The Feynman Technique: How to Learn Anything Deeply and Never Forget It

What is the Feynman Technique?

The Feynman Technique is a mental model and learning method named after Richard Feynman, the Nobel Prize-winning physicist famous for his ability to explain complex ideas in strikingly simple language. Feynman believed that if you couldn't explain something simply, you didn't truly understand it.

At its core, the technique forces you to move beyond passive reading and highlighting into active understanding. Instead of memorising definitions, you reconstruct knowledge in your own words — exposing every gap, assumption, and fuzzy area along the way.

"The first principle is that you must not fool yourself — and you are the easiest person to fool."

— Richard Feynman

The Science: Why Your Brain Forgets (And How to Stop It)

Before diving into the steps, it's worth understanding the science behind why conventional studying fails — and why the Feynman Technique works.

The Forgetting Curve

In 1885, German psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus discovered something alarming. After learning new material, his subjects forgot:

• 50% within 30 minutes
• 70-80% within 24 hours
• 90% within one week

He plotted these results into what's now called the forgetting curve — an exponential decay of memory over time when there's no attempt to retain it. A century later, researchers replicated his study with nearly identical results. Your brain is wired to forget.

The Illusion of Competence

Re-reading notes, highlighting textbooks, and watching lecture recordings create a dangerous feeling called the illusion of competence. You recognise the material when you see it, so your brain tricks you into thinking you know it.

But here's the critical distinction:

The gap between these two is where most students fail — and where the Feynman Technique shines.

Why Active Recall Beats Everything

Research in cognitive science consistently shows that active recall — retrieving information from memory without looking at your notes — is far more effective than passive review.

Data synthesised from Dunlosky et al. (2013) "Improving Students' Learning With Effective Learning Techniques" and Karpicke & Blunt (2011) research on retrieval practice.

The Feynman Technique is essentially a structured form of active recall combined with simplification. It forces your brain to retrieve, organise, and articulate knowledge — the exact processes that build strong memory traces.

The Four Steps of the Feynman Technique

Think of these four steps as a cycle, not a straight line. You'll loop through them multiple times as your understanding deepens.

Step 1: Choose a Concept

Pick the topic, idea, or concept you want to learn. Write the name at the top of a blank page. This could be anything — a physics equation, a historical event, a programming pattern, or a philosophical argument.

The key rule: Be specific. Don't write "Biology." Write "How mRNA carries genetic instructions from DNA to ribosomes during translation."

Why specificity matters: Broad topics let you hide behind vague understanding. Narrow topics force precision. If you can't state exactly what you're trying to learn in one sentence, you're not ready to start.

Step 2: Explain It in Simple Language

Write an explanation of the concept as if you were teaching it to someone who has never encountered it before — a child, a friend outside your field, or a complete beginner.

Use plain language. Avoid jargon, technical terms, and abbreviations. If you must use a specialised term, define it immediately in simple words.

This is where the magic happens. As you write, you'll hit walls — places where your explanation becomes vague, circular, or hand-wavy. Those walls are your knowledge gaps.

Step 3: Identify Gaps and Go Back to the Source

When you find an area where your explanation breaks down, that's your signal. Go back to your textbook, lecture notes, or original source material and re-study that specific section.

Don't just re-read it. Actively work through it:

• Ask yourself why it works that way
• Try to connect it to something you already understand
• Look for analogies and concrete examples
• Break complex processes into smaller sub-steps

Then return to your blank page and try explaining it again. This loop — explain, fail, study, re-explain — is where deep learning happens.

Step 4: Simplify and Use Analogies

Once your explanation is complete and gap-free, refine it. Make it even simpler. Find analogies that connect the concept to everyday experience.

Good analogies aren't just clever — they create mental hooks that make information stick in long-term memory. The brain remembers stories, images, and connections far better than isolated facts.

Watch: The Feynman Technique in Action

Sometimes seeing the technique in practice is more powerful than reading about it.

The Feynman Technique — Ali Abdaal

Ali Abdaal — a doctor turned educator with millions of subscribers — demonstrates how he used the Feynman Technique throughout medical school. He emphasises one key insight: the techniques that feel easy (re-reading, highlighting) don't work, and the techniques that feel hard (active recall, Feynman) do.

A Practical Example: Understanding Compound Interest

Let's walk through the Feynman Technique with a concrete example so you can see exactly how it works in practice.

Concept: Compound interest. Let's see how the technique transforms a rough first attempt into a polished explanation.

The gap identified: The first attempt couldn't explain how compound interest differs from simple interest, what happens over long periods, or the formula. Going back to the source material filled those gaps.

Notice the difference? The second version uses an analogy (snowball), addresses the comparison (simple vs. compound), explains the long-term impact, and connects to a real-world insight. That's the Feynman Technique at work.

Quick Reference: When to Use Each Step

Not sure when the Feynman Technique is the right tool? Here's a quick guide:

Five Ways to Supercharge the Feynman Technique

The Feynman Technique becomes even more powerful when paired with complementary study methods.

1. Combine with Spaced Repetition

After creating your simplified explanation, review it at increasing intervals — after 1 day, 3 days, 7 days, 14 days. This combats the forgetting curve and moves knowledge into long-term memory. Each review takes less time because your explanation is already simplified.

2. Start with a Mind Map

Before writing your explanation, create a mind map of the concept and its connections. This helps you see the big picture and identify which sub-topics need the most attention. You'll know where to focus your Feynman explanation.

3. Turn Explanations into Flashcards

Turn your simplified explanations into flashcard questions. "Explain compound interest in simple terms" on the front, your refined explanation on the back. Now you've combined Feynman with active recall AND spaced repetition — the ultimate study trifecta.

4. Record Yourself (The LPC Method)

Instead of writing, grab your phone and record a 2-minute video of yourself explaining the concept. Watching it back reveals hesitations, "ums," and vague hand-waving that writing can hide. This is Thomas Frank's adapted LPC Method — Learn, Present, Critique.

5. Use the Pomodoro Technique for Focus

Use 25-minute focused sessions to work through one concept at a time. The Feynman Technique requires deep focus, and time-boxing prevents the burnout that comes from trying to explain five concepts in one sitting.

Common Mistakes (And How to Avoid Them)

Mistake 1: Using jargon in your explanation

If your "simple" explanation includes terms like "homeostasis" or "polymorphism" without defining them, you're not simplifying — you're summarising. There's a critical difference. The fix: Pretend your audience has never taken a class in this subject.

Mistake 2: Skipping Step 3

It's tempting to gloss over gaps with vague language like "it basically works by..." or "this somehow connects to..." These are red flags. Every "somehow" and "basically" is an admission that you don't fully understand. The fix: Treat vague language as an alarm bell. Stop and go back to the source immediately.

Mistake 3: Only doing it once

The Feynman Technique is iterative. Your first explanation will be rough. Your second will be better. Your third will be sharp, concise, and deeply internalised. The fix: Plan for at least 2-3 passes on important concepts.

Mistake 4: Making it too long

A good Feynman explanation is concise. If your explanation of a single concept runs to multiple pages, you're probably not simplifying enough. The fix: Set a constraint — explain it in 5 sentences or less. Constraints force clarity.

Mistake 5: Choosing topics that are too broad

"Explain machine learning" is too broad. "Explain how a decision tree splits data" is specific enough to Feynman. The fix: If your topic has more than 3 sub-components, break it into separate Feynman sessions.

The Research Behind It

The Feynman Technique isn't just a clever study hack — it's grounded in decades of cognitive science research:

• Generation Effect (Slamecka & Graf, 1978) — Information you generate yourself is remembered better than information you passively read
• Testing Effect (Roediger & Karpicke, 2006) — Actively retrieving information strengthens memory more than re-studying
• Elaborative Interrogation (Dunlosky et al., 2013) — Asking "why" and "how" during study produces deeper learning than surface-level review
• Dual Coding Theory (Paivio, 1986) — Combining verbal explanations with visual analogies creates stronger memory traces

How Notesmakr Helps You Apply the Feynman Technique

Notesmakr was built with the Feynman Technique at its heart. Here's how the app supports each step:

• Collect material from any source — textbooks, articles, videos, lecture notes — and organise it in one place
• Write simplified explanations in your own words using the personal notes feature
• Generate flashcards and quizzes from your notes to test your understanding and identify gaps
• Create mind maps to visualise how concepts connect before you start explaining
• Use the AI tutor to ask questions when you hit a knowledge gap — get explanations tailored to your level
• Track your progress with spaced repetition reminders so you review your Feynman explanations at the right intervals

Download Notesmakr for free: App Store · Google Play

Start Today

You don't need special tools to start using the Feynman Technique — just a blank page and genuine curiosity. Here's your challenge:

1. Pick one concept you're studying right now
2. Set a 10-minute timer
3. Write an explanation using only words a 12-year-old would understand
4. Circle every place where you got stuck or vague
5. Go back to your source material and fill those gaps
6. Rewrite your explanation

Where your explanation stumbles, that's where your real learning begins.

"I learned very early the difference between knowing the name of something and knowing something."

— Richard Feynman