In software engineering, there’s the idea that you should never memorize anything you can look up. That’s led to the StackOverflow method of development, where any bit of code can be found on that site with a few keystrokes. Eventually, a dependence on SO becomes a grinding slowdown of your productivity. You need to know some things, and it isn’t better to look up the basics.
Last year I started going through Wes Bos’s React for Beginners course. More accurately, I started going through it for the second time because I remembered almost nothing from the course. I did the lessons, but I didn’t have a project on which to practice what I learned. I forgot it all.
I discovered something between my two attempts: Spaced Repetition matters. Remembering things is a function of relearning them. It’s not a linear path of relearning information, though. The goal is to relearn right before you forget it again.
Anki Flashcards are a digital tool for spaced repetition. After creating flash cards, you are given a set from the “deck” to review on an interval. You score yourself based on how easy it was to remember the answers. It can be anywhere from “repeat it in 10 minutes because I got it wrong”, to Easy. The interval until the next review for “Hard”, “Good”, and “Easy” are based on your previous response to the card. The intervals get longer as you find the answers easier to come by.
I was skeptical this would work with code, but created cards based on what I learned in Wes’ course anyway. Again I didn’t have a project to work on as I retook it, which meant I relied on the flashcards to keep the topics fresh in my memory.
I started last week to work on a little side project in React, and discovered the spaced repetition had worked brilliantly. I remembered bits of code I needed to write and didn’t fumble around. I discovered I didn’t need to rewatch the lessons because I remembered the code I needed.
The computer- and web-based versions of Anki are free, but I would recommend paying the $25 for the mobile version as well. It feels expensive, but the benefits are there. (This is not a paid sponsorship, I really believe it works and is worth it.)