Tried Anki for a few months for learning programming concepts and internalizing ideas from books. I created all flashcards based on my own notes, for stuff I understood, did everything by the book.

After a while I realised I was visually learning the flashcards, i.e. when reading the prompt side I would see a photographic memory of the answer and get it right, but not necessarily think about the meaning of the contents. After a 15-20 min session I would remember very little of what I had just studied. Then I quit.

It reminded me of how trained chess players visualise the game as patterns instead of a collection of pieces.

Anyone with a similar experience?