Spaced repetition is one of the most effective ways to absorb and ingrain trading rules, systems, and strategies in your mind and it will improve recall ability which is essential when evaluating price action. Spaced repetition is essentially strategically timing study sessions over days, weeks and months to reinforce lessons in your memory and prevent the knowledge from fading.
A study by Augustin in 2014 showed medical students using spaced repetition retained so much more information and for far longer than those who didn’t. This method helps professionals to retain information over months and even years. This makes it ideal for stock market traders who need to embed hundreds of rules into their trading systems.
Spaced learning intervals
You can do this whenever suits you, but for mid-term spacing intervals, you can follow this structure.
After 1 day
After 3 days
After 7 days
After 16 days
Just like going to the gym, your brain needs consistent reinforcement to strengthen memories. These intervals at ever-increasing points in time suits how your memory performs best. Our brains recognise that the spaced out and repetitive information we receive is more important, and essential to know, leading to better recall.
If you want the quick answer to all of this, just go back to old studies, books and courses to recall the information you learnt before. But don’t just re-read, you must be testing yourself on the topic. I will go over some techniques on how to do this, including using AI as a tool later in this post.
The science behind spaced learning
Spaced repetition comes from people in white lab coats. It started with the discovery of the forgetting curve. The forgetting curve shows us that we often forget lessons quickly after learning; this drops steeply at first but then slows down. But, by reviewing our lessons using active recall, the testing effect starts working. Actively testing yourself creates pathways of connectivity in your brain allowing for easier recall in the moment, with less focus needed. Instantaneous recall.
To make this work you can’t just re-read material, active testing reinforces memories best. Studies show that active recall is 51% better than passive. This is also far better than “cramming”.
Benefits of creating time for spaced learning
Spaced learning also enhances long-term memory and retention. The ability to store and retrieve information strengthens over time. Embedding information into our memory is the storage part and retrieval is how easily we can access it when needed. Over time, retrieval fades but spending time testing yourself at key points helps to maintain it.
The tactic here is that each time you revisit the lesson, you reset the forgetting curve. Each review strengthens the connections and extends the forgetfulness until the next time you retrieve this memory. This is why, doing things again and again ingrains things in your mind so well. This learning technique is challenging but not too challenging, it’s the right level of difficulty.
Some tips for spaced learning
Fixed intervals of reviewing lessons once a week do work, but they are not the most effective tactic.
Expanding intervals are slightly more effective than fixed intervals, starting with 1 day, 3 days, 7 days, and 21 days for example.
Finally, adapting your intervals depending on how well you can recall the information is top-class spaced learning. If you struggle with the recalls, the intervals decrease meaning you spend more time learning in a shorter span of time. Whereas if you recall the lessons well, the interval increases.
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