Essential Anki Settings I Wish I Changed Sooner
TLDRIn this video, Zach, a fourth-year medical student, shares seven advanced tips to optimize Anki for effective memorization. He emphasizes the importance of understanding over memorization, customizing card reviews with the V3 Scheduler, and using the burying function to prevent mere memorization. Zach also advises linking missed questions to Anki cards, customizing cards for clarity, adjusting the interval modifier for retention goals, and using the Advanced Browser add-on to manage time-intensive cards. Lastly, he stresses the need to understand Anki's settings for maximizing its potential.
Takeaways
- 📚 Anki is primarily a memorization tool, not an understanding tool; ensure you understand the material before using Anki for memorization.
- 🔍 Use the Feynman Technique to check your understanding of complex topics before memorizing them in Anki.
- ⏱️ Utilize the V3 Scheduler in Anki for better customization of reviews and to integrate features like the Fuzz Factor for spaced repetition.
- 🚫 Avoid adjusting the 'learn ahead' limit to ensure that cards are reviewed according to Anki's spaced repetition algorithm for long-term retention.
- 🔄 Set 'new card gather order' to random to mix up the order of cards from different decks and enhance learning.
- 🗂️ Customize your cards with highlighting, underlining, and additional notes to improve retention and make studying more enjoyable.
- 🔄 Use the 'burying' feature to space out cards with similar information, preventing memorization and encouraging understanding.
- 🔗 Link missed questions to Anki flashcards to reinforce learning gaps and prevent future mistakes.
- 📊 Adjust the interval modifier to fine-tune your review frequency and target specific retention rates.
- 📉 Use the Advanced Browser add-on to identify and address cards that are consuming excessive study time, deciding whether to focus on them or suspend them.
- ✂️ Simplify complex cards by breaking them down into smaller, manageable chunks to enhance the memorization process.
Q & A
What is the main focus of the video 'Essential Anki Settings I Wish I Changed Sooner'?
-The video focuses on seven less well-known tips for maximizing the effectiveness of Anki, a flashcard program used for memorization and studying.
What does the presenter suggest as the most important tip for using Anki?
-The most important tip is understanding that Anki is a memorization tool, not an understanding tool, and one must understand the material before using Anki to memorize it.
What technique does the presenter recommend to ensure understanding of a topic before memorizing it?
-The presenter recommends using the Feynman Technique to ensure understanding, which involves explaining the topic as if teaching it to a 12-year-old.
What is the V3 Scheduler in Anki and why is it recommended in the video?
-The V3 Scheduler is a feature that allows for better customization of reviews, interday learning, and integration of the Fuzz Factor, which helps in distributing the study sessions more effectively.
Why does the presenter advise against changing the learn ahead limit in Anki?
-Changing the learn ahead limit can disrupt the spaced repetition algorithm, potentially leading to short-term memory retention instead of long-term memory.
What does the presenter suggest regarding the display order of new and review cards in Anki?
-The presenter suggests randomizing the display order of new and review cards to ensure a more effective and less predictable study session.
How does the presenter recommend handling missed questions and the forget function in Anki?
-The presenter recommends linking every missed question to an Anki flashcard and using the forget function to reset the card's learning process, treating it as a new card to reinforce learning.
What is the significance of customizing flashcards in Anki as mentioned in the video?
-Customizing flashcards can make studying more enjoyable and focused by using bolding, underlining, and adding relevant information, which aids in better retention.
What is the interval modifier in Anki and how can it be used to adjust retention rates?
-The interval modifier is a number that multiplies the复习间隔 of cards, allowing users to adjust how frequently they see cards and potentially increase retention rates.
Why is it suggested to simplify cards in Anki, and how can this be done?
-Simplifying cards by reducing the complexity and focusing on key points can make them more effective for memorization. This can be done by using fewer cloze deletions and shorter, more concise information.
What is the presenter's advice on dealing with cards that take up too much study time?
-The presenter advises using the Advanced Browser add-on to identify cards that take up excessive study time and either focusing on learning them or suspending them if they are deemed low yield.
Outlines
📚 Introduction to Anki and Memorization Techniques
The speaker introduces the video, sponsored by Skillshare, and promotes his Anki class available for free. Anki is presented as an effective memorization tool, and the speaker questions viewers about their familiarity with Anki's features like the forget function, learning intervals, and add-ons. The video's goal is to teach seven advanced tips for using Anki. The speaker, Zach, a fourth-year medical student, emphasizes that Anki is not for learning new information but for revising and reinforcing already understood concepts. He recommends using the Feynman Technique to ensure understanding before memorization and discusses his Anki settings, including the use of the V3 Scheduler and learning ahead limit, to optimize the memorization process.
🔍 Focusing on Understanding Over Memorization
Zach discusses the importance of focusing on understanding rather than memorization when using Anki. He explains his preference for randomizing card reviews to ensure a comprehensive grasp of the material. Settings like new deck gather order, new card sort order, and new/review order are detailed, with an emphasis on reviewing cards in a mixed and random order to enhance understanding. The concept of 'burying' is introduced to prevent immediate repetition of similar cards, which could lead to memorization rather than understanding. The speaker also talks about linking missed questions to Anki flashcards to fill gaps in knowledge and the use of the forget function to reset difficult cards, treating them as new for better retention.
🖊️ Customizing Anki Cards for Effective Learning
The paragraph delves into the customization of Anki cards for more effective learning. It highlights the benefits of adding bolding, underlining, and extra information to cards to make studying more enjoyable and focused. The speaker also introduces the concept of adding extra questions or connections to cards to create neuronal connections in the brain, aiding in longer retention of information. An example is given where the speaker adds a question about antibiotic resistance to a card about antibiotic sensitivity, showing how to connect related topics within Anki.
⏱️ Adjusting the Interval Modifier for Optimal Retention
Zach explains the concept of the interval modifier in Anki, which adjusts the frequency of card reviews. He discusses how modifying this setting can influence retention rates, aiming for a high percentage of correct answers on mature cards. The speaker uses the True Retention app to monitor his retention statistics and decides whether to increase or decrease the interval modifier based on his performance. He warns against making drastic changes to the interval modifier, suggesting a gradual approach to finding the optimal setting for individual learning goals.
📉 Identifying and Addressing Time-Consuming Cards
The speaker introduces the Advanced Browser add-on for Anki, which allows users to see the time spent on each card. He demonstrates how to identify cards that consume a significant amount of study time and suggests strategies for dealing with them. Options include relearning the information and resetting the card or suspending it if it's deemed not important enough. The speaker also discusses the use of flags and tags to categorize cards based on their importance and study requirements, helping to manage the study load more effectively.
📝 Creating Simple and Effective Anki Cards
Zach emphasizes the importance of simplicity in Anki cards, suggesting that complex cards with multiple cloze deletions or long paragraphs can hinder the learning process. He provides an example of a complicated card and shows how to simplify it by breaking it down into smaller, more manageable parts. The speaker argues that this approach leads to better long-term retention and makes studying more efficient.
🛠️ Mastering Anki Settings for Maximum Benefit
In the final paragraph, the speaker stresses the importance of understanding Anki's settings to maximize its potential. He mentions his extensive experience and knowledge of Anki, which has been crucial for his success in medical school. The speaker promotes his Ultimate Guide to Anki class on Skillshare, which covers in-depth information on Anki's algorithm, add-ons, and setup. He invites viewers to join the class for free with a provided link, highlighting the benefits of Skillshare's learning community and the wide range of skills it offers.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Anki
💡Forget function
💡Spaced repetition
💡V3 Scheduler
💡Feynman Technique
💡Cloze deletion
💡Customizing cards
💡Interval modifier
💡Add-ons
💡True Retention app
Highlights
Anki is the best way to memorize anything, but it's crucial to use it correctly.
Understanding is more important than memorizing; Anki is a memorization tool, not an understanding tool.
Use the Feynman Technique to ensure you understand the general topic before memorizing with Anki.
Anki should be used for revision, not for learning information for the first time.
Enable the V3 Scheduler in Anki for better customization of reviews and interday learning.
Set your learn ahead limit to zero minutes to respect the space repetition algorithm.
Randomize the order of new cards and reviews to enhance understanding.
Burying cards can help prevent memorization and encourage understanding.
Link every question you get wrong to an Anki flashcard to fill gaps in your knowledge.
Use the forget function on missed questions and reset repetition and lapse count to treat them as new cards.
Customize your Anki cards with bolding, underlining, and additional questions to improve retention.
Connect related topics within Anki cards to consolidate information and make neuronal connections.
Adjust the interval modifier based on your retention goals to maximize the efficiency of your reviews.
Use the True Retention app to monitor your retention rates and adjust your study habits accordingly.
Learn or kill cards that are taking up too much time using the Advanced Browser add-on.
Simplify your Anki cards to improve focus and retention; avoid complicated cards with too many details.
Understanding the settings of Anki is vital for maximizing its potential as a study tool.
The presenter's Ultimate Guide to Anki on Skillshare provides in-depth knowledge on using Anki effectively.