Understand and Use Spaced Repetition
You forget most of what you learn if you only see it once. Revisiting material at increasing intervals locks it in for the long haul — with less total effort.
The forgetting curve
After learning something, you lose a large chunk of it within days if you don't revisit it. This is the forgetting curve — normal and universal. Spaced repetition counters it: each review relaunches memory just before total forgetting kicks in. With each recall, the trace gets stronger and lasts longer without upkeep.
Intervals that keep growing
The classic schedule: review a concept the next day, then 3 days later, then a week, then two weeks, then a month. Each successful review pushes the next one further out. If you miss a recall, you reset to a shorter interval. The point isn't to review everything every day — it's to review the right thing at the right time, which saves an enormous amount of effort.
Working it into your schedule
You can manage spaced repetition with software like Anki, or manually with a calendar and card stacks. The secret is planning your reviews from the start of the semester, not the night before exams. Fifteen minutes a day spread over two months will always beat ten hours of panic cramming.
Apply it now
- Note the date you learn each key concept.
- Schedule a first review the following day.
- Extend the interval with each successful review.
- Reset to a short interval whenever you miss a recall.
- Block a fixed daily slot for these reviews.
Frequently asked
Does this work with a packed schedule?
It's literally built for that. By spreading reviews out, you do less each day and avoid all-nighters.