How to Do Spaced Repetition Without Anki: 4 Simple Ways

6 min read · Viralinc

You can learn how to do spaced repetition without Anki in about five minutes. The idea is simple: review something right before you would forget it, and each time you get it right, wait longer before the next review. You can run that with a paper Leitner box, a calendar, a spreadsheet, or any app that schedules reviews for you.

If Anki feels like too much setup and you just want your reviews scheduled, Viralinc's FlashDeck turns notes into cards and shows you only the ones you are about to forget. Find your app

Spaced repetition in one minute

What is spaced repetition?

Spaced repetition means spreading reviews out over growing gaps instead of cramming. Day 1, then day 2, then day 4, then a week, and so on.

How does spaced repetition work?

After you learn something, you start forgetting it fast. Psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus first mapped this "forgetting curve" in the 1880s. Each time you successfully recall the fact, it fades more slowly, so the next review can wait longer.

Does spaced repetition work?

Yes. Distributed practice, the research name for it, is one of the two study techniques rated highest in a big 2013 review of learning methods (the other is practice testing). It works best when each review is active recall, meaning you try to answer before checking.

The three rules

1. Test yourself, do not just reread.
2. Right answer = longer gap.
3. Wrong answer = back to a short gap.

Everything below is just a different way to follow those three rules.

Way 1: the paper Leitner box

This is how to do spaced repetition with physical flashcards. It was popularized by a German science writer, Sebastian Leitner, in the 1970s.

What you need

• Index cards
• A shoebox or envelope with 5 sections (label them 1 to 5)

How it works

1. All new cards start in Box 1.
2. When you get a card right, move it up one box.
3. When you get a card wrong, it goes all the way back to Box 1.
4. Each day, review only the boxes that are due.

Good for: anyone who likes writing things by hand, or wants to stay off screens. Downside: you have to remember which boxes are due, and the box gets heavy with a big deck.

Way 2: the calendar method

This is how to do spaced repetition without flashcards, using topics instead of individual cards.

1. When you learn a topic in class, write it on your calendar (paper or phone) for 1 day, 3 days, 7 days and 14 days later.
2. On each date, do a 10-minute active recall session on that topic: blurt everything you remember onto a blank page, then check your notes.
3. If the session went badly, add an extra review two days later.

Good for: essay subjects, history, big topics that do not break into small cards. Downside: less precise than card-by-card. It is easy to skip a calendar alert.

Way 3: a simple spreadsheet

If you like lists and data, a spreadsheet makes spaced repetition very visible.

Create these columns:

Rules for filling in "Next review":

• Right the first time → +2 days
• Right again → double the gap (+4, then +8, then +16)
• Wrong → +1 day, and restart the doubling

Each morning, sort by "Next review" and do everything dated today or earlier.

Good for: tracking a few dozen topics across classes. Downside: fiddly for hundreds of vocab cards. Updating every row gets old fast.

Here is the honest truth about ways 1 to 3: the scheduling is where people fall off. You miss a day, the box or sheet gets messy, and you are back to guessing what is due.

That is exactly what FlashDeck handles. Paste your class notes to get flashcards, then it works out which cards you are about to forget and shows you only those, no box or spreadsheet to manage. Find your app

Way 4: an app that schedules for you

Anki is powerful, but its settings and add-ons can feel like a lot if you just want to study. Plenty of apps do the scheduling automatically. When picking one, look for:

• Automatic review scheduling so you never calculate dates
• Easy card creation, ideally from your own notes
• Short daily sessions instead of huge queues
• Works on whatever device you use most

Some people ask how to do spaced repetition on Quizlet. Quizlet has study modes that repeat missed terms, but check what your version offers, since features change. Any app works as long as it follows the three rules: test, longer gap when right, shorter gap when wrong.

Which way to choose

Not sure how long the gaps should be before a specific test date? Our best spaced repetition schedule builds one backward from test day. And if you want to know how many reviews it really takes, read How Many Times Do You Have to Study Something to Remember It?.

Get your reviews scheduled in the next minute

Paste the notes from one class into FlashDeck and it will make your cards and keep track of when each one is due, right in your browser with nothing to install. The check-in is free. It is the easiest answer to how to do spaced repetition without Anki. Find your app

FAQ

Can you do spaced repetition without an app?

Yes. A paper Leitner box, a calendar or a spreadsheet all work. The key is testing yourself and lengthening the gap each time you get something right.

How do you do spaced repetition with physical flashcards?

Use the Leitner box: several sections reviewed at different gaps. Right answers move a card up a box; wrong answers send it back to box one.

What do people on Reddit suggest instead of Anki?

In how to do spaced repetition without Anki Reddit threads, common picks are the Leitner box, a calendar or spreadsheet, and simpler apps with automatic scheduling. Most agree the method matters more than the tool.

How do I use spaced repetition for studying school subjects?

Use cards for facts and vocab, and the calendar method with blurting for bigger topics. Start reviewing the day after class, not the week before the test.

How often should I review with spaced repetition?

A simple default is 1 day, 3 days, 7 days, then 14 days after learning something, going back to the start if you miss it. Daily sessions of 10 to 20 minutes are enough for most students.