Spaced repetition systems have gotten better

Spaced repetition recap Mastering any subject is built on a foundation of knowledge: knowledge of facts, of heuristics, or of problem-solving tactics. If a subject is part of your full-time job, then you’ll likely master it through repeated exposure to this knowledge. But for something you’re working on part-time—like myself learning Japanese—it’s very difficult to get that level of practice. The same goes for subjects in school: a few hours of class or homework a week is rarely enough to build up an enduring knowledge base, especially in fact-heavy subjects like history or medicine. Even parts of your life that you might not think of as learning-related can be seen through this lens: wouldn’t all those podcasts and Hacker News articles feel more worthwhile, if you retained the information you gathered from them indefinitely? Spaced repetition systems are one of the most-developed answers to this problem. They’re software programs which essentially display flashcards, with the promp ... Read full article.