study smart !

 1. IDENTIFY THE SUBJECT

 Write down everything you know about the topic. Each time you run into new sources of information, add them to the note.

2. TEACH IT TO A CHILD

If you can teach a concept to a child, you’re way ahead of the game. Start with a blank note and write the topic or subject you want to teach. Then, below that topic, write everything you know about it. But, the trick is to write it plainly and simply — so that a child can understand what you’re talking about.

Doing this takes into consideration a few things:

Speaking in plain terms: Children don’t understand jargon or a lexicon of dense vocabulary. Science is full of complex terminology, which is the reason Feynman’s diagrams became so valuable. His charts illustrated things that other scientists delivered marathon lectures about.

When we speak without jargon, it frees us from hiding behind knowledge we don’t have. Big words and fluffy “business speak” cripples us from getting to the point and passing knowledge to others.

Brevity: 

The attention span of a child requires you to deliver concepts as if you were pitching a business idea during one short elevator ride. You better get the concept out before those doors open. Children also don’t have the ability — or mental capacity, to understand anything longer than that.

If you had difficulty putting thoughts into your note, that shows you have room to improve. This is also where the power of creativity can help you reach new heights in learning.

For Feynman, much of the pleasure in science was in this first step — unraveling his levels of understanding.

3. IDENTIFY YOUR KNOWLEDGE GAPS

This is the point where the real learning happens. What are you missing? What don’t you know?

Highlighting knowledge gaps will help you when you collect and organize your notes into a cohesive story (which is the next step.) Now you can call upon your source material (lecture notes, ideas, etc.) when you run into questions about how much you do know about your topic.

If you don’t know something, hit the books. Go back to the source material and compile information that will help you fill in the cracks.

4. ORGANIZE + SIMPLIFY + TELL A STORY

Start to tell your story. Piece together your notes and begin to spin a tale using concise explanations. Bring the most vital pieces of your knowledge about the topic together.

Practice reading your story out loud. Pretend to tell the story to a classroom of students. That way, you’ll hear where language stops being simple. Stumbles could indicate incomplete thoughts.

Use analogies and simple sentences to strengthen your understanding of the story.

This sentence, written by Feynman, encapsulates the power of this technique. What started as a question about our existence has been translated into a single sentence that can be understood by a middle school student.

“All things are made of atoms — little particles that move around in perpetual motion, attracting each other when they are a little distance apart, but repelling upon being squeezed into one another.”

Basically, Feynman says that if you know nothing about physics, the most essential scientific knowledge to understand is that everything is made up of atoms. In one simple sentence, Feynman conveys the foundational existence of our universe. It’s a master class not just for scientists, but for writers of any stripe. Get to the hypothesis in as few words as possible. Avoid clunky, verbose language.

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This post is little different...

Simple posts comming soon..

TOPPERS SECRET by Harshal Bondre