Spaced proof review routine

Here are the basic steps I take for spaced proof review.

For each proof/exercise:

1. Do the proof for the first time. This isn't any different from what people normally do when solving exercises out of a book, or when reading a proof in a book. You just read it or do it on a piece of paper. It's important to add the complete proof on proof cards to reduce friction when reviewing.
2. Write up the proof as an Anki card.
3. Do an empty review of proof cards immediately after adding to prevent backlog

Which proofs/exercises do I add as cards? I tend to prefer simple exercises and important exercises. If an exercise involves a lot of tedious detail, I tend to skip it (I might start making cards that just ask for the main point/insight for these tedious exercises).

Each day:

1. Review all cards that are due (sometimes, if there are too many due cards, I will try to do some of them and leave the rest to the following day. There's a lot of variance in number of due cards per day because of the way Anki works.) When reviewing, I use actual paper and pencil, and write down the proof on paper. I use scratch paper that I throw away when I'm done reviewing. (Any new insight I get when reviewing should be added to the back side of the card or in some other long-term notes) When scoring, I usually only use "Again" and "Good" (i.e. no "Easy" or "Hard").
2. If a proof I write down when reviewing is not the proof that's on the card, I take a moment to reflect on whether the new proof is correct. If it is, I write it up and add it to the back side of the card. (See spaced proof review as a way to invent novel proofs)

See also

• Deck options for proof cards