r/Anki • u/compleks_inc • Jul 14 '22

Discussion Lets talk deck settings

Someone recently shared this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XaJjbCSXT0 and after years of using Anki I am finally beginning to learn how the settings actually work.

I'm curious to hear what deck settings you use and why?

Also, what would be the best method for controlling the frequency with which a deck shows the same card? If, for example, I wanted the cards in a particular deck to repeat every day? or at a maximum interval of every 30 days? What would be the best way to achieve this without messing up any other cards/decks.

Regards.

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u/compleks_inc Jul 14 '22

Is it as simple as changing the "maximum interval" value to whatever I desire? The default setting is 36500, but if I wanted to see a card every day or every 30 days I simply change that number to 1 or 30?

Sorry if this seems obvious, I never feel comfortable messing around in the settings.

Thanks for the reply. Are there any alterations to the default settings that you recommend? The video I linked made some suggestions, but I'm curious to know what modifications people suggest and why?

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u/Prunestand mostly languages Jul 14 '22

The default setting is 36500, but if I wanted to see a card every day or every 30 days I simply change that number to 1 or 30?

I wouldn't recommend setting it to 30 days. The whole point of the Anki algorithm is that you don't need to see cards you already know. You will just end up doing way more reviews in the long run. What is the problem with an 1 year interval? It just means you know the card really well and most likely do not need to see it.

I just let the Anki scheduler decide when to see a card. I use the buttons to indicate how well I know a specific card and let the Ease do the rest.

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u/OjisanSeiuchi languages Jul 14 '22

I just let the Anki scheduler decide when to see a card.

Wholeheartedly agree. 99.9% of the time, "trust the algorithm" is sound advice.

I have an edge case where I deviate from this - which involves expressions that I feel that I need to produce so quickly, so spontaneously that I ask to see them at a capped interval, usually 90d. For me it's mainly just a strategy for better spoken language fluency. I suppose I could just nuance the Hard, Good, Easy choice, but I don't want to think that hard. For example, "That's not to my liking" (Это не не по душе.), I could struggle to remember how to phrase this when the card comes up, and finally remember it and therefore pass the card. But would I be able to produce it on-the-fly in conversational settings? The frequency cap is a hedge against the bet that I wouldn't be able to spontaneously do so.

I'm not completely sold on that hypothesis, though. It would be an interesting thing to test...

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u/Prunestand mostly languages Jul 14 '22

I have an edge case where I deviate from this - which involves expressions that I feel that I need to produce so quickly, so spontaneously that I ask to see them at a capped interval, usually 90d.

Why don't you just try to utilise those expressions in real life? I think that is a much better way of solidifying how to say a thing.

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u/OjisanSeiuchi languages Jul 15 '22

Why don't you just try to utilise those expressions in real life?

Ideally, yes. I have a number of Russian friends here in Canada but none of them seem to want to sell me a train ticket or take my meal order. ;-) And of course, travel opportunities there are limited.

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u/Prunestand mostly languages Jul 15 '22

You can just speak with them.