Checklist

Spaced repetition setup checklist

A checklist for building a spaced repetition system that fights the forgetting curve, keeps daily reviews under control, and actually raises retention.

Built for Spaced Repetition · Learners memorizing vocab, facts, and formulas.

Progress

0 of 12 tasks complete

Card authoring

Write cards that test one thing well, because card quality determines whether the algorithm helps or buries you.

Apply the minimum-information principleOne fact per card. Split 'capital and population of France' into two cards. Overloaded cards lapse constantly and poison your review queue.~8 minPhrase prompts as genuine retrieval questionsThe front should force you to produce the answer, not recognize it. Use cloze deletions for facts embedded in sentences.~6 minAdd a personal cue or image to abstract cardsA mnemonic, example, or picture turns an arbitrary fact into something retrievable. Bare definitions are the hardest cards to keep.~6 min

Scheduler configuration

Tune the algorithm so intervals match how fast you forget, not someone else's defaults.

Cap new cards per day to a sustainable numberStart at 10-15 new cards/day. Each new card creates roughly 8-12 future reviews; overloading now buries you in three weeks.~5 minSet a maximum review interval you trustCapping at, say, 6-12 months keeps long-term cards from drifting so far they feel brand new on return.~4 minEnable FSRS or a modern schedulerFSRS fits intervals to your actual recall data and typically cuts reviews 20-30% versus the old SM-2 defaults for the same retention.~10 min

Daily review discipline

Do reviews every single day and grade honestly, because the schedule only works if you feed it accurate data.

Clear the full due queue dailyReviews are timestamped; skipping a day stacks tomorrow and breaks the forgetting-curve timing the algorithm assumes.~20 minGrade by recall difficulty, not by feeling smartIf you hesitated or peeked, it was not 'Easy'. Inflated grades push intervals too far and you forget before the next review.~1 minReformulate any card you lapse three timesA 'leech' is almost always a badly-written card, not a hard fact. Rewrite or split it instead of re-burying it.~5 min

Maintenance + audit

Periodically prune and inspect the deck so it stays lean and the workload stays predictable.

Review weekly added vs reviewed countsIf daily reviews keep climbing past your time budget, lower new cards. A healthy deck reaches a steady-state workload.~6 minSuspend cards you no longer needMaterial that's now automatic or irrelevant should be suspended, not deleted, so the queue reflects real priorities.~8 minBack up the collectionSync or export so months of scheduling history aren't lost. The interval data is the asset, not just the cards.~3 min

Common mistakes

Adding hundreds of new cards in a burst, then drowning in a review backlog two weeks later and quitting the system entirely
Writing fat cards with multiple facts on one side, guaranteeing chronic lapses the algorithm can never schedule away
Grading cards 'Good' or 'Easy' out of optimism, which inflates intervals until you genuinely forget the material
Skipping days and letting the due queue pile up, which desyncs reviews from the forgetting curve they're meant to track
Re-burying leech cards instead of rewriting them, so the same five broken cards eat a third of every review session

Pro tips

Make cards from material you've already learned, not as a first-exposure tool; spaced repetition is for retention, not initial understanding
Aim for around 90% retention, not 100%; chasing perfect recall multiplies your daily reviews for marginal benefit
Front-load card creation right after a lecture or reading while context is fresh, so prompts test real understanding
Use image occlusion for anatomy, maps, and diagrams instead of text cards; spatial recall is far stronger that way
Tag cards by source so when you lapse a cluster, you can revisit the original chapter rather than just re-drilling cards

FAQ

How should I start the Spaced repetition setup checklist?

Start with the first phase, then run one timed Study Spaces sprint before adding more tasks. The goal is execution, not a perfect plan.

What should I do if I fall behind?

Copy the remaining tasks, pick the highest-score or highest-deadline item, and restart with one focused block.

How often should I review progress?

Review after each sprint and once at the end of the week so the next session starts with a clear first task.

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Use it now

Turn this page into a live sprint

Start the matching room for Spaced Repetition, then use the sprint plan as the first task and recap script.

Spaced repetition setup checklist
Focus target: Spaced Repetition
Block 1 (25 min): closed-book recall or one timed practice set.
Break (5 min): mark confusing items without opening a new task.
Block 2 (25 min): correct misses and write the next first step.
Done: one score/error note plus one queued task for tomorrow.

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