[hombre_fatal]

> If you can’t slog through 30 minutes of learning vocabulary/etc. then the thing you’re learning isn’t very important to you

This obviously isn't the case if there's an alternative approach that does work for you.

> Even then, personally I don’t find Anki that boring at all.

Right, and you're having trouble picturing how something you get for free (or take for granted) has a cost for others. Isn't it obvious?

Running 10km a day is a great way to stay in cardiovascular shape. If you like running, it might be a great daily habit for you. But would you say other people must not care about their body just because they're not willing to run 10km, but they are willing to bicycle, swim, or kickbox daily?

[keiferski]

I think you are dramatically undervaluing how effective SRS is. 30 minutes of doing flashcards with Anki will accomplish about 500% as many other learning activities in the same time, in my experience.

So the point is that while SRS might be boring at times compared to other types of learning, the benefits are worth it. Effectiveness of learning does not correlate directly with enjoyment.

To phrase this another way: yes, in general you should find learning methods that appeal to you. But spaced repetition is so effective that it’s worth implementing, even if you don’t enjoy it.

Edit: using the metaphor that you added: if say, doing jumping jacks for 10 minutes burned 10x calories than every other exercise does in 60 minutes, and your goal is to lose weight, then yeah, it would seem a little silly to me to avoid doing jumping jacks because you don’t enjoy them. The benefits are worth the hassle.

[Gud]

The key modifier here being "in your experience". Perhaps for others, other methods are more effective.

[keiferski]

The science behind spaced repetition isn’t really up for debate, though. I guess if you really hate SRS, don’t do it, but all signs point to it being worth the time.