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The textbook has been open for an hour. You haven't read a page.

You sat down to study. Then you got water. Then you reorganized your notes. Then you checked your phone. Then you decided you needed a better playlist. An hour later the textbook is open but nothing has been read. Studying is a sequence of smaller actions, and the first one needs a start time.

"Study" is many small actions

Studying is hard to start because it's vague. "Study for the exam" could mean anything: read notes, do practice problems, make flashcards, rewrite outlines. When your brain can't pick an entry point, it stalls. And when it stalls, it reaches for something easier: your phone, a snack, a different tab. Your brain is avoiding a task that still has no clear first step.

Try it with your own times

  1. Tap the deadline and set it to the time you actually need to be done.
  2. Tap any duration and change it to how long that step really takes you.
  3. Every start time shifts so you can see when to begin.
Study Session
5 min Gather materials & notes 6:35 PM
5 min Close tabs, phone on silent 6:40 PM
5 min Review what to cover 6:45 PM
5 min Snack & water 6:50 PM
5 min Set timer & start first task 6:55 PM
Study Session 7:00 PM

Define the first 25 minutes

Ready Time doesn't plan your entire study session, just the startup sequence. Gather materials. Close distractions. Review what you'll cover. Set a timer. Start. Once the timer is running and you're five minutes in, the resistance usually eases.

How to study when you don't want to?

Don't open with "study for three hours." Define the first 25 minutes: sit down, open the one thing you need, set a timer, start the smallest next action. Wanting to usually comes after momentum, more often than before it.

How long should a study session be?

A common productive block is 25 to 50 minutes with a short break, repeated if you still have fuel. The length matters less than having a real start time and a first action that isn't "get in the mood." Stop negotiating the session and start the first block on the clock.

Ready Time 6:35 PM
Gather materials & notes. Study Session in 25m
Ready Time 6:45 PM
Review what to cover. Study Session in 15m
Ready Time 6:55 PM
Set timer & start first task. Study Session in 5m

Alerts when it's time to start

Get a nudge at the right moment, while there's still time to act.

Each step gets its own alert, so you know what's next and how long you have.

“It has helped me tremendously to manage my timeblindness, and I tell people about it all the time.”
Ready Time user, 2021

Save this routine in Ready Time and it tells you when to start each step.

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Ready Time

You know what you need to do. Ready Time helps you know when to start.

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