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

May 28
Double your productivity in Google Docs.

Learn these 12 essential keyboard shortcuts.

Windows & Mac:
👇
1. Paste without Style

Ever pasted something from Word or a browser and noticed that the format is completely broken?

Paste without format to avoid this. Press:

⌘ + ⇧ + V (Mac)
CTRL + SHIFT + V (Win)

In this example I copy from MS Word and the style is totally off.
2. Fast navigation (any software)

You use the arrow ⬅️ keys ➡️ to go move the cursor letter by letter.

Hold ⎇ (ctrl on Win) to move word by word instead.
Hold ⌘ (home, end keys on Win) to move line by line.

Fix typos in milliseconds with this trick (Video is real time).
Read 15 tweets
May 21
This is Niklas Luhmann.

He has more citations than 99% of scientists.
And 70+ books.

Here is how he did it:
(...steal his secret) Image
Luhmann (1927-1998) was a German sociologist and philosopher studying how societies function.

He wrote over 70 books and 400 articles on topics like law, politics, and art.

Luhmann described society as a self-sustaining system and was influential, especially in Germany. Image
Famous thinkers like Charles Darwin (20+ books) or Albert Einstein (300+ publications) share a common trait:

They think DEEPLY and SYSTEMATICALLY about their subject.

Luhmann's system however is the best documented through his note collection system: The Zettelkasten (photo). Image
Read 14 tweets
May 9
The best researchers aren't geniuses. They're well-organized.

This is my favorite system to organize 1000s of notes.

Simple, yet powerful:
👇 Image
1. The Problem

Taking notes helps you remember only if you can find your notes.

My vault has almost 400k words over 1000+ notes (and countless PDFs/Screenshots).

To find things easier you need to have MULTIPLE layers of organization. Divide and conquer. Image
2. Folders do not work well.

In my experience folders just don't work. Because a note can't be part of multiple folders.

If you want to reuse notes for different "projects" inside your vault you need TAGS.

A Tag is just like a folder. But a note can be part of many tags! Image
Read 11 tweets
May 6
Struggling with remembering where you saved a note?

Use Rainbow Folders: A hidden feature in Obsidian.

Here is how:
👇 Image
Obsidian (@obsdmd) is a free software if you are serious about organizing knowledge (e.g. academics)

Organize by: Folders, Tags or Maps of Content

Rainbow folders gives every folder a color making them easier to find.

There are two modes: Backgrounds(Left) or Titles (Mid) Image
@obsdmd 1. Installing the right theme

Not every theme supports rainbow folders.

You will have to try out.

These two popular themes do support it.
- Chime (my recommended theme at the moment).
- AnuPpuccin Image
Read 7 tweets
Apr 27
Plagiarism is a serious problem in academia.

Even a misplaced citation can massively damage your reputation.

Luckily AI is great at spotting plagiarism. Here is how:
👇 Image
1. Plagiarism is complex

If you look at the Harvard Guide it identifies 6 types of plagiarism.

"Uncited paraphrase" might be the most difficult to spot.

Here you might mention established findings from older papers without citing them. Image
2. Check for Plagiarism

After you have written your manuscript (yourself!). You might still end up with a few unintended instances of plagiarism.

This is where @teampaperpal comes in.

Make an account on paperpal . com and click "Plagiarism Check" in the sidebar. Image
Read 7 tweets
Apr 22
Want to get more done at the end of the week?

Use SCRUM - a scheduling technique most companies use. It's perfect for academics.

Details in text below:
👇
Summary:

1. Create a backlog of tasks and assign a difficulty to each (1,2,4,8 for the number of hours it takes to complete)

2. Plan meetings and seminars etc as they also take time.

3. Before starting your week distribute the tasks from the backlog to the days of the week. Don't plan more than 8hr of work a day (or less if you have other commitments).

4. During the week: Check off what you have completed (and how long it took you).

5. At the end of the week: Understand what you got done and what you didn't.

Understand that if you didn't get everything done it is a planning error. It does not mean you need to work harder/more (this is just recipe for burnout and I have been there myself). It just means you need to plan better. Efficiency comes in relaxation.

Every day you manage to accomplish what you planned you will feel great about yourself.

6. Next week you can copy and paste the open tasks to the next week and start the process again. Some people prefer to have a bi-weekly instead.
What tools can you use?

There are dozens of tools for kanban boards. The simplest one is of course Trello.

Read 5 tweets

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