How to know what to study today

With one subject and no exam on the calendar, the question answers itself. With three subjects, two exams and an hour free before dinner, it does not, and the ten minutes spent deciding is often the most expensive part of the session. A fixed order of priorities removes the negotiation.

By Antonin Weissgerber · Last updated August 30, 2026

The short version. Check, in order: is an exam close enough that it should win regardless of anything else; is there a block you already planned for today; are you behind on your weekly goal; which subject have you neglected; and if none of those apply, go with your usual habit. Stop at the first one that applies.

Why this decision costs more time than it looks like

Deciding what to study is a small decision made under mild dread, which is exactly the condition under which people stall. Ten minutes of "should I do Maths or Biology" is ten minutes not spent on either, and it tends to repeat itself at the start of every session rather than getting easier with practice.

A fixed order of priorities

Is an exam inside the next ten days that still has hours left against its target? If so, that subject wins regardless of anything else on the list. Proximity to an exam with unfinished hours is the one thing worth overriding everything else for.
Is there a study block you planned for right now that hasn't happened yet? A plan made earlier, with a clearer head, usually beats a decision made in the moment.
Are you behind your weekly session goal? If you set a target number of sessions for the week and are short of it, that closes the gap before it compounds into a much larger one on Sunday.
Which subject have you studied least this week? Absent an exam or a plan, spreading attention across subjects beats letting one drift for two weeks without you noticing.
What's your usual habit? If none of the above apply, whatever you would normally reach for is a reasonable default. The point of the order above is to override habit only when there is a real reason to.

Doing this by hand versus automating it

The order above works with a notebook and a bit of honesty about your own exam dates and recent sessions. The friction is that it asks you to hold several pieces of state in your head every single day: which exams are close, what you planned, how many sessions you have logged this week, and which subject you have been avoiding. Vitae runs the same order of priorities automatically, using the subjects, exams, schedule and session history you already entered, and shows the reason underneath the recommendation, an exam in six days, a block you planned for 14:00, a subject you haven't touched this week, so the decision is visible rather than a black box.

What this doesn't solve

A clear rule for what to study still leaves the harder part, actually starting. It removes one source of hesitation, not all of them. Pairing the decision with something that starts the session for you, a timer, a fixed length, a bit of structure, tends to matter more than the decision itself once the subject is settled.

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Frequently asked questions

How do I decide what to study first?

Check for an exam within the next ten days that still needs hours against its target; that takes priority over everything else. If nothing is that urgent, fall back to a block you already planned for today, then your weekly goal, then the subject you've studied least, then your usual habit.

Do I need an app to make this decision, or can I do it manually?

You can apply the same order of priorities manually with a notebook and your exam dates. An app mainly helps by holding the state for you, which exams are close, what you logged this week, so you are not recomputing it from memory every day.

What if two subjects tie under the same priority?

Pick either one and move on; the point of the order is to remove most decisions, not to produce a single mathematically correct answer for every edge case. A reasonable choice made quickly beats an optimal one made after ten minutes of deliberating.