Gyroscopic Investing

After reading the book "Fluent Forever", I've become enamored with spaced repetition systems. (SRS).
Specifically, the open source program "Anki".

SRS, while not yet in common use, seems to be about the fastest way to download information into your permanent memory.  Of course, like any curse, you have to be careful what you ask for...

I've been using the (wonderful) advice in "Fluent Forever" to get my Spanish up to C2 fluency, and am making some decent headway on French, but it occurred to me that most of the things that I want to do with my life are really just a product of re-wiring my brain - and I have never seen a method which makes as much theoretical sense as SRS.

So, for a test, I'm attempting to see if I can use it, not just for rote memorization and language acquisition, but also to:

1) Acquire some physical skills (i.e. dance, or gymnastic moves).  (How much of these skills are neural, versus, pure physical strength?)
2) Redefine my conscious perception of "Who is Mark?".  Can I make a list of attributes that I would like to be integral to the "Mark" identity and force feed them into my brain?

The reason that I am even thinking about these questions is that that my experience with Anki and SRS so far is that it is very nearly like using a firehose to force-feed information into the brain.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vMO3XmNXe4

So... to bring this back around to a forum topic...

1) Has anyone here ever played with Anki or any other SRS?
2) How crazy is it to think that I could use it for physical training or for brain re-wiring?

Let me guess spaced repetition systems=the idea that to remember something forever you have to reinforce it at certain time periods? if this is what you are talking about, the info goes back decades (at least) which is when I first ran across it. 

I would be  skeptical that any valid info about knowledge memory applies without some modification to physical tasks, though there clearly is muscle memory.

"2) Redefine my conscious perception of "Who is Mark?".  Can I make a list of attributes that I would like to be integral to the "Mark" identity and force feed them into my brain?"

YOu are asking about brainwashing yourself (least that is what it sounds like to me).  I don't think this has anything to do with the first two.  Memory of facts etc is memory of facts.  Muscle/body memory is memory of physical stuff by the body and #2 is or sounds like transforming your persona with some wishlist.

Benko wrote: <snip>
the info goes back decades (at least) which is when I first ran across it. 
<snip>
You are asking about brainwashing yourself (least that is what it sounds like to me
<snip>

Benko - you are exactly right.  The methods go back to at least the 1930's, if not before.  I think there was a resurgence in the '70s.

In today's world, with smart phones, et al, the inherent friction of the methods is reduced to a level where it is nearly painless to put whatever you want into your brain.  Granted, even the best software looks like it was designed by an engineer... but it *does* work.

As far as brainwashing myself... Yes.  You hit the nail on the head.  I didn't want to come right out and say that, but that is where I was headed.

If you could turn a switch on that made you automatically do 10 pushups when you wake up in the morning...

Not saying that I would use it for that, but if I wanted that kind of power over myself, can you think of anything that would work better than SRS?

(Add disclaimer here, "Do not use for purposes of evil...)

Big fan of spaced repetition. From what I understand, the space -- the time between repetitions -- starts out small and gets bigger. So, if you are trying to remember a date in history or some Japanese vocabulary, you have to repeat often when the info is brand new. Gradually, you only have to review once in a while. It makes perfect sense.

I first heard about this many years ago in the context of some software called Supermemo. I never used it myself. I just took the concept of spaced repetition and created my own materials.

Mark Leavy wrote: If you could turn a switch on that made you automatically do 10 pushups when you wake up in the morning...

I would be very cautious about brute forcing yourself in any way/shape or form.

SUpermemo, yes that was one of the places I remembered.  I still have this bookmarked:

http://www.supermemo.com/