With Spaced Repetition You Will Remember Everything You Read

The first step in storing the contents of a book is to summarize its key points in writing after reading. This summary should then be filed in your knowledge base, allowing you to refer back to it and review as needed. Afterward, you can apply the spaced repetition system described here.

Spaced Repetition System

To transfer the contents of a book into long-term memory, review your summary using a repetition schedule that works for you. For example, one possible repetition schedule might involve reviewing the material at these intervals: after two hours, after one day, after one week, after one month, after three months, and after six months.

These intervals are, of course, only general guidelines that can be adjusted to fit your personal learning style. When creating your own repetition schedule, however, it’s essential to consider a few things. First, the intervals between repetitions should gradually increase after each successful review. Reviewing already-learned material before it is even partially forgotten is counterproductive. The harder it is for your brain to retrieve information, the stronger the memory connection becomes. Therefore, after each successful review, give your brain a chance to forget parts of the information so that the next repetition will challenge your memory effectively. Forgetting partial information is an essential part of the learning process, helping you move that information into long-term memory.

For an unsuccessful review, the interval until the next repetition should be shorter than after a successful review. A “successful” review is defined as one in which you can recall the material fully or at least largely correctly. When learning vocabulary, for instance, success is easy to gauge, as there are only right or wrong answers. With larger amounts of information, however, you may want to implement a grading system to decide if a review was successful. For example, rate each review on a scale of one to five, and consider a review successful if you rate it at least four.

Applying Spaced Repetition

To review your summaries according to these intervals, you can use software or an app like Anki. Start by creating an entry for each summary. You can either photograph the summaries or assign each page or summary a number organized by topic in your knowledge base (e.g., “Nutrition.23”) to reference them.

Once your summaries are entered, Anki will remind you when to review each one. During each review, try to recall all the key points of the respective summary. Then, check your recall accuracy with the summary itself and evaluate the success of the review. If the review is successful, the next repetition can be scheduled for a later time. However, if you have forgotten much of the summary, you should review it again shortly.

Anki and similar programs, however, use a predefined repetition schedule that may not be optimal for everyone. Therefore, you can also create your own repetition system by setting up an index card for each summary with the corresponding number (e.g., “Nutrition.23”) and managing these in a flashcard box. A flashcard box typically has six compartments for storing cards, allowing you to review all the cards or referenced summaries according to your own repetition schedule. For instance, you could review all the cards in the first compartment after two hours, the second compartment after one day, the third compartment after one week, the fourth compartment after one month, the fifth compartment after three months, and the sixth compartment every six months. After each successful review, move the index card to the next compartment. If you’ve forgotten much of a summary, place the card back in the first compartment and restart the repetition process.

To keep track of when to review each summary next, write the date of the upcoming review on the index card after each review. For instance, if you successfully reviewed a summary from the third compartment, write the date for a month from now on the card and place it in the fourth compartment.

Regardless of which system you use to manage your learning material, you should set aside half an hour daily for review. Doing so will help you stick to your repetition schedule and move the learning material into long-term memory.

Active Repetition

In each review session, actively reinforce your memory of the summary instead of merely reading it. Start by listing everything you remember about the book from memory. Ideally, do this in writing, such as by creating a small mind map. Then, go over your summary and focus on the things you forgot. If you cannot recall everything, test yourself again after a short interval. Repeat this exercise until you can remember all the essential points and retrieve them accurately.