Appendix B: Recommended Tools

Every technique in this book can be practiced with a pencil and paper. The tools described here are not prerequisites — they are accelerants. They reduce friction, automate scheduling, and create environments where good learning habits become the path of least resistance. That said, tools have a way of becoming distractions in themselves: many people spend more time optimizing their Anki setup than actually reviewing their cards. Read this appendix as a starting menu, not a shopping list. Pick one or two things that address your specific friction points, use them until they're habits, then consider additions.

Spaced Repetition Software

Anki

Platform: Desktop (Windows, Mac, Linux), iOS (AnkiMobile, paid), Android (AnkiDroid, free) Cost: Free (desktop + Android); $24.99 one-time for iOS

Anki is the gold standard of spaced repetition software and has been for over a decade. It uses a modified SM-2 algorithm to schedule card reviews at optimally spaced intervals — a card you know well might not reappear for months; one you keep getting wrong will resurface tomorrow. The interface is functional rather than beautiful, and the card creation process has a learning curve. That friction is worth tolerating.

What Anki is best for: Anything that benefits from memorization with high precision — medical and nursing school (the USMLE community built an entire shared deck ecosystem around Anki), language vocabulary, historical dates, legal codes, pharmacology, musical intervals, anatomy. If you need to recall specific information reliably under pressure, Anki is almost certainly the right tool.

What Anki is not ideal for: Conceptual understanding that requires explanation rather than cued recall, skills that are primarily procedural (you can't Anki your way to playing piano), or learners who genuinely will not maintain a daily review habit. Anki's superpower is consistency; a neglected deck becomes an avalanche.

Getting started well: Start with fewer cards than you think you need. Twenty new cards per day is a reasonable ceiling for most people; thirty to forty is aggressive. Download an existing shared deck rather than creating everything from scratch. The AnkiWeb shared deck library has high-quality decks for most major subjects. Critically, make sure you understand the content before you card it — Anki memorizes what you give it, including misconceptions.

One non-obvious feature: The "bury related cards" setting prevents you from seeing a card's reverse side immediately after its front side in the same session. Turn it on. Seeing both sides in rapid succession mimics recognition, not recall.

RemNote

Platform: Browser, desktop app, iOS, Android Cost: Free tier (limited features); Pro starts around $6/month

RemNote integrates note-taking and spaced repetition in a single interface. As you write notes, you can mark any sentence as a flashcard using a simple :: syntax, and RemNote will automatically schedule it for spaced review. This eliminates one of Anki's biggest friction points: the separation between your notes and your review system.

What RemNote is best for: Students who take lots of structured notes and want those notes to automatically feed into a review queue. If you're reading a textbook and highlighting key definitions, RemNote makes it easy to convert those highlights into cards without switching applications.

Honest caveat: The spaced repetition algorithm is not as mature or customizable as Anki's. If you are a medical student or otherwise need maximal precision in your review scheduling, Anki remains the better choice. For most other learners, the lower friction of RemNote's integrated workflow is a real advantage.

Obsidian with Spaced Repetition Plugin

Platform: Desktop (Windows, Mac, Linux), iOS, Android Cost: Free (personal use); sync features are paid

Obsidian is primarily a personal knowledge management (PKM) system — a tool for building a network of linked notes. The community-developed spaced repetition plugin (by Sheen Capadngan) adds SRS functionality so that notes or code blocks marked with a specific tag enter a review queue.

What this combination is best for: Learners who are building a long-term knowledge base — researchers, writers, curious generalists — who want their notes to remain active rather than sitting unreviewed. If you already use Obsidian or are committed to building a linked-note system, adding spaced repetition is a natural extension.

Honest caveat: This is a more advanced setup. If you just want to learn vocabulary or prepare for an exam, you do not need Obsidian. Start with Anki or RemNote first.

Other Options

Mochi (mochi.cards) — A well-designed web and desktop SRS application with a Markdown-based card format. Cleaner interface than Anki; less powerful algorithm and smaller community. Good for people who find Anki's interface alienating.

SuperMemo — The original SRS software, still maintained, and theoretically the most sophisticated algorithm available (Anki's SM-2 algorithm is derived from an earlier SuperMemo version). The interface is notoriously difficult. Primarily for power users who are committed to squeezing maximum efficiency from their review schedule.

Note-Taking Systems

Physical: Cornell Notes

The Cornell method divides a page into three sections: a wide right-hand column for main notes taken during lecture or reading, a narrow left-hand column for cues and questions added afterward, and a bottom summary section. The cue column effectively creates retrieval practice opportunities: cover the main notes, use the cues as prompts. Cornell note paper is widely available, or you can simply draw lines. This is the best physical note-taking format for most academic contexts.

Physical: Index Cards and the Leitner Box

Index cards (3×5 or 4×6) provide the physical analog to SRS. Write a question on one side, the answer on the other. The Leitner system organizes them into boxes: new or difficult cards stay in Box 1 (reviewed daily), cards you know get promoted to Box 2 (reviewed every other day), then Box 3 (weekly), Box 4 (monthly), and Box 5 (quarterly). When you get a card wrong, it returns to Box 1. You can buy a dedicated Leitner box, make one from index boxes and dividers, or use an accordion folder. The physical system works. It requires more discipline than software but nothing can beat it for contexts where screens are inappropriate or impossible.

Digital: Notion

Notion is a flexible workspace application that can function as a note-taking app, database, wiki, and project manager. It is powerful and visually appealing. It is also easy to spend more time organizing your notes in Notion than actually studying them. If you use Notion, apply the principle of minimum viable complexity: a simple structure you actually use beats an elaborate one you maintain sporadically.

Digital: Obsidian

Described above under SRS tools. Worth considering as a primary note-taking environment if you value long-term knowledge accumulation, offline access, and ownership of your data (notes are stored as plain text files on your device, not in a proprietary cloud format).

Digital: Roam Research

Roam was the pioneer of the bidirectional-linking note-taking paradigm. Notes can link to each other in both directions, creating a graph of connected ideas. It is powerful for researchers and writers who work with large bodies of interconnected material. The learning curve is steep and the cost is relatively high (~$15/month). It is the right tool for a specific, committed kind of user. Most learners do not need it.

For Sketchnoting

A dedicated sketchbook (Leuchtturm1917 or Moleskine, A5 or A4 size) plus a set of fine-tip markers provides the best sketchnoting experience. Avoid lined paper for sketching — it constrains spatial organization. For digital sketchnoting, an iPad with Apple Pencil and either Notability or GoodNotes provides an experience close to paper with the ability to search and reorganize. The Procreate app is better for artistic illustration but less suited to mixed text/image notes.

Focus and Deep Work

Website and App Blockers

  • Freedom (freedom.to): Available on all platforms. Blocks websites and apps on a schedule or on demand. The "locked mode" prevents you from bypassing blocks until the session ends, which is genuinely useful for learners who know they will weaken. Paid subscription (~$3.33/month annually).
  • Cold Turkey (getcoldturkey.com): Windows and Mac. Considered by many to be harder to circumvent than Freedom — you cannot uninstall it during a block, and "Frozen Turkey" can lock your computer to nothing but specific apps. Free tier available; paid version extends features. For serious chronic distraction, Cold Turkey is the more nuclear option.
  • SelfControl (selfcontrolapp.com): Mac only, free, open source. Adds websites to a blocklist for a set period — and once started, it cannot be reversed even by restarting your computer or deleting the app. Uncompromising.

Forest

Forest (forestapp.cc, iOS and Android) gamifies phone non-use: start a session and a virtual tree begins to grow; touch your phone and it dies. Your completed sessions build a virtual forest. The app also converts in-app coins to real tree planting through a partnering organization. The gamification is mild but surprisingly effective for people who respond to visual progress. Free and paid versions.

Physical Timers

A physical kitchen timer beats a phone timer for focus work. When the phone is your timer, you must touch the phone to stop the alarm — and touching the phone is the behavior you are trying to prevent. A $10 kitchen timer on your desk does the job without the hazard. The Pomodoro technique (25 minutes of work, 5-minute break, longer break after four cycles) is a well-tested time management approach that pairs naturally with a physical timer.

Language Learning

Anki with Frequency Decks

For vocabulary acquisition, Anki loaded with a frequency-sorted deck for your target language is one of the most evidence-aligned approaches available. Frequency decks prioritize the most commonly used words in the language — learning the top 1,000 words typically provides comprehension of roughly 85% of everyday text. High-quality shared decks for dozens of languages are available free on AnkiWeb. Search "[language name] frequency" or "[language name] core 2000."

Language Transfer

Language Transfer (languagetransfer.org) offers free audio courses for several languages (Spanish, French, German, Swahili, Turkish, Italian, Arabic, and Greek as of this writing). The courses are conversation-format, designed by Mihalis Eleftheriou, and focus on building grammatical intuition rather than rote vocabulary. There is no app, no gamification, just audio. It is one of the most underrated free language learning resources in existence.

Comprehensible Input Resources

Stephen Krashen's input hypothesis proposes that language acquisition is driven by exposure to language slightly above your current level of understanding ("i+1"). Whether or not you accept his broader theoretical framework, the practice of consuming large quantities of comprehensible input is well-supported by acquisition research.

  • YouTube: The Easy Languages channel provides street-interview videos in dozens of languages with both target-language and English subtitles. Language-specific channels (Dreaming Spanish for Spanish, JapanesePod101, Learn French with Alexa) offer structured input at multiple levels.
  • Podcasts: "Coffee Break" series (Coffee Break Spanish, French, Italian, etc.) and "Language Transfer" (above) are excellent. "Slow German with Annik Rubens" is a model example of comprehensible input audio.
  • Reading: Graded readers at your proficiency level are more valuable than you think. Reading in the target language, even simple material, provides far more lexical encounters per hour than most instructional methods.

iTalki and Preply

Both platforms connect you with human language tutors and conversation partners for video sessions. Formal teachers provide structured lessons; community tutors offer less formal but lower-cost conversation practice. The ability to speak with native speakers at any stage of learning is irreplaceable and available in nearly every major language. Speaking practice sessions should include real-time correction of output errors — passive conversation without feedback improves fluency but not accuracy.

Reading and Research

Readwise

Readwise (readwise.io) imports your highlights from Kindle, Apple Books, Instapaper, Pocket, and other reading applications and sends you a daily email or app notification reviewing a handful of them using spaced repetition principles. For heavy readers who consume a lot of non-fiction, Readwise addresses a real problem: you highlight passages, never look at them again, and retain almost nothing. The daily review is lightweight and surprisingly effective at keeping ideas alive. Paid subscription.

Zotero

Zotero (zotero.org) is a free, open-source reference manager for research papers, books, and web pages. It integrates with word processors and browsers to capture citations automatically. If you are doing any kind of academic work, maintaining a Zotero library from the beginning is worth the setup time. The ability to search your collected papers, attach PDF annotations, and generate formatted citations saves significant time over a multi-year academic career.

Calibre

Calibre (calibre-ebook.com) is a free, open-source ebook library management application. It organizes your ebook collection, converts between formats, and syncs to e-readers. For learners who read a lot of digital books across multiple devices and formats, Calibre is indispensable.

Physical Learning Aids

Whiteboard

A whiteboard or whiteboard-painted wall is the highest-leverage physical investment many learners can make. Brain dumps, concept maps, working through problems, explaining ideas to an imaginary audience — all of these benefit from a large writing surface that is easy to erase and revise. Standard wall-mounted whiteboards are available from office supply stores; whiteboard paint (applied to a wall or a sheet of hardboard) is a cheaper and potentially larger option. Even a 2×3-foot whiteboard is transformative compared to working exclusively on paper or screens.

Physical Timer

Described under Focus and Deep Work above. A $10–15 kitchen timer is not glamorous, but it eliminates the phone hazard during timed study sessions.

Physical Flashcard System

For learners who prefer tactile engagement or work in contexts where screens are unavailable, a physical Leitner box system with index cards remains highly effective. The act of writing cards by hand provides a processing benefit; the physical manipulation of cards during review adds a sensory dimension that some learners find helpful. Pre-printed index card sets are available for many subjects, but handwriting your own cards produces better encoding than filling in blanks.

A Note on Tool Minimalism

The best tool is the one you will actually use. Anki is more powerful than paper flashcards — but a paper Leitner box you review every day beats Anki you open once a week. Before adding any new tool, ask: what friction does this address? Does that friction actually stop me from learning, or is it just a feature I think I'd like? The learners who use tools most effectively tend to have small, stable toolkits that they've been using for years. Resist the gravitational pull of novelty.