When Box 1 has more than 30–50 cards and daily review takes more than 30 minutes, you have a backlog. Stop adding new cards immediately and follow a 4-step rescue plan: pause, triage, drain, reset.
Step 1: Pause
No new cards until Box 1 is below 15. This is the single most important action and the hardest to follow when you’re motivated to study new material.
Step 2: Triage
Pull all Box 1 cards. Sort into: Keep (still relevant, still needed), Retire (exam passed, subject dropped), Rewrite/Delete (bad card — too long, a list, confusing). Move retired cards to Box 5 or a folder. Rewrite or delete the bad ones.
Step 3: Drain
Review 20–30 Box 1 cards per day maximum. Don’t review other boxes until Box 1 is below 15. Stop at 20 minutes. Download the Backlog Rescue Plan PDF for the full triage decision guide.
Step 4: Reset
Once Box 1 is below 15: resume normal schedule, max 5 new cards per day for 2 weeks, then increase gradually. See the Leitner System guide for sustainable card limits.
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