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Yearly analytics on my spaced repetition results

natemeyvis.com

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Re: Yearly analytics on my spaced repetition results

#51

Post by pessimizer »

rjh29 wrote: post #11
santoshalper wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think they just enjoy memorizing things. Roughly the equivalent of meeting someone who runs 10 miles a day. They enjoy it and it has some benefit to their life as well, even though they are probably far past the point of diminishing returns.

More precisely, enjoys memorizing things but isn't good at it. Professonal quizzers can absorb huge amounts of information but typically don't use flashcards. OP is grinding thousands of cards a day to get to the same level - worthy of respect!

> Professonal quizzers can absorb huge amounts of information but typically don't use flashcards.

Professional quizzers almost all use flashcards. Jeopardy! people definitely do. The range of questions that you can ask in a general knowledge quiz are surprisingly limited. You're not going beyond a surface-level overview on anything. Do a ton of general knowledge flashcards for a year and you'll annihilate people at pub quizzes.

I suppose you could just read encyclopedias over and over again, and books of lists.

Re: Yearly analytics on my spaced repetition results

#52

Post by williamsss »

I would have liked to see statistics on study session length eg. average duration. Also how long you typically spend creating per card and how many you created this year.

That information would help us all better assess whether the time spent on a spaced repetition flashcard system is justified

Re: Yearly analytics on my spaced repetition results

#53

Post by BeetleB »

naet wrote: post #36
BeetleB wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Random example: In my last job I would point out JS language features that would have made my coworker's code more concise and canonical. I hadn't done any JS coding beyond a few examples from a tutorial. There's no way I would have retained that knowledge otherwise. There are many such examples. In general it's extremely useful for retaining things you are not going to develop muscle memory for. "Memorizing by doing…

So you have cards for JavaScript features? What do they look like?

Basic stuff like syntax, macros of common functions etc.

Re: Yearly analytics on my spaced repetition results

#54

Post by IncreasePosts »

hn_user82179 wrote: post #31
redfloatplane wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> but typically don't use flashcards Can you elaborate on this? I watch an unhealthy amount of University Challenge and I assumed that the vast majority of contestants would use flash cards as a trivia retention tool. Most people I've met who need to rely on large amounts of accurate but relatively dispersed knowledge (law students, say, or specific historical professions) use flash cards in one way or another. It su…

I highly doubt professional or even amateur quizzers wouldn't use flashcards. Especially armed with a SRS algo, it would be the most efficient way to learn to quickly recall the type of info needed for quiz bowls

Roger Craig famously used Anki and was one of the top jeopardy players for a while, and I believe he got some push back from the likes of Jennings and others who thought flash cards were cheap and the only right way to do trivia is "naturally", by just reading a bunch of random shit all the time.

Re: Yearly analytics on my spaced repetition results

#56

Post by Artgor »

aaronrobinson wrote: post #48
Artgor wrote: post #25

I sympathise. I did ~200k reviews in Anki and no idea how many in Renshuu in 2025 for language learning: German, Spanish and Japanese... and I think I got into Anki hell. For a long time, Anki was really useful for me, it pushed my Spanish and German forward, but now I plan to decrease the number of reviews significantly. I hope to spend no more than 30 minutes per day of flashcards, and the rest of time on immersion…

How do you decide what to immerse yourself in? Do you just search for things independently or do you have a way of selecting content based on your level?

I prefer to start immersion at ~B1 level. I know some people want to do comprehensive input right from the start, but I prefer to build foundations. I start with popular books that I have already read before - The Little Prince, Harry Potter, etc. Then I take books that are interesting for me and work through them. There are graded readers, but the stories are usually very boring. I prefer to read what I like.

Re: Yearly analytics on my spaced repetition results

#57

Post by Theaetetus »

jjice wrote: post #55

How do you decide what gets a card? I see you like trivia and such, but what triggers you to turn a trivia sounding fact into a flash card?

At this point there's just a reflex I have that says "ah, I'd like to remember that." It's the same feeling whether I'm learning something for trivia, for work, or for personal reasons.

Re: Yearly analytics on my spaced repetition results

#58

Post by scotty79 »

BeetleB wrote: post #23
scotty79 wrote: post #21

> My correct-answer rate is approximately 89% That sounds like incredibly boring way to spend time. I'd aim for something like 20% at most. What's the fun in being asked things you already know?

The point of spaced repetition is to have you recall something right when you're just about to forget it. If you recall after it's been forgotten, that means you're forgetting a lot more, which means the system isn't working.

Then the point is boring and tedious.

You should be forgetting a lot in your life and learn a lot. Remembering is overrated. Learning the same thing second or third time gives you better understanding.

Re: Yearly analytics on my spaced repetition results

#59

Post by rjh29 »

redfloatplane wrote: post #15
rjh29 wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

More precisely, enjoys memorizing things but isn't good at it. Professonal quizzers can absorb huge amounts of information but typically don't use flashcards. OP is grinding thousands of cards a day to get to the same level - worthy of respect!

> but typically don't use flashcards Can you elaborate on this? I watch an unhealthy amount of University Challenge and I assumed that the vast majority of contestants would use flash cards as a trivia retention tool. Most people I've met who need to rely on large amounts of accurate but relatively dispersed knowledge (law students, say, or specific historical professions) use flash cards in one way or another. It su…

Well, it stands to reason that people who don't need to do flashcards have a competitive advantage and are more likely to become professional quizzers. They might use flashcards in addition, but I get the sense most of them just absorb trivia like a sponge.

Re: Yearly analytics on my spaced repetition results

#60

Post by scotty79 »

Theaetetus wrote: post #49
scotty79 wrote: post #21

> My correct-answer rate is approximately 89% That sounds like incredibly boring way to spend time. I'd aim for something like 20% at most. What's the fun in being asked things you already know?

This is a really good question! 1. As others have said, the idea is to study something before you forget. 2. It's hard to predict when you're going to forget something, so you do wind up studying a bunch of stuff before you really have to. It's a limitation of prediction (and also of the technology as developed so far). 3. It really is pleasant to work to recall things even when you succeed at it. It does "freshen th…

I guess I can see how someone might be enjoying this. Especially folks who are into excercise of any kind. But it's not for me. I think there's value in forgetting and re-learning as needed.

I learned A* at least 5 times already. And each time I learn it, I feel like I'm having better appreciation and understanding of how it works. Each time I'm falling in different traps, make different mistakes, that teach me more. I wouldn't have that insight if I just memorized how to correctly implement it the first time and recalled it whenever I needed a new implementation. Also I'm perfectly happy not knowing how to implement A* in between times that I need it.

I would like to be reminded that things exist, after I forgot them, so 20% sounds way more fun for me.

Anyways, thanks for sharing your fun. Don't let me be a buzzkill. ;-)

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