Education & Training
Building a one-week spaced-repetition study plan
Spaced repetition means reviewing material at growing intervals instead of cramming. This guide shows how to set up one week for a single subject, with a worked example, so the plan is usable before any app exists.
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Step one: shrink the material into cards
Choose one topic and break it into small questions with clear answers. Aim for twenty to thirty items, each testing one idea. Suppose you are learning basic Spanish travel phrases: a card might ask how to request the bill, with the phrase on the reverse. Write questions rather than copying passages, because retrieval is the point. Keep wording short enough to answer in a few seconds. If a card needs a paragraph to answer, split it. Number the cards so you can track which ones are new, shaky or comfortable as the week unfolds.
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Step two: set the review calendar
Place reviews on a simple ladder across seven days. In the Spanish example, learn the first batch on Monday, review it Tuesday, again Thursday and once more Sunday. Add a second batch on Wednesday with its own next-day review on Thursday. Each session should last fifteen to twenty minutes so the habit stays realistic. Put the times in a calendar with reminders, and tie them to existing routines such as breakfast or a commute. The spacing matters more than the length, so protect the short sessions instead of replacing them with one long evening.
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Step three: sort results and adjust
During each review, answer from memory before checking the back of the card. Sort cards into three piles: missed, hesitated, and instant. Missed cards return the next day, hesitated cards in two days, and instant cards move to the next rung on the ladder. By Sunday, note which phrases still slip and rewrite their questions, perhaps adding a short example sentence. Record the counts in a small table so the following week begins with evidence of what needs attention. Repeat with a new topic, keeping the same rhythm rather than adding more sessions.