Ask HN: Why don't you use spaced repetition to learn, despite its effectiveness?

Spaced repetition is widely regarded as an effective method for learning and retention [0]. And articles about spaced repetition often perform well here [1][2], which suggests a lot of you find it interesting. Yet, it seems like an even larger group don’t incorporate it into their learning process.

I’m curious to understand why. If you’ve heard of or tried spaced repetition but decided not to use it, what led you to that decision?

Was it too time-consuming, did it not fit your learning style, or was there some other factor at play? I’m hoping to go beyond the simple "I didn't know about it" or "it doesn't work for me" answers to better understand the practical barriers and perceptions.

[0]: https://consensus.app/results/?q=Is%20spaced%20repetition%20an%20effective%20way%20to%20learn%20and%20retain%20information%3F%20&pro=on

[1]: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13151790

[2]: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35511357

I use Anki (the most popular SRS program) daily and recommend to anyone that will listen. But I think there are three points worth making about it:

1. Many people use SRS without realizing it. Many language learning apps just build the principles of spaced repetition into the software without explicitly mentioning it. As such, it's worth remembering that the spacing effect is a scientific phenomenon, while spaced repetition is the implementation of tools to apply it, typically via spaced repetition software (SRS.)

The concept of the spacing effect seems pretty straightforward and easy to understand, but for whatever reason there is a gap between that and the "optimal" method implemented by SRS apps.

2. The software tends to be ugly and/or too complicated to use. I like Anki and appreciate the developer making it so accessible, but let's be honest: it looks like a piece of software from 1995. This scares away a lot of people that would otherwise be interested (I have personal experience with this, unfortunately.)

3. The recurring meme that "SRS is only for memorization, and I don't need to memorize things / memorization is an outdated learning method." This has been argued against (and debunked, IMO) multiple times, but the meme persists.

I suppose this is a failure of those marketing SRS to effectively teach interested parties more about memorization and why it's so critical for learning, because every time a topic comes up about Anki/SRS, this same debate appears, every time.

keiferski · 10 months ago

marssaxman · 10 months ago

I understand it as a technique for memorization, which is not a form of learning I ever have much need for.

throwaway1114 · 10 months ago

There is a limit of how much time You can spend on repetition daily and how much cards brain is able to remember. Preparing cards is big overhead, using cards by other people usually is not recommended.

tugberkk · 10 months ago

Can get help from LLM for card generation.

True, I've experimented with generating cards but was't happy with it, definitely worth checking with newer models and multimodality :-)

lostdog · 10 months ago

I've tried, but once you fall behind you're done. The current algorithms just drown you in the cards you've forgotten. There's no way to say "I went on vacation. Please reset my progress to something manageable to me."

Plus, memorization is still hard. You have to really focus on internalizing the cards as they show up, and not just skimming them. It's work.

Jtsummers · 10 months ago

I reduce the number of new cards (possibly to 0) and spend 1-2 weeks primarily on review until the backlog is cleared. This works well in Anki.

If you have any cards you forgot, they will be reset on their own by the algorithm. Like if you get a new card today and go on vacation for two weeks, then that card will be 2 weeks overdue. Fine, you review it, get it wrong, study it a couple more times and then it's back on track for the next day. That's exactly how the algorithm is intended to work.

Once the backlog is cleared or at a reasonable level I restore the settings for new cards.

aristofun · 10 months ago

I guess because it's the method to _memorize_ things, not learn.

And IRL you rarely need to bluntly memorize stuff, even in foreign languages.

AndyIsBuilding · 10 months ago

This was one of my original views, but I've since changed my mind. I agree in the sense that one of the few times you'd need pure memorization is for testing.

However, the top comment from a recent article here [0] put it into perspective. For a lot of people, regularly being reminded of the fundamentals helps them overcome whatever prevents them from grokking something from the outset. For really difficult concepts (something that varies for everyone), I believe that regular memorization and repetition can help you learn over time.

[0]: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40167163

dgunay · 10 months ago

I use it for learning vocabulary, but I haven't really applied it to other kinds of learning. I've thought about using it for physical skills like learning to tie important knots for climbing, but the extra bit of friction with involving equipment puts me off the idea.

srbhr · 10 months ago

It sounds more like a chore. Read, write, note things down. And then re-view your cards/notes over and over. There has to be a short term goal associated like an upcoming exam, interview, etc. for spaced repetition. Although I'm lazy. :)

dakiol · 10 months ago

For me learning is fun. If I add any rule or framework or whatever on top of “just reading and practicing” then all of a sudden, learning is not fun anymore. So, I keep it simple at the expense of doing my learning not the most productive way.