Apply Spaced Repetition

Schedule review of material at expanding intervals timed to retrieve knowledge just before it would be forgotten, producing significantly higher long-term retention than massed practice.

Why This Is Best Practice

Adopted by: Anki (40M+ users), Duolingo (600M+ users), medical and language education curricula worldwide, US military language training programs Impact: Cepeda et al. (2006) meta-analysis of 317 experiments shows spaced practice produces 200–300% better long-term retention than massed practice for the same total study time; Ebbinghaus forgetting curve shows 70% of material is forgotten within 24h without review Why best: The spacing effect is one of the most replicated findings in cognitive psychology — distributing review sessions produces durable memory traces that massed ("cramming") practice cannot achieve at equivalent time investment.

Sources: Ebbinghaus "Über das Gedächtnis" (1885); Cepeda et al. Psychological Bulletin (2006); Kornell & Bjork JEPLMC (2008); Pimsleur "Memory Schedule" (1967)

Steps