I used to open TikTok “for 5 minutes” and suddenly 2 hours were gone. Sound familiar? My solution is dead simple - I use Neap to lock myself out of distracting apps for set study blocks (30 mins, 1, 2 or 4 hours). The “Ultra Focus Mode” is key. Once I start, I literally can’t access TikTok, YouTube, or Instagram until the timer runs out. No willpower needed. The green countdown timer shows exactly how much time is left, and seeing “X minutes remaining” somehow makes it easier to stay focused than just “trying to study.” Been doing this for a few weeks and my study sessions went from 30 minutes of actual work (with 2 hours of “breaks”) to solid 2-4 hour deep work blocks.

My exam didn’t go well so starting afresh! :( But can’t give up rn! Also rate my setup xd

P.S - Anatomy is the culprit xD

"Buckle up! Today we're chasing your dreams, and this train won't stop until we get there." 💚💪

High-speed English oral reading engages the brain through three sensory channels—seeing, speaking, and listening—creating the most effective information processing and output loop for the neural system. This multi-channel, full-spectrum training maximizes coordination across different brain regions. Through ultra-fast reading, the brain undergoes continuous high-intensity stimulation, strengthening neural pathways and synaptic connections, thereby significantly enhancing cognitive abilities. To date, this is the most effective method discovered so far for improving brain function.

Many people have tested it successfully, with some noticing results in just a few days. Below is the article on the academic forum Figshare: https://figshare.com/articles/thesis/High-Speed_English_Oral_Reading_for_Cognitive_Enhancement_2/29954420?file=57448213

my brain is a master at excuses. “just scroll a bit first,” “i’ll start after lunch,” “ugh too tired after eating, i’ll do it later.” and later never comes.

what helped me was tracking hours like screen time. no lying to myself, just seeing exactly how much time i actually studied. it’s humbling lol

then i started stacking habits. a bit before breakfast, then immediately after. once i pour coffee, that’s the signal - no debate, just study. feels like training a reflex, like pavlov’s bell.

good luck to everyone

How can I get myself to read a pdf book ~200 more pages left, whilst in the past 1 month and a half I only read 100. I need to pick up the pace. But I get distracted... I need to finish it in less than a week...

For me I put formula one on and study watching that until the end of the race.

i recently learnt about https://studo.space/free/ but the timer there doesnt work. would anybody have any alternatives to it that looks similar?

IMMA STUDY CHINESE

I got tired of flashcards that are just definitions, so I’ve been trying a twist: every card has three parts

1. a question that forces recall
2. a tiny “hint” or memory skeleton
3. the full solution/proof

Feels more like solving a problem than memorizing trivia, and it’s actually fun to review.

I even built a little site around the idea (won’t link unless people are interested). Curious: do you think this works outside maths/theory subjects?

I mean I get into the mood to study with full dedication, almost like a fucking labour. The motivation to study always stays in my mind but the actual study hours end up being very little.a

I really WANT A CHANGE in my study habits 😭😔

(Hint: I used to be a topper before.)

Growing up in different foster homes for numerous internal and external reasons I am a person who never finished high school. I worked from 18 to 28 in restaurants as a waiter. At 26 I decided to give education another go, a real try. I taught myself mainly from free online resources. Got into Uni, studied 6 to 10 hours per day, completed a 4 year undergrad to then make it into medicine and now I am 3rd of a 5 year program (Australia). At 35 I want to share the following about my experience studying and I hope it can help any prospective students out there.

Three main points I want to get across:

It is lonely. Only you the individual can do the work. This means little time for socialisation in any form. You will have to decline offers of socialisation, even at times explain to people that believe they know how much you need to study, forcing their opinions on you.

There is no substitute for time. You will discover methods of studying, people will tell you about many different ways of success but ultimately time equals higher grades. People will tell you how little they study trying gain some intelligence clout. I have never met a genius, I have only met people that devoted a lot of time towards something.

You do not have to torture yourself. Yes you will likely have to study 6 to 10 hours per day if you want to get into a highly competitive course but you do not have to study the whole time. Take scheduled breaks, I use a well known timekeeping method to study for 25 minutes then a 5 minute break.

What has been most successful for me:

Put your phone out of sight and on do not disturb. Put important people as favourites in your contact list and instruct them to call you to break the do not disturb if communication is urgent.

Have a digital daily planner. Put your classes, due date, work, and everything needed to be remembered and achieved each day in a digitally backed-up daily planner you can easily access. You can lose hard copy planners.

Study in focused environments. I always study at my University's library in the quiet area. A comfortable homely space where you can be interrupted is not ideal.

Flashcards and practice questions. Instead of writing notes that you may later re-read. Make the notes into flashcards. There is a popular and free digital flashcard program, learn how to use it. It will take time to get good at making flashcards but worth the investment in my opinion. If you can get your hands on accurate practice questions then do them too.

Thank you for reading my first Reddit post, sorry if I have repeated what others have already written.

Hello Everyone,

I've been keep trying to study for longer hours, but I'm failing miserably. After just studying for 20-30 mins, I just keep checking my phone/laptop or my focus shifts into the space.

Please give some advice for deep focus study. Your insights will be helpful!!!

PS:- First year MBA(FIN) student. My university is from 9-3... If anyone can help for scheduling timetable too....

First, you practice resisting real distractions while producing measurable results. When you do deep work, you fight actual emails, Slack notifications, and interesting tangents while trying to finish something that matters. Your brain starts associating sustained focus with the satisfaction of completed work rather than the empty calories of shallow tasks. And unlike other attention practices, you have concrete evidence of how well you focused: either you wrote the report or you didn't, either the code works or it doesn't.

Second, you develop meta-awareness of your own attention patterns. Every deep work session contains hundreds of micro-moments where you notice your mind drifting and bring it back. Through sheer repetition, you build the 'noticing muscle' that catches distraction earlier and earlier. You also learn your personal triggers. Maybe your focus drops at 2pm, or certain types of problems send you reaching for your phone. This self-knowledge lets you design countermeasures specific to your brain.

Third, you're training in the exact context where you likely need focus most. The skills transfer immediately because you're practicing with your actual tools, on your actual projects, under real deadlines. The stakes make you recruit more mental resources than you would in practice exercises. Your brain knows this matters.

Most people think they need to already have strong focus in order to do deep work. But they've got it wrong. Deep work trains you how to focus. You just gotta put in the effort (which is the real barrier to better attention for most people).

Lately, I’ve been watching a lot of lectures and tutorials as part of my study routine. The problem is that some of them run close to an hour, and it’s hard to stay focused or find the important bits when I’m just trying to revise quickly.

As a side project, I put together a little browser tool that can generate short summaries of these long study videos. For example, I tried it on a 60-minute lecture, and it produced a 1-minute summary with the main ideas.

I’m curious how you all approach this:

• Do you prefer watching the entire lecture for context, or would a condensed version be good enough for revision?
• Do you take manual notes while watching, or rely more on external tools?

I’m trying to refine my own workflow, so hearing how others study with long video content would be super helpful.