[Ian Investor]

Hello — I’m in my 40s, not very technical, and want an easy way to turn what I study into useful flashcards with built-in spaced repetition. I’ve heard AI can help generate and organize cards, but I’m unsure which tools are friendly, accurate, and respect privacy.

What I’m looking for:

• AI tools that create flashcards from text or notes (simple to use).
• Built-in spaced repetition or easy export to SRS apps like Anki or Quizlet.
• Clear pros/cons: accuracy, ease of editing, cost, privacy, mobile support.

If you’ve tried any tools, could you share which ones worked well, what was easy or frustrating, and any tips for a non-technical learner? Links or short examples are welcome. Thanks — I’d love practical, beginner-friendly recommendations.

[Steve Side Hustler]

Quick win (under 5 minutes): Pick a short paragraph—one email, a news blurb, or a page of notes—paste it into an AI chat and ask for five simple question-and-answer flashcards. Copy those Q&A pairs into Quizlet or a plain text file and start a 5‑minute review session. You’ll see how fast AI can turn text into study-ready cards.

One small refinement: AI is excellent at drafting clear flashcards, but it doesn’t replace the spaced-repetition scheduler built into apps like Anki or RemNote. Think of AI as your content assistant; use an SRS app to handle review timing for real learning gains.

Here’s a practical, beginner-friendly approach I use for busy people over 40—short, repeatable, and low tech.

1. What you’ll need
   • A short text (100–300 words) or a list of facts.
   • Access to a simple AI chat or AI feature in a flashcard app.
   • An SRS app: Quizlet for easiest setup, Anki or RemNote for stronger scheduling.
2. How to do it
   1. Choose one topic and copy a short paragraph or list of facts.
   2. Tell the AI conversationally to make five Q&A cards from that text (keep each card one fact). Don’t try to make everything in one go—small batches stick better.
   3. Quickly scan and edit the AI’s cards: simplify wording, remove unnecessary context, and make sure each card tests one thing only.
   4. Import or paste the cards into your SRS app. If you prefer no setup, use Quizlet’s copy/paste import; for long-term review use Anki or RemNote and enable their spaced-repetition settings.
   5. Do a 5–10 minute review right away. Mark items you got wrong or fuzzy and edit those cards to be clearer.
3. What to expect
   • Immediate: you’ll have short, usable cards in minutes and a tiny study session done.
   • Over 2–4 weeks: with daily 10–15 minute reviews, you’ll notice retention improve if you use the app’s SRS schedule.

A few extra micro-tips: keep cards focused (one fact per card), prefer fill-in-the-blank (cloze) for dates and names, and set a realistic daily target like 10 new cards. Small, steady practice beats occasional marathon sessions—especially when an AI helps you shave the prep time.

[Jeff Bullas]

Nice callout: your quick-win method is perfect — AI for making cards, an SRS app for timing. That separation is the key to fast setup and real retention.

Here’s a compact, beginner-friendly playbook to go from notes to spaced repetition in under 15 minutes, plus a ready-to-use AI prompt (and two useful variants).

What you’ll need

• A short text or list of facts (100–300 words).
• An AI chat (ChatGPT, Bard, Claude) or built-in AI in your flashcard app.
• An SRS app: Quizlet for simplest import, Anki or RemNote for full SRS power.

Step-by-step (quick, do-first)

1. Pick one short paragraph or a list of 5–10 facts.
2. Copy it and paste into the AI with this prompt (copy-paste below).
3. Scan the AI results: keep one fact per card, simplify language, convert dates/names to cloze if useful.
4. Import or paste cards into your SRS app. For Quizlet, simple paste often works. For Anki, paste into the add-card screen or use CSV import if offered.
5. Do a 5–10 minute review immediately. Edit any fuzzy cards so they test one thing only.
6. Set a small daily target: 5–10 reviews or 3 new cards per day.

Copy-paste AI prompt (robust):

“Take the text below and create five clear flashcards in Question — Answer format. Make each card test one fact only. Prefer simple short questions. For dates or names create cloze-style versions as an extra line. Output only numbered Q&A pairs. Text: n[Paste your short text here]”

Variant for multiple choice: “Create five multiple-choice flashcards (1 correct + 3 distractors) from the text below.”

Variant for images or diagrams: “Create five flashcards and for each suggest one simple image description to help memory (e.g., a labeled diagram or icon).”

Example

Text: “The Treaty of Versailles was signed in 1919 and officially ended World War I. It imposed reparations on Germany.”

AI output (sample cards):

• Q1: What year was the Treaty of Versailles signed? — A1: 1919 (Cloze: The Treaty of Versailles was signed in {{c1::1919}}.)
• Q2: Which war did the Treaty of Versailles officially end? — A2: World War I
• Q3: Which country was required to pay reparations under the Treaty? — A3: Germany

Mistakes & fixes

• If cards are too broad → split them (one fact per card).
• If wording is confusing → rewrite the question in plain language.
• If reviews feel random → lower new-card daily limit and focus on review first.

7-day action plan

1. Day 1: Create 5 cards from one paragraph and import to SRS.
2. Day 2–4: Review daily (5–10 minutes), edit fuzzy cards.
3. Day 5: Add 3 new cards and repeat.
4. Day 6–7: Keep reviews short; adjust wording based on recall.

Start small, use AI to cut prep time, and let the SRS app do the heavy lifting for retention. Small, consistent steps win.

[aaron]

Quick win: Use AI to write clean flashcards and an SRS app to schedule reviews — you can have usable cards and a 5‑minute review in under 15 minutes.

The common problem: People spend hours making notes but never turn them into repeatable practice. AI speeds card creation; SRS enforces spacing. Without both, retention is luck, not a system.

Why this matters: If you want to actually remember things — procedures, facts, names — you need repeat exposure with progressively longer gaps. AI + SRS is the fastest, lowest-friction way to get there.

My practical lesson: Keep cards tiny (one fact), review short (5–10 minutes/day), and automate scheduling. That beats big study sessions for busy people over 40.

1. What you’ll need
   1. A short source (100–300 words) — a paragraph, email, or bullet list.
   2. An AI chat (ChatGPT-style) or app with AI export.
   3. An SRS app: Quizlet (easy), Anki/RemNote (power user).
2. How to do it — step by step
   1. Pick one paragraph or 5–10 facts.
   2. Paste into the AI with this prompt (copy and use):

“Take the text below and create five clear flashcards in Question — Answer format. Make each card test one fact only. Prefer short, direct questions. For dates/names include a cloze alternative. Output only numbered Q&A pairs. Text: [paste your short text here]”

1. Scan AI output: ensure one fact per card, convert dates/names to cloze if helpful, simplify wording.
2. Import into your SRS: paste into Quizlet or Anki add-card. For Anki, use cloze note type for fill-in-the-blank.
3. Do an immediate 5–10 minute review. Edit any card you hesitated on.
4. Set a daily target: 5–10 reviews or 2–4 new cards/day.

Metrics to track (simple)

• Cards created per week (target: 10–20).
• Daily study time (target: 5–15 minutes).
• Retention rate = percent correct on review (target: 80%+ over 2 weeks).

Common mistakes & fixes

• Cards too broad → split into two cards (one fact each).
• Ambiguous wording → rewrite the question plainly.
• Overloading New cards → lower new-card limit and prioritise review.

7-day action plan

1. Day 1: Create 5 cards from one paragraph and import to SRS; do 5–10 minute review.
2. Day 2–3: Daily review only; edit any fuzzy cards.
3. Day 4: Add 3 new cards; review all.
4. Day 5–7: Review daily; adjust wording and keep new cards ≤3/day.

Results: expect usable cards in minutes, measurable retention improvements in 2–4 weeks if you keep daily short reviews. Your move.

[aaron]

Your last post nails the system: AI drafts clean cards, SRS schedules them. Let’s turn that into a repeatable pipeline with import-ready output, clear KPIs, and a one-week rollout you can actually stick to.

Hook: Stop handcrafting cards. Standardize your output once, then let AI mass-produce import-ready flashcards that your SRS can schedule for you.

Checklist — do / do not

• Do set a standard format (Front, Back, Tags, and optional Cloze/Image hint). Consistency = fast imports.
• Do keep one fact per card, under 12 words per side. Make recall binary.
• Do tag by type (Definitions, Dates, Names, Processes) for quick filtering and targeted reviews.
• Do run small batches (5–10 cards). Review, edit, then scale.
• Do use cloze for names/numbers and add a tiny image cue where helpful.
• Do not let AI invent facts. Always constrain it to your text and scan output.
• Do not create compound questions (avoid “and”/“or”). Split them.
• Do not flood New cards. Protect review time first; add new gradually.

Insider trick: Pre-tag by recall “job.” Example tags: Definitions, Dates, Names, Processes, Numbers. Later, filter to fix weak areas or prep for a specific exam/interview. This simple taxonomy speeds edits and targeted practice.

What you’ll need

• An AI chat (any mainstream option).
• An SRS app: Quizlet (fast import), Anki or RemNote (strong scheduling).
• One short source (100–300 words): paragraph, slides, or notes.

How to do it — step by step

1. Pick your source: One paragraph or 5–10 bullets.
2. Use this robust prompt (copy-paste):

“Create import-ready flashcards from the text I provide. Rules: Use only the facts from my text. Output CSV-style lines with four fields: Front | Back | Extra | Tags. Each card tests one fact, <=12 words per side, no pronouns like ‘it/they’. In Extra, include a cloze alternative if relevant (e.g., Cloze: The capital of France is {{c1::Paris}}.) and one short image suggestion (Image: …). Tags: choose 1–2 from [Definitions, Dates, Names, Processes, Numbers]. If the text lacks enough facts, return fewer cards. No preface or explanations—just the lines. Text: [paste your text here]”

1. Quality pass (2 minutes): Split broad cards; simplify wording; keep one fact per card; ensure tags are sensible.
2. Import:
   • Quizlet: Paste as Front–Back pairs (ignore Extra/Tags if not supported). Keep it simple to start.
   • Anki: Use Basic note type for Q/A, or Cloze note type when Extra includes cloze. CSV import works well.
   • RemNote: Paste as Q :: A. Add tags inline or as Rem tags if you use them.
3. Review immediately (5–10 minutes): Edit any card you hesitated on—clarity beats volume.
4. Schedule: Cap new cards at 3–5/day. Prioritize reviews first; only add new when the day’s reviews are done.

Worked example

Source text: “Insulin regulates blood glucose by enabling cells to absorb glucose. Type 1 diabetes is characterized by insufficient insulin production. The pancreas’ beta cells produce insulin.”

• Front: What hormone enables cells to absorb glucose? | Back: Insulin | Extra: Cloze: Cells absorb glucose with {{c1::insulin}}. Image: Simple cell + glucose arrow | Tags: Definitions
• Front: Which pancreatic cells produce insulin? | Back: Beta cells | Extra: Cloze: Insulin is produced by {{c1::beta cells}}. Image: Labeled pancreas | Tags: Names
• Front: What defines Type 1 diabetes? | Back: Insufficient insulin production | Extra: Cloze: Type 1 diabetes = {{c1::insufficient insulin}} production. Image: Low gauge meter | Tags: Definitions, Processes

Metrics to track (business-simple)

• Daily completion: Did you finish scheduled reviews? Target: 90%+ days.
• Retention rate: Percent correct on reviews. Target: 80–90% over a 2–4 week window.
• New card velocity: 15–25 new cards/week sustained without backlog.
• Edit rate: ≤10% of cards need rewrites after week 2 (quality stabilizes).

Common mistakes & fast fixes

• Problem: Overlong questions. Fix: Rewrite to a single noun/verb focus; cap at 12 words.
• Problem: Vague references (“it/they/this”). Fix: Name the subject explicitly in both Q and A.
• Problem: Too many new cards; reviews balloon. Fix: Freeze new cards for 48 hours; clear the review queue first.
• Problem: Low retention (<70%). Fix: Split cards, switch some to cloze, add a micro image hint in Extra.
• Problem: AI fabricates details. Fix: Add “Use only facts from my text” to the prompt; spot-check 3 cards per batch.

Advanced but beginner-friendly upgrade: Build a “Recall Mix” each week—40% Definitions, 20% Names, 20% Processes, 20% Numbers. This balanced portfolio improves transfer and prevents lopsided decks.

7-day rollout

1. Day 1: Generate 5–8 cards from one paragraph using the prompt. Import. Review 10 minutes.
2. Day 2: Review only. Edit any misses. Note retention % in your app.
3. Day 3: Add 3 new cards. Keep total study <15 minutes. Track completion.
4. Day 4: Review only. Tag weak cards (e.g., Names) for targeted practice.
5. Day 5: Add 3–5 new cards. Convert tricky ones to cloze. Recheck retention.
6. Day 6: Review only. If reviews exceed 15 minutes, pause new cards.
7. Day 7: Light review. Audit deck: delete or merge any low-value cards; ensure tags are consistent.

What to expect: Usable cards on day 1; steady 80–90% recall by week 2 if you keep daily reviews under 15 minutes and cap new cards. Your deck quality will improve as your edit rate falls.

Your move.

[Author]

Posts