Study with flashcards and notes

Alex is learning typography. In class, she takes notes in Filarr. Each time something is worth remembering, she writes a question and its answer right there, on two lines. Filarr turns these pairs into flashcards, and brings each card back just before she would forget it.

In this tutorial you set up the same routine for any subject. At the end, you have a notebook for the subject, class notes with their questions, a deck of flashcards, and a daily reminder to review.

Before you start

• Time: about 20 minutes, then a few minutes a day.
• Something to learn: a course, a book, a language.
• To try the review right away, import Alex's notebook from Try Filarr with sample data. Its note Typography flashcards and two reading notes already hold eight cards.

Step 1: Create a notebook for the subject

1. Click Notes in the sidebar, then the back arrow at the top of the list (Browse).
2. Click + next to Notebooks (New Notebook).
3. Type the name of the subject, for example "Typography", and press Enter.

All the notes of the course will go there. See Organize your notes.

Step 2: Take notes from the Class notes template

1. Click + (New Note). In the Start from a template window, type "class" in Search templates..., then click Class notes.
2. Replace the title with the name of the class, for example "Typography, lesson 3". The large heading at the top of the page repeats the name of the template: change it too.
3. Right-click the note in the list, choose Move to..., then your notebook.

The template gives the page a frame: Subject and Teacher / source side by side, then Outline, Notes, Open questions (with a callout for what you did not understand) and Revision. Revision holds three tasks: Re-read within 24 h, Turn into flashcards, Explain it to someone. See Templates.

Step 3: Write questions as you go

Under Notes, each time something is worth remembering, write the question on one line and the answer on the next:

Q: What is leading?
A: The vertical space between lines of text.

A shorter form works too, with a space after ? and !:

? What is kerning?
! The space between two letters.

• The answer goes on the line right after the question.
• Write A: for the answer, whatever your language: Filarr does not recognize R:.
• Keep each card small: one question, one short answer. A card you can answer in a few seconds is a card you will review.

See Flashcards.

Step 4: Build your deck

1. At the top of the list of notes, open More actions (…), then Flashcards.
2. Click Generate from Notes.

Filarr reads all your notes and puts every pair it finds into a deck called "Auto-generated". The number at the top right tells you how many cards are due now.

Step 5: Review

1. Read the question and answer it in your head.
2. Press Space to see the answer.
3. Say how well you knew it: Again (1), Hard (2), Good (3) or Easy (4).

A card you missed comes back the next day, and Hard counts as a miss too. A card you knew comes back later and later: one day, then six days, then longer. When nothing is left, Filarr says "All cards reviewed! Come back later."

Step 6: Add the next class

After each class, write its pairs in its note, then open Flashcards again and click + Generate from Notes at the bottom of the window. Filarr adds the new cards, removes those you deleted from your notes, and keeps your progress on the others.

Step 7: Make it a habit

A task that comes back every day reminds you to review.

1. In the note of your first class, under Revision, type [ ], a space, and "Review my flashcards".
2. Hover the task, click + Due date, pick Today and the time you want to review.
3. Under Repeat, choose Daily. Under Reminders, choose At due time.

When you tick the task, it does not stay done: it moves to the next day. The reminder goes off while Filarr is open. See Tasks.

Step 8: Before the exam

• See the outline of a class at a glance: open its note, then click Mind map in the This note group. Filarr draws the headings as branches. See Views: list, mosaic, kanban and more.
• Work in focused sessions: click Focus timer in the top bar, then Start. It times 25 minutes of work, then a 5-minute break. See Write in comfort.

Your routine is set: notes in class, questions as you go, a few minutes of review each day.

What next?

• Photographed the whiteboard or a handout? Import the photo, then type /ocr in a note and choose Recognize text: Filarr turns it into text you can edit. See Recognize text in images and PDFs.
• Link your classes to each other with [[, and see the whole subject in the graph: Link your notes.
• Keep the books of the course in a reading list that fills itself: Build a reading tracker.