The Feynman Technique: Explain It Like You're Five
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Richard Feynman had a deceptively simple test for understanding: if you can't explain something in plain language, you don't actually understand it. The jargon you use isn't knowledge — it's a hiding place for the gaps in your knowledge.
Here's how to use it. Pick a concept you're studying. Write an explanation as if you're teaching a curious child — no technical terms allowed. When you get stuck or vague, that's your gap. Go back to the source material, fill the gap, and simplify again. Repeat until the explanation flows naturally. The goal isn't dumbing things down — it's reaching a level of clarity where complexity becomes unnecessary.
The point
If you can't explain a concept in simple words, you don't truly understand it — simplicity reveals the gaps in your knowledge.
Living experience
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I use rubber duck debugging but for concepts, not code — I keep a cheap notebook and write out explanations as if I'm writing a Wikipedia article for a curious 12-year-old. Every time I hit a sentence I can't finish without jargon, that's exactly where my understanding breaks down.
The notebook part is underrated — typing feels like thinking but handwriting forces you to actually commit to a sentence structure.