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How To Remember Anything Forever-ish

repository·gh-pages·Indexed 43 days ago

https://github.com/ncase/remember

An interactive educational tool designed to teach memory techniques, specifically focusing on spaced repetition, active recall, and the use of the Leitner Box. The documentation provides guidance on creating meaningful flashcards, comparing SRS tools like Anki and Tinycards, and instructions for translating the project.

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What's inside Remember

  1. License and usage rights

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    The project How To Remember Anything Forever-ish is released under Creative Commons Zero (CC0) / public domain waiver.

    This means you can freely use the project for:

    • Educational purposes
    • Personal use
    • Commercial use

    Attribution is appreciated but not legally required.

  2. Effective vs Ineffective learning techniques

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    Based on cognitive science meta-studies, not all study methods are equal. To maximize retention, focus on methods that require active engagement rather than passive recognition.

    Highly Effective

    • Spaced Practice: Spreading out learning sessions over time instead of cramming.
    • Active Recall: Testing yourself (e.g., via flashcards or quizzes) to practice retrieving information from memory.
    • Spaced Repetition: A combination of spaced practice and active recall.

    Not Effective

    • Re-reading: Reading text over and over.
    • Highlighting/Underlining: Marking key material in a book.
    • Visual Mnemonics: While helpful for specific vocabulary, they are generally less effective for long-term retention than spaced practice.

  3. How the Leitner Box works

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    The Leitner Box is a physical or digital spaced repetition system used to manage flashcards across different levels of mastery. It automates the frequency of review so you focus on what you don't know.

    Setup

    1. Get a box: A physical container for flashcards.
    2. Create dividers: Split the box into multiple levels (e.g., 7 levels).

    Usage Rules

    • New Cards: All new flashcards start in Level 1.
    • Reviewing a Level: When you review cards in a specific level:
      • Correct Answer: The card moves up to the next level.
      • Incorrect Answer: The card moves all the way back to Level 1.
    • Review Schedule: The duration between reviews doubles for each subsequent level (Spaced Practice). For example, if Level 1 is reviewed daily, Level 2 might be reviewed every 2 days, Level 3 every 4 days, and so on.

    Best Practices

    • Review Order: Always review your higher-level cards first.
    • Active Recall: Do not just look at the card; quiz yourself to practice recalling the answer rather than just recognizing it.

  4. Best practices for creating flashcards

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    To ensure long-term success with spaced repetition, follow these principles for card creation:

    1. Make your own cards: Do not rely solely on pre-made decks. Creating your own cards helps ensure the material is meaningful to you.
    2. Ensure Meaning: If the content feels meaningless, it won't stick. Connect the information to something you care about (e.g., instead of learning random French words, learn words from a French comic you love).
    3. Define the 'Why': When choosing what to learn, identify the purpose. (Example: Programming -> to make games).

  5. How to use Spaced Recall for long-term memory

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    To move information from short-term to long-term memory effectively, use Spaced Recall instead of simple re-reading.

    Scientific experiments suggest that the combination of Spaced Repetition (reviewing information at increasing intervals) and Active Recall (testing yourself rather than just reading) is significantly more effective than re-reading material.

    The Workflow:

    1. Identify declarative facts: Break down what you want to learn into discrete, factual pieces of information.
    2. Test yourself: Instead of reading notes, attempt to retrieve the information from memory.
    3. Space the intervals: Review the information just as you are about to forget it.

  6. Tools for implementing Spaced Repetition

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    You can implement a spaced repetition system using physical or digital tools:

    Physical Method: The Leitner Box

    Use a series of boxes to organize flashcards. When you get a card right, move it to the next box (which you review less frequently). When you get a card wrong, move it back to the first box (which you review daily).

    Digital Methods:

    • Anki: A powerful, highly customizable digital flashcard application designed specifically for spaced repetition.
    • Tinycards: A simplified, trialable approach to flashcards (e.g., via Duolingo's Tinycards).
    • Mobile Apps: Use flashcard apps on your phone to make learning compatible with your daily life (e.g., during commutes).

  7. How to translate the project

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    To translate the project into a new language, follow these steps. You will need basic familiarity with HTML and GitHub.

    1. Check for existing work: Before starting, check the GitHub 'Issues' tab to see if someone else is already working on the translation. If not, create a new issue to signal your intent.
    2. Clone the repository: Clone the ncase/ncase/remember repository to your local machine.
    3. Identify language code: Find the two-letter ISO 639-1 code for your target language (e.g., de for German, zh for Chinese).
    4. Create the translation file: Copy the index.html file and rename the copy to [your-two-letter-code].html (e.g., de.html).
    5. Translate the content: Translate the text within your new HTML file. The page contains approximately 3,500 words. Do not modify the original index.html.
    6. Register the translation: Add a new section to translations.txt so the application recognizes your new language code. Refer to the instructions inside translations.txt for the specific format required.
    7. Submit: Send a Pull Request to the repository to have your translation published.

  8. How to create meaningful flashcards

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    To ensure spaced repetition is effective, your learning material must have meaning. Avoid rote memorization of disconnected facts. Instead, follow these steps to build a personalized system:

    1. Identify your Goal: Determine exactly what you want to learn (e.g., Morse code, US states, programming syntax).
    2. Define your 'Why': Connect the knowledge to a practical use case (e.g., "Learning French $\rightarrow$ to read Tintin comics").
    3. Source your own content: Do not rely on pre-made lists if they feel disconnected from your interests. Create your own cards based on materials you actually care about (books, movies, hobbies). This makes the cards meaningful to you, which is critical for retention.

  9. How to start learning with Spaced Recall

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    To begin using these memory techniques, follow these steps:

    1. Define your goal: Determine exactly what you want to learn and why.
    2. Extract declarative facts: Convert your study material into simple, discrete facts that can be tested.
    3. Choose your tool: Select a method that fits your lifestyle, such as a physical Leitner Box or a digital app like Anki.
    4. Commit to a routine: Aim for consistent, manageable sessions (e.g., 20 minutes a day) rather than long, infrequent study bouts.

  10. Choose a Spaced Repetition System (SRS) tool

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    Depending on your preference for physical vs. digital tools, you can choose from the following options:

    Leitner Box (Physical)

    • Pros: Hands-on/Arts & Crafts; highly customizable rules.
    • Cons: Cannot handle audio; not easily portable.
    • Best for: People who prefer tactile learning and manual organization.

    Anki (Digital)

    • Pros: Most popular; supports audio; highly portable (laptop and mobile); highly customizable decks and rules.
    • Cons: Clunky interface.
    • Best for: Power users who want a sophisticated, feature-rich digital system.

    Tinycards (Digital)

    • Pros: Very well-designed and polished; easy to try without downloading or signing up.
    • Cons: Not open source; less customizable than Anki.
    • Best for: Users looking for a polished, low-friction entry point.