A dangerous snag awaits all inexperienced SuperMemo learners because of the two following facts:

1. it is easier to memorize items than to retain them in memory over a longer time

2. in the first year of work, the learning rate will gradually be reduced in result of accumulation of repetitions of previously learned items

In consequence, the learner, bedazzled with the initial progress, may overestimate his or her ability to sustain the intensive working regime.

Soon, he or she will be overwhelmed by the unbearable number of repetition, and the crisis may be amplified by the increasing difficulty to recall the ill-structured items. One of the first things a SuperMemo learner must do is to test his capability to work with SuperMemo over a longer period of time. The best daily dose for beginners is 5-10 min. Only after a month or so, it could gradually be increased to 30-40 minutes per day. It is worth noting that the decrease in the speed of learning becomes practically undetectable as soon as after the first year of the process.