What to Do When Your Flashcard Reviews Pile Up

Stop adding new cards until the backlog is gone, then do a fixed amount of reviews every day, oldest due first. Don't reset the deck: the cards you still remember are worth keeping, and the scheduler will sort out the rest as you go.

Why it piles up

Every card you learn keeps coming back at growing intervals, so your daily reviews are the sum of everything you've learned recently. Missing a day doesn't pause that; the next day's reviews land on top. Two common causes:

• Too many new cards a day. The reviews they generate arrive a few days to a few weeks later. See how many new flashcards per day.
• Missed days. A week away can leave a week of reviews waiting.

How to clear it

1. Set new cards to zero until you're caught up. In Decks this is the new cards per day setting.
2. Pick a daily amount you can actually do. Finishing a smaller number every day beats facing an impossible number and skipping again.
3. Rate honestly. Cards you've forgotten should be Again; they'll come back soon and relearn quickly. Pressing Good to get through faster just moves the problem into next week.
4. Take breaks. Decks pauses after every 30 reviews by default so you can stop or carry on.

After the backlog

Turn new cards back on at a lower number than before, and raise it only when your daily reviews feel comfortable. A few minutes every day beats an hour once a week.