Cards have no been showing up in due for a month

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Yes, those are the defaults, and those are also a fine place to start. But I haven’t been able to find anything suggesting they were chosen as the defaults based on any particular memory science or careful analysis – so it’s possible they are just steps that clearly demonstrate the functionality, and they’ve stuck as the defaults.

I make that recommendation based (1) on FSRS research that found multiple same-day steps have little effect on long-term retention, and (2) on FSRS functionality that considers multiple grades in Learn to set the first interval when the card graduates to Review.

For some users, too many correct grades in Learn can cause a drastic increase in that post-Learn interval. All of the analysis of FSRS points to that effect being correct, based on those users’ review histories (meaning, it’s not a “bug”[1]) – but that doesn’t make it look any more rational when they see it.

A single step, as a starting point, deals with both points. Some users may find they need to add an additional step, shorter or longer, to deal with issues they are having in Learn, but that can’t be known until they get started.

Why do I suggest 5m as the low end?

I make that recommendation based on the small bit of brain and memory science I’ve picked up along the way. I’m only a dabbler in that area, but I’ve seen that this holds true for a good number of users.

If you can remember something for only as long as you can hold your breath, it’s probably still in your short-term/working memory, and you haven’t created a “real” memory of it yet. Extremely short steps (secs to ~2m) are a test of that working memory, but that success won’t necessarily convert to the type of memory spaced repetition is trying to help you build. So, if you can’t remember something for at least 5m, there’s a good chance you haven’t learned it yet.

  1. Is it part of FSRS not having a model for near-term memory? Does that make it so FSRS isn’t able to consider those near-term/same-day grades appropriately? I’ve asked those questions and been told that isn’t an issue. ↩︎