A good way to begin is to pick one word you met today in reading or conversation and write one sentence using it. Your own sentence gives you a visible first result, and it starts the routine you will build on below.
Your Practice Session
Write the word on a card or in a note with your own sentence, not the dictionary line. Spend about two minutes doing this today.
Cover the card and recall the meaning and your sentence from memory. Take around thirty seconds before you check anything.
Check the dictionary and your note. Mark the word with a tick if you recalled it and a dot if you struggled.
Revisit the word at roughly 1 day, then 3 days, then 1 week, then 2 weeks. Recall first each time, check second.
On review, send missed words back to the 1-day stage. This sample schedule is a starting point; adjust once you see how fast you personally forget.
A Complete Example
Take the word reluctant. Suppose you met it in an article, and your first action was writing I was reluctant to speak in the meeting on your note. Now run the recall step: cover the note, say the meaning in your own words and your sentence from memory, then check what you actually wrote.
Your sentence came out I was reluctant for speak in the meeting, so you mark a dot and correct it to reluctant to speak. Small fix, quick win, and the error itself is now doing the teaching.
On day three, recall again: this time you produce She was reluctant to answer without checking first. Tick it. On day seven, repeat the same recall-then-check step, and a missed word simply returns to the one-day stage.
What the exercise builds, in other words, is a habit: recalling before checking, marking honestly, and fixing your own sentence. The honest marks matter most, because reading them truthfully is what tells you whether a word has moved forward or needs another day. Practice recording your ticks and dots as they really are, and the record itself becomes your guide for what to review next.
Self-Check and Next Adjustment
Self-check: After each review, count your marks. A tick means you recalled the word and your sentence correctly before checking. A dot means you struggled or got something wrong. Pick a starting threshold yourself, for example two ticks in a row, and treat it as arbitrary. You can change it after your first week once you see how your own marks behave.
Next adjustment: A word that keeps earning dots across reviews should stay at the 1-day stage while you rewrite your sentence. A word that ticks easily on every review may be ready to wait longer, so stretch its next gap by a day or two.
There is no single proven best schedule, so treat these tweaks as experiments. Keep whichever spacing you find workable.
Also check the sentence, not just the meaning. Reread your note and ask whether the word still fits the way you used it. Reluctant to speak works, while reluctant for speak does not. Noticing that difference yourself is the observable skill this routine builds.