Dilip Mukerjea writes in his new book, Learning How to Learn (not yet released; still in the works; this is a sneak preview!):

The Feynman Perspective and Method for Learning! 

The Nobel Laureate physicist Richard Feynman - and overall great man - once said, “Study hard what interests you the most in the most undisciplined, irreverent, and original manner possible.” 

How does this help you in studying? 

Here is what he had to say about it. 

1. Write the name of what you are studying at the top of a blank piece of paper. 

2. Write an explanation of what you are studying. Throw away all the jargon and pretend you are explaining this concept to someone new. Highlight what you know, and pinpoint what you do not. 

3. Review what you have pinpointed, then go back to the original material of what you are studying and re-read it. Then repeat step 2. 

4. Avoid the jargon and try to create a broad analogy of what you are studying. 

This approach allows you to develop a fundamental-level understanding of what you are studying. 

What often happens to those who “study” and end up failing is that they do not actually understand the material; they have just memorised it. 

Feynman also had something to say about this. “I do not know what’s the matter with people: they don’t learn by understanding, they learn by some other way — by rote or something. Their knowledge is so fragile!” 

Feynman sought to ensure that he was not “learning” like this, and that he would never opt to render this approach to learning for his students.