How To Train Yourself To Be A Genius (5 Methods)

Summary

Justin Sung argues that people can train themselves to learn and think more effectively. In this video, “genius” refers to academic strengths—especially strong memory, deep understanding, and the ability to apply knowledge flexibly—not every kind of intelligence. These abilities are not necessarily fixed: the brain can adapt through neuroplasticity, though changing established learning habits takes sustained effort, often over months or years.

The central idea is to move beyond learning facts in isolation. Deep processing means connecting new information to other ideas, organizing it into meaningful groups, and judging which relationships or structures matter most. These connections make knowledge easier to remember, understand, and apply in unfamiliar situations.

Four Levels of Learning

From lower to higher:

1. Isolated information: Memorizing facts, rereading or rewriting notes, and using flashcards for basic recall. The material is treated as separate pieces.
2. Application: Using information in a different context, such as changing variables in a problem or applying an idea to a real-world situation.
3. Relationships and groups: Connecting ideas through similarities, differences, causes and effects, or other patterns, then organizing them into meaningful groups. This creates a more connected network of knowledge.
4. Prioritization and judgment: Comparing different ways of organizing material and deciding which relationships, groups, or overall frameworks matter most in a given context.

Sung says most common study habits stay at the lower levels because they are easier and require less active thinking. Higher-level learning can feel confusing or effortful at first, but repeated practice can make it more natural.

Five Methods for Improving Learning

Short-Term Strategies

1. Identify your current level of learning. Look at what your study techniques actually make you think about. Ask whether you are mainly recalling isolated facts, applying ideas, connecting concepts, or comparing whole frameworks. Bloom’s revised taxonomy and the SOLO taxonomy are suggested as references for thinking about learning levels.

2. Move up one level at a time. Add techniques that require the next level of thinking above your current one. Increase the challenge gradually rather than jumping straight from basic memorization to complex synthesis. For example, if you mostly memorize facts, begin by applying them or connecting a few related ideas.

3. Create a structure before studying in depth. Before a lecture or main study session, spend roughly 10–15 minutes previewing the topic. Consider the whole topic, rather than only one lesson at a time, so you can spot connections across lessons. Identify three or four main ideas and work out how they relate. If time allows, break each main idea into two to four sub-ideas and consider their relationships too. The goal is to build a basic framework that gives incoming information a place to fit—not to master the material in advance.

4. Delay note-taking. Don’t automatically write down information as soon as you hear or read it. First, hold it in mind, process it, ask questions, and try to make sense of it in your own terms. Once it makes sense, write notes in your own words. Sung’s reasoning is that immediate note-taking can offload the mental work of organizing information, creating the appearance of studying without much encoding.

Long-Term Strategies

1. Build cognitive-load tolerance and reflect on your methods.
   • Build tolerance gradually: Higher-order learning requires active mental effort and may involve uncertainty or confusion. Practising the short-term strategies over time can help you become more comfortable with that effort.
   • Critically review your study system: Identify which parts actually improve understanding and memory, and which merely feel productive. Keep or strengthen what works; remove or revise what does not.
   • Adapt your approach: Understand why a technique works so you can troubleshoot problems and adjust your methods rather than relying on a fixed routine.

Overall, the video presents effective learning as a trainable skill: make knowledge more connected and organized, practise increasingly demanding forms of thinking, and evaluate whether your study habits produce genuine learning.

Speakers and Sources Featured

• Speaker: Dr. Justin Sung, who identifies himself as a medical doctor and learning coach.
• Frameworks named: Revised Bloom’s taxonomy and the SOLO taxonomy.
• Other source discussed: Neuroplasticity research is mentioned broadly; no individual researchers or other speakers are named in the subtitles.