I love this service, but I would really appreciate the ability to choose how many cards I do per flashcard session. I have developed quite a large backlog of cards ready for study. While I understand cards are ordered by frequency, thus negating some issues around recall, to clear a backlog would keep one in lockstep with mining of useful vocabulary and phrases.
Also, maintaining a streak seems awfully easy to do. While some may like the low barrier to entry, studying just ten flashcards to maintain a streak I fear shortchanges more advanced learners. Can’t there be more choice here for those who wish to make real inroads in their studies?
I’m not sure I understand this. Through the Practice tab you can do up to 50 cards, and you could do it multiple times. Do you want more than 50 in one session?
For example, I have 2457 cards ready for study across multiple books and articles. If I carried on reading, which I enjoy, that number would get even larger no? Wouldn’t that eventually defeat the object of the flashcards if you could never make a dent in the cards you can study. Having a massive backlog isn’t an optimal when using an SRS. Fifty cards a session is good, but why can’t there be more customisability to clear these backlogs and better balance reading and recall?
Yes, I’m definitely familiar with the issue of SRS backlog getting larger and larger until it seems that SRS review is taking up all available study time. I’m not sure what to do about that.
I’m curious what sort of controls you would want added though.
I had an interesting email exchange with Olly Richards some ten years ago where it sounded like his own flashcard decks would only get used for a month or so and then be discarded, to start over…
With Readlang (as opposed to for example Anki) I love that I perceive my stack of words (2k+) more like a personal word treasure chest
I actually rather think “I have to read so much that I will never run out of words to learn” instead of “I have to clear my list of ready words so that I may continue to read”.
I’m not entirely sure what caused this mindset shift for me, but it made me a lot more relaxed and therefore consistent, so that I learned and practiced more words than ever before.
So maybe your goal doesn’t have to be to clear the list constantly. Like you said, the more important words will be prioritised anyway.
My secret with flashcards is that I just do not care For me, flashcards are just extra on top everything else I do, ifI feel like it. Usually I try to go through as many as possible with the easiest settings just to remind me of the words. Whenever I try to do active recall and take flashcards seriously, it just destroys my motivation for learning.
So, if you have a huge backlog, I’d suggest just speed-running through them with the easiest settings and deleting very liberally anything that annoys you or just doesn’t stick without herculean effort. But, I agree, it would be nice to have higher rep sessions than just 50 or just complete control over the number you can study over a session.
E: But I have to add, it takes like a second to start a new practice sessions after the old one. So this is not definitely imo a priority issue.
I agree with Aleksi, switch to passive review and breeze through backlog with “yes” to all cards until you are caught up. Active review is overrated and exhausting.
Readlang beats Anki for me. Using it, I have passively learned 5,500+ words in context, adding 3-5 daily and reviewing 75 in three sessions (~20 min/day). I don’t stress about recall, just read the word in context, assess understanding, and move on.
For SRS backlogs in Anki, I used Anki’s “Postpone Card Review” add-on to batch-delay all cards in the deck by the number days needed, without changing the spacing intervals. It is simple and effective.
The SRS trap is nerding out on recall theory and intervals and graphs instead of immersing. After 3 years stuck in Anki obsession, my teacher said I needed massive input, not more algorithms. He was right, and my aural comprehension and conversation ability skyrocketed.
Back in the very early days Readlang used to encourage you to keep up with your SRS study backlog, but I felt it was demotivating so changed it to the current system where you decide how much to do every day: Spaced Repetition, Version 2 - Readlang Blog (wow, it’s been over 12 years since I wrote that! ). I love what @flauschtrud says about perceiving the stack of words like a personal word treasure chest , a positive thing instead of an obligation.
, a positive thing instead of an obligation.