Ilya Shabanov Profile picture
Apr 1, 2023 11 tweets 9 min read Read on X
There is a proven system to learn faster and remember more: Spaced Repetition.

Studies report 2-3x increase in retention.

Here is how you can add it to your notes with a simple plugin:
👇
Spaced Repetition (SR) asks you to recall something repeatedly.

Write what you learn on a card and put it in the repeat-daily-box (1).

If you remember well, move it right to the repeat-weekly-box (2), then monthly (3).

If not, move it back left.

(intervals may vary)
Many tools can do this. @ankiapp is very popular for example.

But it's SEPARATE from your notes.

Instead install the "Spaced Repetion" plugin to @obsdmd.

Your flashcards will be one with your notes.
If you forget something it is easy to read up on it!
@ankiapp @obsdmd To add new flashcards you need to:

1. Add a tag #flashcards to the note with the flashcards.

2. Add questions and answers in the format
QUESTION : ANSWER

Embed them into the note they belong to.

Here is a note on capitols. Naturally the respective flashcards go here.
@ankiapp @obsdmd Start the spaced repetition by pressing CMD/CTRL + P (to launch the command palette)

Into the popup type in "flashcard" and select one of the Review options: In this note only or in all notes.
@ankiapp @obsdmd A popup will ask you the questions.

Answer and then decide how hard it was.

Depending on that you will review the question sooner or later.

If an answer is easy multiple times, the review intervals get longer.

This way you don't waste time on what you already learned.
@ankiapp @obsdmd It is very easy to create multple decks of flashcards.

Use different hastags in the note. e.g.:

#flashcards/geography
#flashcards/ecology

These could be different courses, topics or projects!
@ankiapp @obsdmd For longer flashcards use the multiline syntax.

Separate the question and answer paragraph with a line containing only a "?".
@ankiapp @obsdmd Instead of flashcards you can review whole notes.

Add #review to a note.
Open the right sidebar.
The review tab contains notes you need to review.

Right click to select how "easy" it was or in other words how soon you want to revisit this note/idea/concept.
@ankiapp @obsdmd Summary

► Install Spaced Repetion plugin
► Add #flashcards/deckname to notes containing flashcards
► One-line flashcards syntax is Q : A
► For multi-line use Q ? A in 3 separate lines
► Review entire notes by adding #review

Notes and Flashcards are in one system: Powerful!
@ankiapp @obsdmd Btw we can use ChatGPT inside our note taking app to generate those Flashcards!

In one of my next tweets I will explain how. So make sure to follow.

Check out my link in bio for other resources on note taking with Obsidian.

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More from @Artifexx

Jun 19, 2024
Almost done with the slides for this upcoming webinar.

It will be aimed at note-taking and synthesis.

Here is a sneak peak:
👇 Image
Note Taking

Most people take notes in the order they learn about the content.

This is wrong.

Conceptual notes are much more powerful.

Because you don't repeat yourself and use links instead.Image
Academic Note-taking

For academia, special rules apply.

You must protect yourself from plagiarism and always know where you learned what.

This is why you must use a source note template.Image
Image
Read 8 tweets
Jun 18, 2024
Everybody uses Google Docs.

But most don't install any of the 100+ extensions.

Unlock hidden features and save time with these 4 must-use extensions: 👇
(I use them for scientific papers)
What are extensions?

Extensions add functionality that Google Docs does not have.

Each extension adds a sidebar where it can be configured and activated.

Google does not develop these extensions but they gain access to your content.

Be aware of privacy issues.
1. Cross Reference

Allows you to generate numbers for figures automatically.

If you rearrange the figures, just click a button and all names and mentions are updated.

Works equally well for tables or equations.

Irreplaceable for academic work.
Read 8 tweets
Jun 12, 2024
I thought I would spend days on this lit review.

It took me just 10 minutes (no joke)!

Here is how and what tool I used:
👇Image
My Topic:

I am figuring out how forests react to climate change in New Zealand.

The big question: Who has done it before?
(A vast literature review question that can take hours)

Googling it, I found only a single paper: [Wardle 1992]
Really!?Image
To check if there is really only one paper, I searched for this paper [Wardle 1992] on @LitmapsApp ... Image
Read 11 tweets
Jun 10, 2024
Struggling with the discussion section?

Here is an unconventional strategy:

1. Lay out findings from papers on a canvas
2. Link each one to the PDF
3. Group by Topic
4. Summarize what you see as text
5. Flesh out and polish

Let's look at the details:
👇
For this, I am using the @obsdmd Canvas feature. If you are unfamiliar, check out this thread:

1. Lay out the findings of others

Copy quotes from related papers and link to the paper.

(yellow links lead to PDFs, blue links to my note on the paper)

Link them together, here for example are two estimates of a number that are quite far apart - discussion material!Image
Read 10 tweets
Jun 7, 2024
Lost in your research?

Create a research map - it's easy.

Here's how to start and find that research gap:
👇Image
1. Use @drawio

A free tool for building research maps.

Drag boxes from the left sidebar.

Customize it with the buttons on the right sidebar.
2. Define what each box means

Each box is an actor that can interact/be connected to others.

Here are some ideas for functional ecologists:Image
Read 10 tweets
Jun 3, 2024
Every academic wants to find meaningful research gaps.

❌ Old way: Read 1000s of papers
✅ New way: A step-by-step, visual strategy

Here's my workflow using Obsidian, Litmaps, Consensus and DrawIO:
(and a webinar on how to do this!)
👇 Image
1. Start with finding research questions

Sometimes there are papers dedicated to identifying them.
This will make your literature review process ENJOYABLE, as you won't follow ideas that are irrelevant (but inspire you personally).

Here are two examples:
Image
Image
2. Next find key papers on this topic.

One of the fastest and easiest ways to get started, is to use @ConsensusNLP GPT.

Find it in the GPT store or just use their website.

Here I just copy and pasted question 8 from the previous image.

The first hit seems reasonable! Image
Read 13 tweets

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