough I had a friend of mine ask to help her study for an exam, at first I found it difficult to put my understanding to words (Which I struggled with during exams too), but then I got the hang of explaining it in a way that made sense to me AND others. That same exam I got 103% (the extra 3% was because a question was dropped for a curve). I continued studying this way and started explaining it to others, I found that I recalled WAYYYY more explaining the topic to someone for 5 minutes instead of studying for 4-5 hours. I also found I grew my understanding when the person explained it back to me. Honestly, never assume your not smart. Never assume you have mastered a topic. You can always learn, there is a world of information that you can access easier than ever and all you have to do is keep TRYING! brute force your brain into doing the learning thing by finding what works for you and with it find your love for learning.

Many study videos talk about writing notes as inefficient but none of them actually show us how to stop feeling the need to write notes as it's something we've been used to for over 19 years now

Wow your first point really got me, I am a 2nd year medical student making the very mistake you just mentioned. Thank you!

I totally agree that you should use simple words to remember concepts and keep reviewing. I actually find that if I memorize concepts using words that are too difficult, I forget them more easily. That's why I prefer to go through the process of changing the words to easier ones before memorizing them verbatim from a book.

00:00 🎓 The Feynman Technique is a powerful study method that involves explaining complex topics in simple terms to improve understanding. 00:29 🌟 When used properly, the Feynman Technique deepens your understanding and helps you make new connections between topics. 00:58 👨‍🏫 The technique is named after Richard Feynman, a renowned physicist and teacher known for simplifying complex ideas. 02:28 📝 The basic steps of the Feynman Technique include identifying the topic, imagining teaching it to a 12-year-old, and simplifying your explanation. 02:56 ⚠ Before using the Feynman Technique, it's crucial to first understand the topic to avoid reinforcing wrong information. 03:54 🔄 The focus should be on long-term retention; the video recommends using flashcards to consolidate information after using the Feynman Technique. 05:53 🗒 Traditional note-taking is not as effective for studying; techniques like space repetition and active recall are recommended instead. 06:57 🎯 Be selective about the topics you apply the Feynman Technique to; it's not suitable for every subject matter. 07:55 💡 Putting in thorough effort while using the Feynman Technique is essential for successful outcomes; half-hearted explanations yield poor understanding. 08:24 🎓 Understanding basic concepts is crucial for higher grades; without grasping the basics, one can't advance to more intricate details. 08:53 ⚙ Prepare simple explanations for complex topics; it's the essence of the Feynman Technique. 09:23 🗣 Avoid using jargon or complex language; it muddles the understanding for yourself and anyone you explain it to. 10:21 🎯 The simpler the explanation, the easier it is to visualize and understand the concept. 10:50 📊 Failing to simplify and remove jargon leads to mediocre test performance. 11:22 👨‍🏫 Teaching the topic to others not only benefits them but also helps solidify your own understanding. 11:51 📈 Teaching enhances memory retention; it's scientifically proven to be more effective than just preparing. 12:48 🎙 If possible, take the opportunity to present the topic to a real audience for better comprehension. 13:19 ⚠ If you find yourself lost during your explanation, revisit and simplify until you fully comprehend the topic. 14:17 📚 The creator has developed a comprehensive study course, covering effective study techniques and cognitive function optimization. These are the key takeaways from the video, summarizing tips and insights on effective studying and the Feynman Technique.

thank youu soo much for this guide!! even i use it and i feel this *was* required !! ❤❤❤love u zach❤❤❤

Thanks a lot! Your videos are extremely helpful & professional

Thank you🤗 for smart not hard tips!

Hello, I have some counter points: when learning something new, trying to recall it and writing it down paints a picture of our brains current progress with new learning material. And, also, the mind can prioritize things. So, lower priority for recall can be attributed to the first few time blocks of learning something new. Which would be called - generating a mental schema. (A well accepted developmental psychology theory suggests- babies look at new things and form schema and break schema, till they achieve the right one that is able to categorize information better. for example- this object is a table. ; baby then sees horse(same color and same 4 legs) baby learns and updates its schemas. This happens for life and is especially heightened when biological neurogenesis is high(birth to pre adult age ) because its not only about remembering the right stuff. its equally about forgetting the wrong stuff as well(people with autism and exceptionally amazing memories have a hard time forgetting both trauma/bad experiences). So, for people without autism and exceptional brains that should not be fed unformed unorganized data, its alright, if not absolutely essential to write it down. Because normal people forget things over time and tis great to have notes for such day. Notes based revision also help prevent the memory from degrading. But.. we don't all start at the same place. Thus, we must spend as much focus and time on a new topic as possible. then make notes of everything to remember. this becomes a reference sheet for the next sheet that will form one week or one month into the topic. You'll track how your learning progresses. After few days, naturally you will notice an increase in how much you're retaining in one go. For subject based revision, obviously use the most completely formed notes. not beginning notes. But do make them too. Because you see, otherwise, you miss out on seeing progress in speed and capacity of understanding new topics. Data is king. recalling what illformed theory you have is a great way to understand and see your biases and patterns, because without correcting them you wont be able to understand the next milestone/topics. thus this whole practice become about using the neurons capacity to remember and forget. Its important to train both because normal life cannot be achieved without a balance and working capacity of both.

Your videos make me learn a lot!

thanks for this video. as a junior high student/middle school student, i see way to may kids my age over complicate things in presentations. and what i took from this video, is not to complicate things like i seen my classmates do, but to simplify so you can understand it. i find that this will be the key part of my grade 8 year. thanks!

I listened to this dude before starting active recall and it was pretty worthy it works well for biology

Awesome video, as always! Thanks for all the advice! And I do agree completely with the whole method of teaching a topic to someone else - no doubt about the fact that it is the best way of remembering and understanding. But I don't think the example is correct. With the 3 different explanations (10:47) you are not really explaining the same thing. In the actual molecular biology explanation you are explaining how exactly (and why) the separation of the condensed chromosomes happens on a micro-level. While in the simpler explanation you are just explaining the mitosis itself on a macro-level. If it would be a correct representation of the same thing it should've been an explanation of the microtubule depolarisation and the role of the centrosome in the whole process. At least that's how I feel about it.

i think everyone needs to sort out the process of studying on their own, it doesn't come by watching methods of how to learn efficiently, the ideas occur while learning. Sure your videos and classes will have an impact on my life if I continue to start watching those but honestly, maybe it doesn't matter if I don't have the curiosity to learn what I'm learning. And i am hoping you know not every person gets to choose their field of study.

Thanks! This actually helped a lot.

I highley appreciate this 😁

Didn't know there was actually a term used to describe this. I really like this method of learning and I've been unconsciously using it for like 10 years or more... glad to see I'm not alone to think that coz of this my study sessions were taking so long and I first thought the problem was that I was just SLOW... this is really encouraging. Recently my girlfriend went into her Cardiology rotation in her residency and she'd ask me advice on how to study ECG. So I would break it down for her explaining as I would explain to a child and she'd be like "OMG I never thought of it that way..." coz she was always that top of the class superwoman study-er... hehehe and I'd be the one like.. I just wanna understand stuff.. where I wouldn't be satisfied with some of the ways our mentors would teach it coz they'd make it seem so complex sometimes...

Dude you somehow NEVER FAIL to upload the most amazing and applicable content during times of need. I literally have an exam next week so this will be really useful for me to check if I understand the content!

Man ur just really amazing, ur explaining way and the way u clarified is amazing.. Tq

a good method!it really helps to study well.thank you so much!

Can't explain how greatfull i am to be able to find this video ( thanks youtube for recommendation) i have a seminar in a few weeks and i was so tressed out because it is my fist seminar and as an introvert i Can't explain my pain and fear. I was worried sick because i don't know how i will explain my presentation and if they questioned me i don't know how to answer it. But this video simply give me an idea to present myself without any worries. I will update if i get success.

I actually loved this video. This study technique has created so many changes to my student life . But just think that , your spoken language is english and everything to study is in english, understanding concepts, simplifying it ,it's really good. In india , our spoken language is not english, but across states we have to communicate with each other in english(because languages are different in each state except some north indian states)and we have to study everything in english, so we usually have a double step work , because first we have to understand the concept (when understanding, all of us usually use our mother tongue to teach like this ) after that we have to translate it in english, sometimes it's really hard that's why now also indian students memorizing everything blindly. We know it's not good and this knowledge is temporary till exam . But to reduce the double step,students are blindly memorizing it . just sharing an indian student life .However your channel made so many changes in my study techniques, Keep uploading these type of useful videos🙂

This would help me as an incoming college freshman. Thank you for sharing a better studying technique

Hey Zach, how do you get your audio so crisp? Great visuals and video around the concepts you explain as well :)

Fact: the first thing is to really propose to sit in the chair and spend a few hours studying with the phone turned off. As the days go by, you will improve. It’s like going to the gym to work out, practicing a sport… the most important thing is to start ❤❤❤❤

For me, i just go for what i need to study i don’t go out my way simplifying anything. And just writing it down already is enough for me to understand

Amazing video, Zach! Thanks for sharing! Cheers from Brazil!

very helpful sir, thankyou so much!

Feynman is a great teacher in my book I haven’t heard a lot do it like him

"The first step is to not fool yourself because you can fool everyone but not yourself" -Richard Feynman

Wowwww! It’s get very simple summarize and make connections 😮‍💨🥰❤️

1:09 Just one correction: I think Albert Einstein couldn't be a graduate student when Feynman was giving his talks because Einstein was born is 1879 while Feynman was born in 1918. I just googled it to check whether your facts are correct. Can you please say from where you got that

Understanding is what makes every studying Difficult especially for Math. Having the ability to understand things so easily is a TALENT.

Thank you , your videos are so helpful and I'm busy studying mitosis so that was interesting ❤️

I was doing this most of the time subconsciously, and I wondered why I did better than the average student. The fun part is that when asked how do I get high grades, I simply answer that I studied well.

Hey brother bring a video about combination of Feynman technique and the anki

Keep the good content up BRO !

My biggest mistake is when i watch a syllabus-based chapter video, then see a video telling about how to study and click it

Thanks for sharing this tip

Omg! So there's a name for this type of studying technique. I'm amazed 'cause I've been doing this type of technique like since highschool and when people ask me how do I study, I always says to just teach the topic to yourself, or to the wall or even to your pets haha. I'm glad I stumbled upon this video 'cause I've never thought I could develop this technique more. Thank you!!!

Feynman's Technique is a bit time-consuming but once you apply it, it gives another level of satisfaction.

I love how he is trying to help us with these amazing techniques but for the application of this technique you might require 2-3 years of time for clearing out a semester

I use the technique simply the description/definition or in mind I repeat that as I teach students or others it really really works

The best video on RU-vid explains Feynman's technique❤

I just realized, schools should have simplified books if they truly want students to learn and absorb every lesson and topic in or out of the textbook. And I think complex and in-depth textbooks should be optional while still having the same lessons as the simplified books.

I just came across this video and found out that I've been using the Feynman's technique for pretty much my whole life, it's also frustrating since I've been mad at myself for not scoring first, although I used to be actively attentive during class and I put so much time and effort into my studies, turns out I wasn't doing it properly and just led myself to burn out, now that I've graduated, I want to fix my behaviour through another degree.

Thanks! Great video!

Good stuff!!

"If you half-assed the explanation, you will half-ass your understanding, and you will become a full ass when it comes to test day." - Zach Highly

I have a question! Once you simplify it, how do you get to recall the big terms that were simplified?

For tip #3, it's not like you can't do mind maps to understand the material and how it connects to other subjects. Having that said, summary sheets are a bit of a waste of time unless you're doing so to create case trials or new problems to solve so that you can summarize the techniques used along with their pros/cons and what would've worked better in that scenario IN YOUR OWN WORDS and preferably with pictures in the summary.

Such great info!!

5min after watching this video , i am scrolling on yt shorts