It is said that there are three simple steps to mastering any subject: understanding concepts that you previously never quite understood, remembering that which you have learnt and simply studying more efficiently. This is the premise of the Feynman Technique, a mental model named after Richard Feynman, a Nobel Prize winning physicist.

The first of the three steps is to start with a blank sheet on which you write – at the top – the subject that you want to learn. You then write down all that you know about the subject, but with a slight variation, doing so as if you are teaching an eight-year-old. So, you use basic concepts and relationships. Why? Simply because people have a tendency to use complicated vocabulary and jargon to mask their lack of understanding. In addition, by using jargon, you are concealing your misunderstanding to those around you. You are merely fooling yourself.

Feynman highlights: “The first principle is that you must not fool yourself and you are the easiest person to fool.” He contends that, if you force yourself to write for an eight-year-old, you are, in essence, forcing yourself to understand the concept at a deeper level and simplify relationships and connections between ideas. In the instance, or instances, where you struggle, you have a clear understanding of where you have some gaps. This struggle is a good one, as it signifies an opportunity to learn. Step 1 is to ‘name the concept’.

The second step involves ‘reviewing’. The gaps will provide you with an invaluable insight of the ‘edge of your knowledge’. It is said that “competence is knowing the limit of your abilities”. That said, you have just identified one.

Now your learning starts. You are, in a sense, at ground zero. You now know where you struggle, and now need to revert to the source material and relearn. This you would need to repeat until you are able to explain it in basic terms.

The added advantage of identifying the boundaries of your understanding is that it also limits the mistakes that you are liable to make and it increases your chances of success when applying your knowledge.

The third and final step is to ‘organise and simplify’. Armed with your set of hand-crafted notes, you are able to undertake a review to ensure that you have not taken any of the jargon from any source material and that the words and the concepts are your own. What remains is for you to organise your notes into a simple story that flows. Now, simply read your story out loud. If the explanation is not simple or sounds confusing, this is a good indication that your understanding in that area requires additional work.

So, you thought that was the end of the story? Did you not read that there are three steps? Well, there is a fourth step – ‘transmit’ – which is optional. According to Feynman, if you truly want to ensure that you understand something, you need to discuss it with an eight-year-old child. Good luck with that, as that is my life at the moment. You cannot find an eight-year-old child? Well, you could ultimately test the capacity of your knowledge by conveying it to anyone really.

Essentially, the Feynman Technique intuitively holds that intelligence is a process of growth. This mindset is consistent with that of Carol Dweck, who contends in A Growth Mindset: “No matter what your ability is, effort is what ignites that ability and turns it into accomplishments.”