I've been thinking about how much time I actually spend studying versus how much I get done. Some days I can sit at my desk for five hours and barely finish anything, while on other days I manage to get through the same amount of work in two hours.

I’ve tried making schedules, taking breaks, and putting my phone away, but my productivity still changes a lot depending on the day. I'm starting to think that studying longer doesn't necessarily mean studying better. Maybe finding a routine that actually works for you matters more than following all the productivity advice online.

I'm curious how other students handle this. Do you follow a strict study schedule, or do you just study whenever you feel productive? And how many hours of actual focused studying do you usually manage in a day?

I genuinely don't understand how some people can study in coffee shops or listen to music while reading textbooks.

I need almost complete silence to concentrate. Even if someone is having a quiet conversation in the next room, I start paying attention to what they're saying instead of what I'm reading. And don't even get me started on people watching TikToks without headphones.

I've tried studying with music, including classical music and those supposedly relaxing study playlists, but it just makes things worse. Even instrumental music distracts me because I end up focusing on the melody.

The problem is that finding a completely quiet place isn't always possible. I live with other people, and I obviously can't expect everyone to stop living their lives just because I need to study.

Meanwhile, I have a friend who can prepare for an exam in a crowded café with music playing and people talking all around her. I'm genuinely jealous.

I teach AP Psych, Gov, and US History. A couple years ago I started paying attention to what my students were actually doing on their study apps and it bothered me. Games everywhere. Ads everywhere. We tried all the apps for review. My students would remember enough for the test, then dump it all after.

So I spent the last few months building an alternative. It's called Rycal. It’s pretty simple. One thing on the screen at a time and nothing competing for your attention. No points. No streaks. No ads. No paywall.

It uses FSRS for scheduling, which is a real spaced repetition algorithm. Each flashcard comes back right before you'd forget it.

There's also a blank page recall mode. You write everything you remember about a unit, and it checks what you actually retained instead of what looked familiar. Plus a test planner that maps your studying across the days you have left, and FRQ drills with self-scoring rubrics. The multiple choice and FRQs are written to the actual course frameworks. 23 AP courses so far.

It's free and you don't need an account to try it. rycal.web.app.

Here's my ask — try it and tell me what's wrong with it. Broken, confusing, missing, ugly, I want to hear it. Comment here, DM me, or use the feedback form on the site. I'm the only person building this, so every bug report lands directly with me. TIA!

Making your canvas look more appealing can help improve study motivation!

Forked from the popular bettercanvas, this extension adds dark mode, a better todo list, custom backgrounds, GPA calculator, grade history, global search and more! 100% free and open source forever, I do not plan to add ads or make money off of this.

The extension runs fully locally (except for fetching custom background images which is optional) and all data never leaves your computer.

I have developed this enough to a point where it should be 99% stable to use and there are currently around 2800 users across firefox and chrome

feature suggestions, feedback, and questions and welcome!

Landing Page | Source Code/GitHub

Chrome Download | Firefox Download

So i lost my motivation to study as I am in too much stress lately and don't studying and my exams are at my door . I am feeling hell scared.

I really need good advice .

Otherwise I am down

I'm building Hearthside, a little desktop game you keep open while you study. You walk into a shared exam hall, sit at a desk, and your character writes while a timer counts your study time. I wanted to try bringing that feeling of working alongside other people into a game.

You only need one computer. After installing it, open Exam Halls, choose Main Hall 1, click Join hall, then take a desk. You can join on your own; inviting a friend to your home is optional.

I'm looking for people to try it alongside their usual studying. Does the room make it easier to settle in, or does it become another distraction? Even a short solo test helps me spot confusing steps.

There's also an optional camera check on Mac that can pause your timer when you step away. Video stays on your Mac and isn't recorded or shared.

The beta is free on Mac and Windows: https://hearthside-beta-livid.vercel.app/

I'm the creator, and I've used substantial AI assistance for code and assets. It's an early beta, so feedback is welcome here.

One day during my semester at college I bought a Brick, you know, the app blocker, because I had a severe scrolling addiction. It worked well for a while, but I never brought it with me to university just because it was something extra to carry around.

I looked for other apps on the App Store to block my apps, but all of them were kind of too easy to get out of. And I'm a pretty lazy person, which means if it's easy to get out of, I will.

So I thought to myself, you know what, I'm a CS major, why not build one myself? So I built “Bunkr- done scrolling”. At first it was only built for me, but when I saw how well it worked I thought, why not publish it.

I'm talking too much already, so here's what the product is:

It blocks your apps like any other app blocker, but there's a twist.

Once you block your apps, you're in a hard lock for the first 10 minutes. No chance to get your apps back.

After those 10 minutes, you can do a mission to get your apps back, like taking a picture of a mug, or my personal favorite, 15 seconds of push-ups.

The reason I put a hard lock on the first 10 minutes is that I read once you've been working on something for 10 minutes, you get into a zone and usually don't get distracted. But lazy people like me still might. And when I do get distracted and try to open one of my apps, it tells me to do push-ups. I'm too lazy for that, so the easier option is to just keep studying.

So yes, I'm basically fighting fire with fire, but it works well for me.

Let me know what you guys think, I'd like to hear your thoughts.

Idm if you’re giving other exams 19F rn , IST tz is preferable

Hi everyone,

I've been struggling to stay consistent in studying for many

many years. And I've realised that studying with other

people helps me immensely to stay more accountable and consistent. If you're interested in joining a channel in which we study together everyday let me know.

Please note this is strictly for academic purposes.

100 Minutes of calm study music for deep focus — hope this helps your study session today!

Bonjour, actuellement étudiant(e)s en deuxième année de Master, j’effectue une recherche sur les réactions face à des informations relatives au genre dans le cadre d’un mémoire.

⚠️Nous devons trouver 400 participants au plus vite suite à quelques problèmes rencontrés !

PUBLIC CIBLE : hommes majeurs francophones
Durée : 10-12 mins maximum

Les données sont anonymes

👉🏻 pour participer au questionnaire: https://fpse.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_24b6THmO30ROmYS

Merci d’avance, j’aide volontiers en retour de la vôtre ! 🫶🏻

Need study partner

Hi I'm 18f

I am new to reddit

I am jee dropper

Started preparation very late due to family problems

on my own has been getting really isolating

Looking for a dedicated serious study partner

Hello ill start dentistry next week and I have a xiaomi pad 6 and it's pen , I wonder which note taking app to get i got recommended by my sis to get (free notes plus forever ) what app do yaal use

Studying Biochemistry with discussion. Is anyone interested?

I've been thinking about this a lot lately, especially after dealing with teachers who clearly know their subject but have absolutely no idea how to explain it to students.

I genuinely believe that getting a degree and becoming a qualified teacher doesn't necessarily mean you're good at teaching. You can spend years studying a subject, know every little detail about it, and still be terrible at helping someone else understand it. I've had teachers who could explain the most complicated topics in a way that made everything seem simple, and others who somehow made even the easiest things confusing.

What frustrates me the most is when a teacher gets annoyed because students don't understand something. Instead of trying a different explanation, they just repeat the same thing, sometimes even louder, as if that's going to help. And then they act like the students are the problem.

I think being a good teacher requires much more than knowledge. You need patience, communication skills and the ability to understand why someone might be struggling. Not everyone learns at the same pace, and not everyone understands things the same way.

I'm not saying teaching is easy, and I know students can be difficult too. But I really wish more people understood that being an expert in something and being able to teach it are two completely different skills.