During medical school, I started using the Anki spaced repetition system to put large amounts of knowledge into my long-term memory. At first, I used decks made by other students. Eventually, I found that I preferred creating my own flashcards over using decks of pre-made flashcards.

Focus

Making my own flashcards is a significant use of time and effort. At first blush, that sounds like it’s a disadvantage, but it can also be framed as a benefit. Because there is a non-zero cost to making my flashcards, it incentivizes me to make the minimum number of flashcards necessary and no more. I found that before I started making my own cards, I was tempted to download more decks than I reasonably had time to study. The cost incurred by making my own cards helps me foucs my energies on just the facts that I want to remember.

Ownership

Because I make my own flashcards, I have a deeper sense of accountability for my study. When I see a “bad” flashcard (e.g. one that is poorly worded or ambiguous) I know that it’s my fault and I need to fix it. When using a deck made by someone else, it’s easier to ignore the card and keep studying without improving anything. The knowledge that my flashcards are fully my responsibility helps me keep iterating and making better and better cards.

Schema construction

The process of making flashcards helps me construct a schema into which I can place facts. When I make flashcards, I have to ask myself what the most important things to know are. As I organize my notes, it encourages me to think about the relationships between concepts—how they are similar, how they are different. By making flashcards, I give myself time to think about the facts I’m studying and how they are related—something I wouldn’t be forced to do if I were to rely soley on decks made by other people.