Genius Thinking

A 60 seconds system to learn 10x faster (from a Nobel Prize winning physicist)

The Feynman Technique: 

@ProfFeynman This framework is from the Nobel Prize-winning physicist Richard Feynman.

With it, you’ll:

Learn faster, think clearer, and become smarter than 95% of your friends.

Here’s the 4-step framework… 

Grab a pen + paper.

Write what you want to learn at the top. Write all curious questions.

Search for answers and repeat until ready.

Break it down for a 5-year-old.

Use simple words, draw pictures, use arrows, and analogies...

Explain:

• What is it?
• Why does it matter?
• What problem does it solve?

If you can't explain to a 5-year-old, you don't understand.

Review.

After 1st draft, review your notes:

• Where did I stumble?
• What's confusing?
• Any jargon?

Circle those parts and note them down below. Now let's relearn.

Refine it.

Simplify if too complex.
Teach again if not confident.
Draw if relationships are unclear.

You're a sculptor.

Carve away until it's simplified, logical, and concise.

4 steps to remember what you learn:

Step 1: Ask → Answer.
Step 2: Simplify for a 5-year-old.
Step 3: Review &amp; Relearn.
Step 4: Refine.

This is only surface level

Self-directed learning, feedback loops, and effective retrieval are needed to get the most out of the Feynman Technique.

If interested, my template will teach you how the why and how behind the infamous technique:

https://feynmanism.gumroad.com/l/feynmantechnique 

I hope you've found this thread helpful.

Follow @Feynmanism_ for more.

Like/Repost the quote below if you can:

A “razor” is a rule of thumb that simplifies decision-making.

The 7 most powerful razors I’ve found:

(Explain in 60 seconds) 

@ProfFeynman 1. The Feynman Razor:

Understanding is different from knowing.

Knowing means reciting, but understanding goes deeper.

Simplify a concept as much as possible.

If you can convey the point that way, you understand. 

2.  Occam's Razor The simplest explanation is usually the best one. Avoid unnecessary complexities when making decisions. 

3.  Pareto Principle (80/20 Rule) Focus on the 20% of inputs that yield 80% of the results. Prioritize tasks and activities accordingly. 

4.  The Dunning-Kruger Effect Incompetent individuals tend to overestimate their own abilities. Be aware of your limitations and seek feedback from others. 

5.  Confirmation Bias: People tend to favor information that confirms their existing beliefs. Actively seek out alternative viewpoints and challenge your own assumptions. 

6.  The Halo Effect: Our overall impression of a person influences how we perceive their specific traits. Avoid snap judgments and consider individual qualities separately. 

7.  The Sunk Cost Fallacy: People continue investing in something because they have already invested time, money, or effort, even if it no longer makes sense. Assess decisions based on future prospects rather than past investments. 

8.  The Law of Diminishing Returns: After a certain point, the additional input or effort put into something yields progressively smaller results. 

If you want more mental models to sharpen the mind and improve your life, I've created something for you.

Feynman Mental Models -- Guide To Think Sharper, Decision Making, Learning Faster.

You can get it for free below 👇
https://feynmanism.gumroad.com/l/mentalmodels

A "cognitive bias" is a systematic error in thinking that ruins decision-making.

The 12 most powerful cognitive biases I've found: 

Parkinson's Law: work expands to fill the time given.

When we have more time, we tend to procrastinate and become inefficient.

A good reminder to track your tasks duration and energy level. 

Goodhart's Law:

When a measure becomes a goal, it stops being a good measure.

I.g: Exams and standard admission shifted the focus of education.

It's no longer about the students, but about grades and pay. 

The Curse of Knowledge:

Experts assume everyone knows what they know.

But they struggle to teach or lead effectively for those still learning.

Simplicity is an art. 

The Bandwagon Effect:

We humans are social creatures, which has its benefits.

But there's a downside too...

We often follow the crowd without thinking, just because everyone else is doing it.

Beware of the Bandwagon Effect, it's like "groupthink" and can be risky. 

Egocentric Bias:

We tend to think more highly of ourselves than we should.

In group activities, we overestimate our contributions compared to others. 

Cynicism

"Cynical people may seem smarter, but research suggests they're actually less intelligent.

Deep cynicism is a defense mechanism (may results in neuroticism), not a sign of true intelligent.

Moderate dose advised. 

Skinner's Law:

• When procrastinating, you have 2 choices:

1. Make not doing it more painful than doing it.

2. Make doing it more enjoyable than not doing it. 

Hofstadter's Law:

Projects always take longer and cost more than you expect, even when you consider Hofstadter's Law.

Double the time, triple the cost—despite your best calculations. 

Elon's Law:

Beat Hofstadter's Law with an insanely ambitious deadline. Even if it takes 3x longer, you're still ahead of the game.

Elon Musk missing his super deadlines is a feature, not a bug. 

Loss Aversion

Discovered by scientists Tversky and Kahneman, it reveals that the pain of losing is stronger than the pleasure of winning.

As a result, humans will go to greater lengths to avoid losses than to pursue gains. 

Hitchen's Razor:

Claims without evidence can't be verified. When in doubt, clarify and ask for proof. 

The Discomfort Zone Razor:

Embrace discomfort for growth.

Seek comfort and for stagnation.

1000 uncomfortable hours &gt; 10,000 comfortable hours. 

Occam's Razor:

• Simple assumptions are often right.

• Don't overcomplicate things with too many assumptions. 

If you want my collection of mental models, cognitive biases, and cognitive tendencies, grab a copy of my product here:

https://feynmanism.gumroad.com/l/mentalmodels

Leonardo da Vinci was the most creative person in history.

He left us over 7000 pages of sketches and notes that, 500 years later, historians yet to decode.

6 times Da Vinci correctly predicted and invented the future: 🧵 

1/ Da Vinci's anatomical discoveries...

• First to describe the heart as a 4-chambered muscle
• Recognized coronary artery disease 150 years before physicians

He once dissected 30+ cadavers to understand anatomy: 

2/ The Last Supper was a math puzzle for future mathematicians.

Da Vinci used perspective to draw focus to Christ:

All lines in the painting converge at a single vanishing point behind Jesus' right temple.

@Culture_Crit has a great post on this:
https://x.com/Culture_Crit/status/1818373978882208173

3/ Da Vinci revolutionized painting techniques through chemistry:

• Created custom pigments with 5% beeswax
• Experimented with oil paints (new at the time)

Mona Lisa's eyes was Da Vinci's signature painting technique, sfumato in action. Art and optics, perfectly merged. 

4/ Da Vinci had a visionary engineer mind:

• Designed a proto-helicopter ("Aerial Screw")
• Invented the modern mitered canal lock
• Sketched a parachute (successfully tested 500 YEARS later!)

Da Vinci is left-handed and wrote backwards and can only be read in a mirror... 

There're conspiracies on why behind Leo's writing, here're a few:

1. He was left-handed (prevented smudging)
2. Kept his discoveries secret
3. Just liked being different

For me, it's probably all of the above. 

5/ Da Vinci predicted Earthshine:

He figured this out when most people didn't even know Earth orbited the sun.

He described the faint glow on the dark part of a crescent moon a sunlight reflecting off Earth onto the moon. 

6/ Da Vinci's legacy is filled with thousands of pages of unpublished notes.

Some say his secrecy is a loss to humanity.

Others think he was a master procrastinator. Walter Isaacson explains: ↓ 

"Learning is the only thing the mind never exhausts, never fears, and never regrets." - Leonardo da Vinci

Thank you for reading.

What was your biggest takeaway from this thread?

Follow me @geniusgtx for more threads to become a genius thinker. 