Einstein and Feynman's "Quick Learning Secret"

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Editor's note: If you want to adapt quickly to this rapidly changing world, you must learn everything more efficiently. There is no doubt about that. So how to learn quickly and efficiently? Thomas Oppong collated the learning methods of the two great men Einstein and Feynman, published in Medium, with the article titled "2 secrets to learning anything faster: lessons from albert einstein and richard feynman".

Live to be old, learn to be old. We are constantly exploring and learning new ideas, principles, habits, and institutions that will consciously or unconsciously improve our lives.

Deliberate learning speeds up the learning process. When you choose to focus on a certain aspect, rather than gradually mastering life skills unconsciously, you speed up the learning process.

This type of learning will not only help you solidify your career, but it will also help you take full control and plan your life.

Faster and better learning can also improve your future life prospects. The ability to learn faster can give you a greater advantage in your career and make you more competitive. Diligent study can make you smarter.

If you want to master anything quickly, learn from Albert Einstein and Richard Feynman, the world's most influential physicists, who provide very practical advice to help you speed up your learning.

Albert Einstein: Enjoy the process of learning

Einstein's discovery completely changed our understanding of the universe. According to Einstein's theory, improving learning ability is a happy and interesting thing, and while being a happy learner, you will also become a fast learner.

In 1915, Einstein completed a two-page masterpiece that propelled him to the most glorious moment of his life, the birth of general relativity. He then sent a letter to his 11-year-old son (Hans Albert), who was studying piano, saying:

"I'm very happy that you play the piano. In my opinion, at your current age, playing the piano and doing carpentry are the best activities, even more beneficial than going to school, especially for small children of your age. When playing the piano, try to play the repertoire that makes you happy, even if the teacher does not assign such homework. When you are happily immersed in something, you don't feel the passage of time, and this is the best way to learn. I sometimes get so obsessed with work that I forget to eat lunch..."

Enjoy what you've learned, and this kind of thinking can be hard to understand, especially when you're trying to master a difficult subject. But if you're learning happily, you'll find that it's not that hard.

If you want to learn faster and better, choose a topic that interests you, provided you've mastered what you've learned. What makes learning meaningful is that you should be able to answer "Why am I learning this?" at any time? ”。

If you need to learn something to advance your career, there are strategies you can use that will make the learning process more interesting. For example, if you find learning to code boring, use the process to build what interests you.

You can also link your actions to your learning progress – keep an eye on your progress in learning and visualize it. Progress itself pays off. You can also create an environment to help you discover how learning progress gives back to you:

"When a person performs an activity, he is completely immersed in a mental state of being engrossed and fully enjoying the whole process."

In discovering progress, people often experience endless fun and the thrill of being fully integrated into life. The more you enjoy what you've learned, the more likely you are to master it faster.

Einstein may have changed our understanding of the universe, but remember that he did so by enjoying his work and constantly improving in the process. So, the next time you choose to learn something, find a fun way to learn it.

Richard Feynman: Teaching is learning

Richard Feynman is known as the "great docent" who is revered for his ability to explain complex and esoteric topics such as quantum mechanics to anyone in plain language. He was also awarded the Nobel Prize for his work in quantum mechanics.

Richard Feynman always wanted to know more and learn more. He once said, "I was born ignorant and I only had a short time to change that." ”

His method of accelerating learning (Feynman's technique) is: explaining or imparting what you have learned to others. This approach can help you learn better and remember more of what you've learned. Feynman techniques are described in James Grecker's biography Genius: Richard Feynman's Life and Scientific Career. The brain pickings website quotes a passage from James Glauchy:

"He doesn't focus on any kind of skill, he teaches himself to play drums, massage, storytelling, clubbing, he thinks these skills have rules to follow..."

According to Feynman, the true hallmark of a genius is the ability to explain everything simply. Language is so simple that you can explain a thing to an 8-year-old.

Einstein agreed with this statement. He once said, "If you can't explain a concept succinctly then you don't really understand it." ”

For thousands of years, it has been known that the best way to understand a concept is to explain it to others. The Roman philosopher Seneca also once said, "Learn by teaching."

According to research, learners have a deeper understanding of what they have learned when they explain/impart concepts to others, or immediately apply concepts to examples.

No matter how well you think about it, it will not be more effective than if you let others understand them. When you're sharing, you'll remember better. This way not only tests your understanding, but also forces you to think more deeply.

So, if nothing else, teach others for your own sake. Whatever you choose to learn, you can teach others by creating a blog, podcast, or video channel. You will benefit from your own learning progress.

Shane Parrish writes, "The Feynman technique is not only a wonderful way to learn, but also a window into different ways of thinking, allowing you to forget the concepts you have learned before and reinterpret them yourself."

You may not be a scientist, but Feynman's approach to learning is useful and applicable to anything we want to learn. Imparting what you've learned to others is one of the fastest ways to acquire new knowledge and preserve the original. The ultimate test of whether you have truly mastered a piece of knowledge is to see how capable you are of passing it on to others.

So if you want to master even the simplest skills, ideas, and topics, try to enjoy the learning process and take the time to teach someone what you know while having fun.

Translator: Makiyuki

Source: Xinhua No. 36Kr