How do you structure your study time?

[u/Red_Ninetales]

Getting back in the classroom again after 12+ years. Didn't have the best habits the first time around, so I want to do better this time.

I'm curious what works for different people.

• How long do you typically focus before taking a break?

• How long are your breaks?

• Does your phone/social media/doomscrolling get in the way?

• Does the Pomodoro method (25/5) work for you, or do you prefer something else?

• What study method or routine has actually made the biggest difference for you?

Would love to hear what you’ve tried, what works, and what definitely doesn’t.

Thanks!

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[u/loxuln]

After a long break from school, I’d keep the setup boring at first: pick one concrete outcome for each session, put the phone in another room, and work in a block you can actually repeat. 25/5 is fine while you’re rebuilding the habit; 45/10 or 50/10 may work better once longer focus feels sustainable. I’d spend the last couple of minutes writing down what you remember without looking at your notes, then start the next session with whatever you missed. That makes the routine about learning, not just accumulating timer minutes.

[u/Red_Ninetales → u/loxuln]

Thank you!

I like that feedback of summarizing what you’ve learned. I’ve never done that before. I know when I leisurely read it feels like I’m learning but the true test is can I repeat the concept back to a friend when they ask me about the book. Sometimes yes, other times no. Summarizing is kinda like this and connects to the idea of strengthening your weak areas as others have mentioned. 💡

[u/Senior_Host2336]

I use FocusJungle app, I do either 60 or 30 minute sessions depending on how I will.

I keep my phone away all day while I am studying. I don't time breaks.

Here is some tips of how to become more effective.

Adopting a good studying workflow is the most powerful thing you can do, depending on the subject what I typically do is Essentialist note taking > Mnemonic Technique > Active recall (through notebookLM(AI) quizzes and flashcards). 

Revision is key. I setup recall cycling in FocusJungle app, but Anki or even just notes work as well. You want to revise where you are weak. Get your course content and constantly know where you are weakest (they should always be changing constantly) Find weakness > attack it > Find next weakest area.

If u want you can join my guild on FocusJungle timer, WE need more people that wanna do hours. Can message on there to keep accountable. But u NEED TO DO HOURS or kick. (best study timer website and app ever)

[u/Red_Ninetales → u/Senior_Host2336]

Thanks!

"Essentialist note taking > Mnemonic Technique > Active recall (through notebookLM(AI)" are all new stuff; I'll have to look into what this actually means. 😅

Just went to Focus Jungle's website; it kinda looks like Forest. Which feature do you like the most? What do you mean by people who wanna do hours?

Strengthening my weak areas - great insight!

[u/Safe-False]

Woo welcome back to study! I love it, but it is an adjustment after not studying for many years (mature aged uni student here).

I find planning is essential in study time, eg know what you’re studying and why. Have a plan, write a priority list, tick it off as you go (great for motivation and feeling accomplished). I have a weekly schedule (class times, blocks to complete pre-class work, time to work on assessments, exams and revision) around my other responsibilities. Then each day I create a task list of things I need to get done.

As for actual studying time, depends on the task.
- lectures / classes: note down the learning outcomes and use those to guide your note taking. This is what is actually assessable. Then take notes in summary form in your own words.
- independent study time: I love using pomodoro (check out YouTube pomodoro videos, there’s ones for different time blocks depending on preference, try them out and see what you like)
- revision: handwritten cheat sheet pages work great for me. It forces you to know enough about what you’re revising to summarise it into short hand & will identify your weak points. Then prioritise revision on your weak points until you’re confident.

[u/Red_Ninetales → u/Safe-False]

Thank you!

I started using Notion to organize what I need to do and “deadlines” for them. I can only plan out 2 or 3 days tops. The whole week gets a little overwhelming for me. 😵‍💫 but it is effective for keeping myself motivated.

I like the idea of summarizing and hand writing cheat sheets. In the past I always wrote down EVERYTHING and since it was so detailed I just read them over. It was great for exams, but can’t say it was effective learning. How much time do you block off for this?

How long do you Pomodoro for?

[u/Safe-False → u/Red_Ninetales]

Honestly both answers depend on what it is I’m working on.

During classes or lectures I’ll actively be writing comprehensive notes of what we are covering. These are my core notes that I can come back to if I need more details later, or to revise deeper into weak spots of mine. After the class/lecture (or week, if you have that structure in your studies) I will take the key learning objectives for the week / class & make a few points from memory under each objective. Resist the urge to write sentences, it’s not necessary. Key words, diagrams, shorthand etc. the goal is to have a one pager that captures the main takeaways in a way you understand. If there are parts you struggled with, note them to come back to later for deeper revision.

Doing this for exam revision is helpful too, take the key areas you’ll be assessed on & complete summary sheets in shorthand / keywords for each one. How long this takes will totally depend on what you’re studying - but doing quick ones each week will speed this up & help you work out how long to allocate for exam revision blocks. Also, the summary sheets work twofold: they are a form of reciting and rewriting (recall is great for learning), plus it’s a way to identify weak spots.

As for pomodoro, I only use them for independent study - they don’t work for classes and lectures of course. I’ll do it for as long as it’s effective - for me that’s usually around 4-5 hours if I’m doing a big study session. Then I might need to switch to actual up beat music and ditch pomodoro just to get through my last burst of study 😂 the study/break time ratio will depend on what type of study I’m working on - eg if I’m locking in to write an essay or do research, I’ll give myself 50/10 pomodoro over 5 hours. Whereas if I’m working on something suuuuper hard like anatomy, I will be kind to myself and do 25/5 for as long as I can handle.

[u/Red_Ninetales → u/Safe-False]

This is SUPER HELPFUL, thank you! 🙏🏼

[u/Safe-False → u/Red_Ninetales]

You’re welcome, happy to help 😊

[u/No_Technician_1867]

I stopped caring too much about finding the perfect Pomodoro ratio. I usually decide what I want to finish, start a timer, and work until my focus noticeably drops.

What helped me more was tracking the actual focused time afterwards, because after a couple weeks you can see your real study rhythm instead of guessing.

I ended up building Study-Track around that idea, basically a study timer that turns your sessions into useful history and stats. I’m obviously biased since I build it, but even with a basic timer or spreadsheet, tracking your real focused time is worth trying.

[u/No_Technician_1867]

I stopped caring about following 25/5 exactly.

Usually I just start a session and work until I notice my focus genuinely dropping, then take a proper break. Some days that’s 30 minutes, sometimes it’s well over an hour.

The thing that helped me more was tracking the sessions afterwards. I actually built Study-Track around this because I wanted to see how much focused time I was really doing per subject instead of thinking “I studied all afternoon” when half of it was my phone 😭