I Used Anki Every Day for One Year, Here's What Happened
Summary
TLDRIn this video, the speaker shares their transformative experience using Anki for over a year. Initially struggling with motivation and effective use, they discovered the importance of optimal settings, creating quality flashcards, and embracing mistakes as part of the learning process. They emphasize the necessity of daily practice to develop a habit and the profound benefits of Anki in retaining information and enhancing recall, especially under pressure. The speaker concludes by encouraging viewers to give Anki a try, suggesting it can revolutionize their learning experience.
Takeaways
- 📅 The speaker used Anki daily for over a year, breaking their streak at 355 days, but continued using it for several more months.
- 🚀 Starting with Anki can be challenging, especially transitioning from traditional study methods to active recall.
- 🔧 Finding the right settings in Anki is crucial to avoid cards being too easy or too difficult, which can affect motivation.
- 📝 Creating effective Anki cards is key; they should be simple and contain one piece of information each, following the minimum information principle.
- 💡 It's important to embrace making mistakes with Anki cards as it's part of the learning process and helps identify knowledge gaps.
- 🌟 Regular use of Anki leads to better retention and quicker recall of information, which is beneficial for exams and daily life.
- 🔄 Consistency is critical; skipping days can lead to a backlog of reviews, so developing a daily habit is essential.
- 🕒 Setting aside a specific time each day for Anki reviews can help establish it as a non-negotiable part of the routine.
- 🤔 If struggling with Anki, consider whether the topic of study is enjoyable or if the issue lies with the study method itself.
- 🌈 Long-term use of Anki can lead to information becoming second nature, aiding significantly in high-pressure situations like OSCE exams.
- 🔚 Even after stopping Anki use post-exams, the retained knowledge forms long-term memory connections that remain accessible.
Q & A
How long has the speaker been using Anki?
-The speaker has been using Anki for over a year, with a daily streak of 355 days before breaking it, and continued using it for about 15 months in total.
What was the speaker's initial experience with Anki?
-Initially, the speaker found it difficult to start using Anki daily and even quit at one point, feeling it was not helpful and too challenging.
What was the main issue the speaker had with Anki settings?
-The main issue was that the settings were wrong, leading to cards being either too easy, causing loss of focus, or too hard, making Anki a chore.
What does the speaker mean by 'good cards' in Anki?
-'Good cards' refer to cards that are simple, contain one piece of information following the minimum information principle, and are neither too easy nor too difficult.
How does the speaker feel about getting cards wrong in Anki?
-The speaker encourages embracing mistakes in Anki as part of the learning process, stating that it's okay to get things wrong as it helps identify knowledge gaps.
What advice does the speaker give for making Anki a daily habit?
-The speaker advises setting a specific time for Anki each day, such as after breakfast, and treating it as a non-negotiable part of the routine.
Why does the speaker emphasize the importance of reviewing Anki every day?
-Reviewing Anki daily is emphasized to avoid a backlog of reviews and to ensure the information becomes second nature, aiding in quick recall.
What benefits has the speaker noticed from using Anki?
-The speaker noticed improved recall, better information retention, quicker access to knowledge, and increased confidence in their medical knowledge.
How does the speaker suggest using Anki can help in high-pressure situations like OSCE exams?
-Anki helps by making information recall almost second nature, allowing for calm and effective navigation of high-pressure situations.
What is the speaker's current stance on using Anki after finishing medical school?
-The speaker has stopped using Anki after finishing medical school exams but acknowledges that the knowledge gained through Anki remains.
What additional resources does the speaker offer for those interested in learning more about Anki?
-The speaker has created a playlist called 'Master Anki Series for Medical School' and suggests checking it out for more detailed guidance on using Anki.
Outlines
📚 Transitioning to Anki: Challenges and Initial Struggles
The speaker shares their personal journey of adopting Anki as a study tool, highlighting the initial difficulties they faced transitioning from traditional study methods to active recall techniques. They discuss the importance of finding the right balance in Anki's settings to ensure cards are neither too easy nor too difficult. The speaker also emphasizes the need to create effective study cards that contain a single piece of information, which was a mistake they initially made by overcrowding cards with too much data. They reflect on the psychological aspect of learning, suggesting that embracing mistakes is crucial for effective learning with Anki.
💡 Embracing Mistakes and the Power of Regular Reviews
In this section, the speaker discusses the importance of not being afraid of making mistakes while using Anki, as it is through these errors that one truly learns. They stress the value of reflecting on incorrect answers to identify knowledge gaps and improve learning. The speaker also talks about the significance of consistency, suggesting that daily Anki reviews are essential to avoid backlogs and to make the most out of Anki's scheduling algorithm. They share their personal routine of doing Anki first thing in the morning to ensure it becomes a habit.
🚀 Overcoming Hurdles and Enjoying the Learning Process
The speaker talks about overcoming the initial hurdles with Anki and eventually finding enjoyment in the learning process. They mention that with the right settings and well-crafted cards, Anki can become an engaging and effective study tool. The speaker also suggests that if one is struggling with Anki, it might be worth considering whether the study topic is of genuine interest, as this can significantly impact motivation. They emphasize the importance of making Anki a compulsory part of one's daily schedule, regardless of interest, to ensure consistent progress.
🌟 Experiencing the Benefits of Anki Over Time
Here, the speaker outlines the benefits they noticed from using Anki consistently over time. They mention improved recall and the ability to make connections between different pieces of information. The speaker also shares how Anki helped them in real-life medical scenarios, enhancing their performance during ward rounds and exams. They describe how Anki helped them access information quickly and efficiently, which was particularly beneficial during high-pressure situations like OSCE exams.
🎓 Reflecting on Anki's Impact Post-Medical School
In the final paragraph, the speaker reflects on the lasting impact of using Anki even after completing medical school. They acknowledge that although they have stopped using Anki, the knowledge gained has remained with them, forming long-term memories. The speaker suggests that Anki is not just for medical students but can be beneficial for anyone studying any subject. They encourage viewers to give Anki a try, using the right settings and approach, and point to their playlist for further guidance. The speaker also hints at shifting their content focus from study tips to other areas of personal development.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Anki
💡Spaced Repetition
💡Active Recall
💡Streak
💡Settings
💡Minimum Information Principle
💡Ego
💡Habit Formation
💡Effective Learning
💡Long-Term Memory
💡Residual Knowledge
Highlights
The speaker shares their experience of using Anki for over a year and its impact on their learning.
They discuss the initial struggle of getting started with Anki and making it a daily habit.
The importance of finding the right settings in Anki to ensure effective learning is emphasized.
The concept of 'good cards' in Anki is introduced, highlighting the minimum information principle.
The speaker shares their mindset shift from being afraid of getting cards wrong to embracing the learning opportunity.
The benefits of using Anki for medical students, particularly in ward rounds, are discussed.
The necessity of daily Anki reviews to avoid a backlog of cards is highlighted.
The speaker suggests setting a specific time each day for Anki reviews to ensure consistency.
They discuss the importance of not being afraid to get things wrong and learning from mistakes.
The speaker shares tips on how to make Anki effective, including creating good cards and regular reviews.
The benefits of Anki for long-term knowledge retention and quick recall are explained.
The speaker reflects on how Anki has improved their performance in exams and day-to-day life.
They discuss the comfort and efficiency that come with long-term use of Anki.
The speaker shares their experience of using Anki in high-pressure situations like OSCE examinations.
The residual knowledge effect of Anki even after stopping its use is mentioned.
The speaker encourages viewers to stick with Anki long enough to see its benefits.
A playlist called 'Master Anki Series for Medical School' is recommended for further guidance.
The speaker discloses they have stopped using Anki after completing medical school finals.
Transcripts
so i've been using anki every day for
over a year now and in this video i just
wanted to kind of share my experiences
of using anki coming from someone who's
actually never used anki before to then
going into using it every single day so
this video you might want to watch it if
you know either you've heard of anki or
you use anki already but struggle with
motivation to use it every day just
because i'll go through my experiences
of after having used it every single day
has it actually made any difference
would i recommend you to use it and what
are the actual you know things that i've
learned from using yankee every day so
that's what this video will be about if
you don't want to watch the whole video
the answer is basically yes it was
useful and use anki if you know you're
watching it for the sole purpose of
whether you should use anki or not
however if you
are lacking motivation or want to know
more detail then keep watching as i'll
explain further details as i go along so
just quick disclaimer is that when i say
i used anki every single day for the
past year i actually broke my streak at
355 days so i've been using it every
single day kept that streak and broke it
but even after breaking that streak i
still continued using anki for around
you know um was it two three months so
i've been using anki for you know 15
months or so every day basically
and the first thing is that actually
it's quite hard to get started and make
anki into a daily habit especially for
me when i've just never done hanky
before going from you know making notes
and just studying the traditional
passive methods after having discovered
this space repetition and active
repetition active recall kind of
situation and thinking let me give it a
go to actually sitting down and changing
the way i entirely view and make notes
you know in a level in gcse i'd been
writing notes down i've been studying
i've been reading textbooks i've been
answering past questions to them moving
on to this new
modern approach of studying which is
apparently backed by science because
it's got evidence-based and bloody
bloody blood and i didn't really know
what i was doing
i actually started anki and then i quit
i was like listen this is not helping i
don't think i'm learning from this i
find it very very difficult and you know
some of you might be going through that
right now so what you know kind of was i
doing wrong and how did i then recover
from that situation to going on to using
anki successfully every day
firstly i've discovered my settings were
wrong right so when your settings are
wrong what can happen is either you get
cards that are too easy that way you
lose focus and you just think there's no
point doing this or you get cards that
are too hard in which case anki becomes
a chore and it's like why am i even
doing this when i'm not benefiting from
it you need to hit that goldilock that
sweet spot of that setting that just
about challenges you but it's not too
challenging that you give up or it's not
too easy that you find it useless and so
i've made an entire video on the
settings optimal settings that i
recommend for people so if you haven't
checked that out then you know make sure
to check that if you're just looking for
settings and things if that's what
you're struggling with but the other
thing was that i wasn't making good
cards and what i mean by good cards are
cards that are simple they are not
necessarily easy because the topics
you're learning might be difficult they
contain what's called the minimum
information principle which is that one
card should contain one piece of
information because the problem with
having a card with multiple pieces of
information and this is what i was doing
i was literally making cards and i was
putting
as much info as i can into the card and
then when i was recalling that card i
was recording some aspects of the card
but then forgetting the rest so then
it's like oh well did i get that wrong
do i review the whole thing again or do
i say okay i got it right and then
market is good so that's not very
effective way of doing things because it
just keeps it hard to distill down what
you do know and what you don't and the
other thing was that initially when i
kept getting cards wrong i was like
beating myself up about it but actually
this is the whole reason why why you're
doing anki you can make mistakes when
you're learning so that then you learn
from it and so hopefully in the exam
you'll get that information right
because you've learned from your
mistakes right as human creatures in
this world we make loads of mistakes as
long as we learn from our mistake that's
completely fine our purpose as a student
is to learn and to appreciate that we'll
make mistakes and that we don't know
anything but what's more important is to
find out what we don't know and learn
from it so once i got over that mindset
aspect of you know letting go of
my ego being hurt when i get things
wrong i felt free to get things wrong
all the time i was confidently getting
things wrong knowing that i'm learning
and knowing that that's basically why
i'm doing the anki and that basically
defines a student in the first place so
it comes down to kind of reflecting and
letting go of your ego and not being
hurt by getting things wrong and
actually not feeling afraid to get
things wrong all the time in fact when i
get things wrong i learn and i remember
more than i get things right because
even you know on the wards and for
context i don't know if you're watching
this video for the first time i used
anki to study medicine and medical
school so on the wards when you know a
doctor asked you a question and you get
it right it's like okay you already knew
that information that's why you put it
right however if you get something wrong
so when i got something wrong i would
actually then learn more effectively
from that because it helped me identify
a gap in my knowledge so that i can
either make an anki card out of that so
i don't get the same question wrong
again or i can research that at home in
a bit more depth because what's the
point of just being asked questions that
you already know the answer to you're
not learning anything new so you're not
fulfilling your role as a student as a
learner so letting go of your ego not
being afraid to get things wrong because
i see it all the time like with student
with other you know colleagues and
things in ward rounds when they get
things wrong you can see you know
they're a bit embarrassed or whatever
whatever but actually
what is the point of getting everything
right what's the point of being a
student if you already know all the
answers the best way in my opinion is to
get things wrong as long as you have
this is what i don't like is is the
people that kind of make you feel bad
about getting things wrong and make you
feel like you don't know anything
however the ones that are supportive and
the ones that teach you actually help
you to progress and grow and develop and
learn more as a person and that i think
is the most effective way to actually do
things anyway i got often a bit of a
tangent there i was talking about anki
and being not afraid to hit the again
button so once i got over that make sure
you set a rule for yourself if you got
the card wrong hit again if you got it
good you know
mark that as you getting it right and
move on and don't think twice about it
right because anki does what it needs to
do it does its magic right it's got its
scheduler so it will show you the cards
that you need to see more often because
you're weaker at them and it will show
you the cards that you already know less
often because you already know them so
it will act more as a reminder rather
than as a learning aspect so anki's
algorithm and scheduling and all of that
is very good in terms of that
but if you don't have good cards you're
just wasting your time and if you don't
have good settings you're not learning
effectively so i've also made another
video on how to make effective anki
cards if that's what you're struggling
with so then check that out but once i
got over the hurdle of making good cards
that are simple that are not too
challenging but not too easy with the
right settings doing my reviews
regularly and developing a habit of
doing it regularly as well and this is
the other thing is that if you want anki
to be effective you need to do it every
day because if you skip one day i'm sure
you've seen memes
of skipping one day and having like a
thousand reviews the next day or
whatever those you assembly means but in
order to avoid that you need to develop
a simple habit of just getting through
your reviews every single day so that
means making sure you set a time to do
your anki what i did was as soon as i
woke up i would do my morning routine
eat breakfast and then do anki either
after breakfast or while i'm eating my
breakfast that way i know that right
every single morning is when i do my
anki if you don't set yourself
time for that or if you don't schedule
in when you're doing your anki what will
happen is that it will go down to the
bottom of your priority and you'll never
get it done and you won't do it one day
and you'll think oh it's fine i'll do it
tomorrow
i didn't really do it today because you
know i had to go to the gym or blah blah
you make excuses and you keep not
prioritizing if you prioritize it as
part of your schedule and say right
listen no matter what i'm gonna do my
anki you it gets done right but then if
you're not doing your anki you might
want to evaluate what the reason is is
it because it's taking too long and you
don't have time for that during the day
that way reduce the number of cards
you're doing you know rather than giving
us rather than going from zero to doing
anki one hour every day
literally initially when i was starting
out i was doing like 20 minutes a day
even if that's too much do five minutes
a day that is way way way better than
nothing at all and it reduces that
mental equation of actually sitting down
and doing the yankees and if you've got
your settings right if you've got um a
right work environment where you can sit
down and do your anki then it almost
somewhat becomes fun you know i don't
say that lightly because studying is
seen as kind of like a chore and effort
and just not a pleasant thing however if
you get the things right if you've got
your environment right if you if your
cards are challenging and stimulating
enough and if you enjoy the content
you're learning supposing you've picked
a course that you actually enjoy then
learning actually becomes fun and it
becomes a way of thinking right okay let
me explore this topic a bit more if
after making all these changes you're
still struggling to do your anki it
might be a question of okay do i
actually enjoy the topic that i'm
studying is that why i'm not liking it
is that why i'm not doing it and if the
answer is no but you still need to do it
to get through the exams which was the
case for you know like some of my
modules in fact a lot of my modules i
just didn't really like it but you know
i kind of had to get it done just to
pass the exams then you kind of need to
force yourself to sit down and do anki
when you're scheduled to do anki and
just make it compulsory part of your day
so those are kind of like the
um tips on
if you're struggling with anki hopefully
some of these can help you and if
there's something else that you're
struggling with anki which i haven't
covered because you know those were the
main struggles i faced and how it
overcome overcame them then comment down
below and i'll kind of see whether i've
also gone through that struggle and how
i've kind of overcome it if i have you
know i'm not saying you are my auntie
guru and i know how to do anki perfectly
this time the other but if it's a
struggle that i have developed then you
can easily learn from my mistakes rather
than having to go through that yourself
so you basically circumvent that whole
process by learning from my mistakes and
rather than having to learn through your
own mistakes so i would appreciate
comments down below and you know
commenting liking all of that engagement
also helps support the channel as well
so if you're new i might as well throw
in a cheeky little subscribe if you want
kind of vibe but anyway i think i'll
move on to talking about then what the
benefits of anki i've noticed are and
hopefully this should kind of give you
an idea if you're trying to decide
whether you should do anki or not long
term and why i think you should right so
the first thing is you will just know
your information a lot lot better you
will make connections that you didn't
even think you were capable of making
like for example let's say
you know because when you're doing
because the thing is when you're doing
an anki card you have to recall that
card quickly right so let's say if you
give me a name of a medication i'll
recall that information very quickly so
what happens then when you're going to
the wards blah blah and you see that
information and you've got an anky card
on it that'll immediately come to the
front of your mind and that's very very
handy because that way you're not
wasting time to make decisions you've
already got that information at the top
of your mind it takes a long time to
realize but when you start getting
questions right in ward rounds
and you actually know what the doctor's
talking about then it gives you this
sense of satisfaction like oh do i
actually know something and my feeling
of yeah yeah i don't know anything i've
got evidence against that you know i was
able to answer the questions correctly
so surely i must know something you know
when you start seeing your scores
improving in your exam it's like oh okay
so this worked you know what i mean so
it's a gradual change it will take a
long time for you to notice the change
but once you do notice the change you
realize you know a lot more than you
think you do you'll be able to access
that information very quickly right at
the front of your mind it will help you
with exams it will help you with your
day-to-day life as well depending on
whether you actually use the information
that you're studying it will help you
like for example you know when a doctor
told me okay prescribed fluids and i was
like oh i've never done that before but
in my mind i know the different types of
fluids i know the normal doses i know
all of this information and it's already
there in the front of my mind i know
what questions to ask whether they've
got allergies this that and the other
what are the indications how long to
give it for because i've studied that
already all the information is in my
mind i just have to now use the
information i know to solve that problem
that's being presented to me and it's a
lot easier and a lot quicker when you
just know the information because you've
been studying it because it's in your
anky deck another example i'll give is
when a doctor asked me to interpret an
ecg and i was like oh this is a
challenge right i haven't done that in a
long time but i'd have had anky cards
about the different parts of the ecg so
then when she was asking me questions
and i was actually able to answer them i
was like oh okay i think i actually do
know whereas before i would be like oh
yeah you know i haven't done it in a
long time and i've actually forgotten
everything and it's almost as if i'm
learning from scratch and when they do
explain it's like oh yeah that rings a
bell very faint belt whereas imagine now
the bells are ringing loud and clear you
know you're remembering things you know
what's going you know what they're
talking about everything just makes a
lot more sense everything gets a lot
more easier and
what is beneficial about that is
everything becomes comfortable right you
want to get to a stage where you know
you know how they say practice makes
perfect right if say a surgeon they've
been doing that same operation multiple
times and that's where they look so easy
and they make it look so easy right but
actually if you were to sit down and do
that same operation if you don't have
any experience you probably won't be
able to do it and you won't know what's
going on however the surgeon makes it
look so easy because they've been doing
it for a long time so the whole purpose
of doing anki regularly is to get to a
point where information just flows to
you easily it's comfortable you don't
have to stretch your mind you don't have
to stress you don't have to sweat
yourself and this is also very
beneficial in high pressure situations
like oscar examinations because an oscar
you're on your feet you've been given
random scenarios if you've got the basic
knowledge in your mind you'll be able to
quickly quickly recall what you need to
recall and that stressful environment
whilst it will still be stressful and
oscars are still very stressful and i
hate oscars for the life of me but it
will help you navigate the situation
much much more effectively and in a much
more calmer way you know for example
imagine you've been asked to take a
history and also do this investigation
and do all of these tasks in an osce
if in your mind you already know the
right questions to ask or you're already
thinking of diagnosis and because you've
already made these connections it the
task becomes a lot more easier than
having to do everything and also
remember and you know forgetting and
thinking oh i knew this i knew this but
it's not coming to me because of the
stress of the environment but if you've
been reviewing your cards every day to
the point where it becomes second nature
i would have days when i felt so tired
to do my oscar reviews i was literally
half eye open but the cards i'd seen
before
i would just be doing it naturally you
know basically with my eyes closed i'd
be doing mine obviously i'd have to have
my eyes open to see the card but with my
brain half closed i would be doing my
reviews because i just know that
information because i've done it so many
times that's the stage you want to get
to you want to get to a stage where you
get so good and you're so confident with
your knowledge that even when you're
half awake you still know it you know
i'm not recommending to sacrifice when
you sleep and be half awake all the time
but it just gets to get you to show you
that um
that's what anki does anki make sure you
know your information so well that even
if
you're
half awake you can still recall
information and move on with your day
and the one advice i'd say is just stick
with it stick with it long enough to see
the benefits uh i'm not saying you know
this video is me having done it for a
year i'm not saying do it for a year to
see the benefits but by three months you
should see the benefit and if you do it
correctly
and you still don't see the benefits it
may be that anki isn't for you and
that's completely fine because people
have different ways of learning however
don't just do what i did right at the
beginning which is try it and think
not really for me because you may have
just been using the wrong settings or
approaching it wrong or not doing it
properly so after this video if you
like the idea of going ahead with
wanting to do anki and you're like okay
fine i'll give this a go then i have
made loads of videos on it i've actually
made an entire playlist called master
anki series for medical school
and so whether you're studying medicine
or not it's the same principles it
doesn't you don't have to be studying
medicine it's just medical students are
anki is traditionally seen as something
that medical students use but whether
you're studying you know history or
geography or economics or anything else
the same principle applies and i think
you'd benefit highly highly from giving
anki a go and so if you'd like to give
anki a go properly use the right
settings this time the other then make
sure to check out my playlist i'll drop
it in the description below and the
thing is anki is completely free
knowledge is very useful learning is
amazing all these things right and you
realize how ineffective just reading
notes or making notes is once you give
anki a go once you give bank a go you
never step back and you'll never do
things the traditional way
having said that i've now stopped using
anki just you know as a full disclaimer
because i've now finished my medical
school finals so i thought right why am
i going to continue using anki but even
still that knowledge is still residual
there you know i mean it's not like i've
just lost the knowledge before i would
have crammed for an exam gone into it
forgotten the content two weeks later
now i could probably still do my exam
that i did and still be able to do as
well as i did because i've been seeing
that information for so many times it's
formed long-term connections in my
memory and so that's why i've stopped
doing anki now because i finished exams
and i don't want to
but i know that my knowledge will still
be there and when i actually work that
knowledge will be reinforced you know
when i start working i'll start
recalling the things that i need to know
and then i can let go of the things that
i only studied for the exam so i know
this video has been long i knew it was
going to be long because i was going to
be talking about my entire experiences
with anki and i kind of wanted to make
this kind of unfiltered thoughts just to
give you my raw experiences of what
using anki is like now that i finished
medical school i don't want to keep
making study videos and so on and so
forth so
stay tuned if you're new subscribe to my
channel if you're interested in this
kind of learning slash self improvement
or i'm also thinking of making like
reading and books kind of videos um and
so if you're interested then also check
out my newsletter as well in the
description below with that being said
thank you for watching check out the
playlists and the videos that i've
linked hope you found it useful thanks
for watching and i'll see you again in
my next video
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