Add a list over time for spaced repetition Learnalist can introduce notes from a list gradually, so your review list grows at a pace you can handle.

When you find a useful list, vocabulary set, or language guide, it is tempting to add everything to spaced repetition immediately. That can feel productive for a few minutes, but it often creates too many new review items at once.

Learnalist’s over time feature is designed for a different rhythm: save the content now, then let Learnalist introduce it gradually as you review.

What does “add over time” mean?

saves a list as a queue for spaced repetition. Instead of adding every item to your review list immediately, Learnalist starts with one item and then adds more items later.

This is useful when a list contains several words, phrases, facts, or examples that you want to learn, but you do not want them all competing for attention on the same day.

In plain language:

the list is saved for learning
one item is introduced first
your review activity unlocks later items
the list finishes when there is nothing left to introduce

Why gradual learning helps

Spaced repetition works best when review items are introduced at a manageable pace. If you add too much new material at once, the review list can become noisy, and it becomes harder to focus on the items that matter today.

Adding a list over time helps with:

less overload: new material arrives in smaller pieces
better focus: your daily review list stays easier to scan
more consistency: you can save useful content without creating a large same-day workload
language learning: vocabulary and phrases can be introduced gradually while you build confidence
longer guides: multiple sections can become a learning path instead of a single large dump

This is especially helpful for language learning. A guide might contain greetings, everyday phrases, verbs, sentence examples, and context notes. Those are all useful, but they are not all equally useful today. Gradual release lets you keep moving without turning one guide into a wall of reviews.

Single lists and guide sequences

Learnalist supports two related flows.

One list over time

Use when you want one Learnalist list to be introduced gradually.

Example: you save a list of 20 Norwegian football phrases. Learnalist introduces one phrase first, then adds later phrases as you review.

A whole guide over time

Some Learnalist guides are split into sections. Each section can be its own review list. On those pages you may see:

That creates a guide-level learning sequence. The sections are saved together, but Learnalist controls when each section starts.

For example, a Norwegian guide might start with basic match words, then later introduce match events, fan phrases, and media vocabulary. More than one section may overlap, but Learnalist avoids starting everything at once.

How it works

When you add a list over time:

Learnalist creates an overtime queue for that list.
The first item is added to your spaced repetition review list.
As you review the active item, Learnalist checks whether the next item should be introduced.
If an item is already in your spaced repetition list, Learnalist skips that duplicate and moves on.
When the queue is empty, the overtime list is finished.

When you save a whole guide for review, Learnalist also tracks the parent guide sequence:

The first section starts.
Later sections start according to the guide’s release rule.
Active section lists continue to use the normal overtime system.
The guide sequence finishes when all child sections are finished, skipped, or cancelled.

What counts as progress?

For ordinary list overtime, progress means Learnalist has consumed items from the queue:

an item was introduced as a new spaced repetition record
an item was skipped because it already existed
the active item was completed enough for the next item to be checked
the queue finished

For guide sequences, progress is tracked at the section level. The guide sequence does not replace the normal list queue. It watches the child lists and decides when another section should start.

What happens if I already know some items?

If an item already exists in your spaced repetition list, Learnalist should not create a duplicate review item. It skips that item in the overtime queue and moves to the next possible item.

That means a list may progress faster if you have already saved some of the same words or phrases before.

Can I stop it?

Yes. If you remove a list from overtime, Learnalist stops introducing new items from that list. Items already added to spaced repetition are not deleted automatically; they are part of your review history.

If you choose Stop adding on a guide, Learnalist stops future section releases and stops the active child overtime queue. Again, already-created spaced repetition items remain in your review list unless you delete them separately.

This is intentional. Stopping a learning path should stop new introductions, not erase what you have already learned.

When should I use it?

Use add over time when:

a list is useful but too large for today
you are learning vocabulary from a theme or topic
you want to review examples from a guide gradually
you are importing words and phrases from a browser extension
you want to keep your daily review list calm

For small lists, adding everything manually can be fine. For larger lists and guides, over time is usually better.

How to use it

For a normal list:

Find or create a Learnalist list.
Open the list tools.
Click .
Review items from your spaced repetition list.

For a guide:

Open a learning guide, such as a Norwegian learning guide.
Click .
Learnalist will release sections gradually.
You can still save individual sections if you only want part of the guide.