📘 Anchor & Expand

A Gentle, Grounded Approach to Building Study Discipline

🌱 A Personal Beginning

When I moved to a new place, I felt inspired to restart my study journey with full energy. Like many, I made a plan — a big one. But every time I tried to jump into it, I’d fall into the same cycle: distractions, procrastination, regret.

Over time, I realized: discipline doesn’t start with ambition. It starts with *anchoring yourself*, gently — and then expanding. This is how I created a small framework I now call:

🎯 The Anchor & Expand Method

Step 0 – Anchor

“You don’t build a routine in time. You build it in space.”

Choose one spot where you’ll study — a desk, a corner, a chair.
This spot should feel safe and undisturbed. Comfort is important, but so is commitment.
Once you sit there, commit to study. No multitasking, no second thoughts.

Week 1 – Expand Gradually

Use the Pomodoro method, but build stamina day by day. Here's the breakdown:

Day	Sessions	Study Time	Break	Total Study
Day 1	2	25 min	5 min	50 min
Day 2	2	50 min	10 min	100 min
Day 3	3	50 min	10 min	150 min
Day 4	4	50 min	10 min	200 min
Day 5	5	50 min	10 min	250 min
Day 6	6	50 min	10 min	300 min
Day 7	7	50 min	10 min	350 min
Day 8	8	50 min	10 min	400 min (≈ 8 hrs)

📚 One Subject at a Time

For the first 8 days, study only one subject. Keep your cognitive load light. Once your 8-hour capacity feels normal, slowly introduce a second subject. Then a third.

💬 Final Thoughts

Study plans often fail not because of laziness, but because of friction. The Anchor & Expand method removes that friction by focusing on two principles:

🔹 Anchor first — fix your space before your schedule.
🔹 Expand slowly — build endurance like a runner, not a sprinter.

You don’t need motivation every day. You just need to return to your spot, start the timer, and begin — again and again.

— Written for anyone who has ever struggled to begin.

— Kundan Kumar
www.itskundan.live