Plan your Next Study Session

Let’s be real: most of the time, studying doesn’t go wrong because you’re “lazy.” It goes wrong because you sit down and your brain is like… “Ok but WHAT are we even doing?”

So you open a million tabs, check your phone “for one second,” and suddenly 40 minutes are gone. And you’ve studied… nothing.

Good news: you don’t need some fancy system. You just need a quick plan that makes starting easy.

Here’s a simple way to plan a study session so you actually get stuff done.

1) Pick 1–3 things to do

Just 1 to 3 priorities.

What are the most important things I should do today?

Examples:

• Review notes for tomorrow’s quiz

• Do practice questions

• Finish the homework problems

For each one, write the tiniest first step. Like, a step so small it’s almost funny. This makes it way easier to start.

Examples:

• Priority: Review notes
  Tiny first step: Open the notes and read the headings.

• Priority: Practice questions
  Tiny first step: Do question #1.

• Priority: Make flashcards
  Tiny first step: Write 3 flashcards. Just 3.

Starting is the hardest part. Tiny steps make it easier.

2) Use Pomodoros (aka study in short bursts)

Pomodoro is just a fancy word for: Study for 25 minutes → break for 5 minutes.

Next, plan how many Pomodoros you’ll do for each priority.

Example plan:

• Notes: 2 Pomodoros

• Practice questions: 2 Pomodoros

• Flashcards: 1 Pomodoro

This is nice because you’re not telling yourself “I have to study forever.”
You’re telling yourself, “I just have to do 25 minutes.”

Helpful tips:

• On breaks, stand up, get water, stretch—something quick.

• If you grab your phone, you might not come back. (We’ve all been there.)

• If 25 minutes feels too long, do 15 minutes. It still counts.

3) Get your stuff ready before you start

The worst thing is finally focusing… then you realize you need a calculator, a link, a worksheet, or a charger. That breaks your flow and makes you not want to keep going.

So before you start, make a quick list:

What you need:

• Materials (book, notebook, calculator)

• Links (slides, Google Doc, homework page)

• Questions (stuff to ask your teacher or study buddy)

Then set up your space:

• Clear just a little space (doesn’t have to be perfect)

• Put water nearby

• Plug in your laptop

• Put your phone away or on focus mode

Your goal is to make studying feel easy to start and easy to keep going.

Quick “2-minute” study plan you can copy

Before you begin, write this:

My top priorities:

1. ________ (tiny first step: ________)

2. ________ (tiny first step: ________)

3. ________ (tiny first step: ________)

Pomodoros:

• Priority 1: __

• Priority 2: __

• Priority 3: __

Stuff I need:

___________________________

___________________________

___________________________

Then hit your timer and do the tiny first step.

You don’t have to feel super motivated. You just have to start small.

And once you start? It’s much easier to keep going.