If there's one thing that separates students who clear exams from those who don't, it's not the books they read, the coaching they join, or the study techniques they follow. It's their daily routine. That's it. Simple as that.
This guide covers everything discussed in the podcast — from fixing your sleep to building a study schedule that actually works.
This is just Part-1 of the guide. More parts are coming soon. Stay connected.
Stop Copying Other's Routine
The first mistake most students make is listening to rank holders and trying to copy their schedules. Stop doing that immediately.
You don't know that person's situation. You don't know if they were doing articleship, what their family background was, whether they're a morning person or night person, whether they're strong in theory or numericals. None of it. When you copy someone else's routine, you set yourself up to fail because it was never built for you.
You have to build your own routine. One where you get maximum output. That's the only goal.
The Foundation: Fix Your Sleep Time
Here's the most important thing in any routine — fix the time you go to sleep. Not the time you wake up. The sleep time.
Most people obsess over waking up early but go to bed at random hours — sometimes 10 PM, sometimes 3 AM. When your sleep time is all over the place, your wake time is all over the place, and your entire routine falls apart.
Pick a sleep window of about 45 to 60 minutes. For example, "I sleep somewhere between 10 PM and 11 PM." It doesn't matter if it's 10:15 or 10:50 — what matters is it's consistent. Your wake time will naturally follow.
As Neeraj Sir puts it: fix your sleep time and you've already won half the battle.
How to Actually Fall Asleep on Time
Knowing you should sleep at a fixed time is easy. Actually doing it is the hard part.
Here's a complete protocol which I follow & it works well:
- Eat dinner 3-4 hours before bed. If you sleep at 11 PM, try to finish dinner by 7 PM. Your digestion slows down when you sleep, and eating too close to bedtime disturbs sleep quality.
- Handle late-night hunger cravings. Yes, if you eat dinner early, you might feel hungry before bed. The fix? A small handful of almonds (they contain magnesium which helps you relax and sleep), or a protein shake if that suits your body. Keep it low carb, low fat. Good fats are fine in small amounts.
- Cut caffeine 8 hours before bed. If you sleep at 11 PM, stop consuming caffeine after 3 PM. This includes tea and coffee. Milk-based tea and coffee are especially problematic — a large portion of people are lactose intolerant without even knowing it, which causes acidity and gas that disturbs sleep further.
- Switch to calming drinks in the evening. Chamomile tea is excellent. Green tea (without caffeine) works too. Basically anything that calms you down rather than stimulating you.
- Try magnesium supplements. Magnesium helps with relaxation and sleep quality. Neeraj personally uses this and finds it helpful. Always consult a doctor before starting any supplements.
- Melatonin is another supplement that can help regulate your sleep cycle, again with a doctor's guidance.
- Dim the lights as the evening progresses. Bright light signals your brain that it's still daytime. As your sleep window approaches, reduce light exposure in your room.
- Put your phone on DND. Keep only your closest family members on the exceptions list. Everyone else can wait until morning. Your phone is your choice — protect your sleep.
- Stop scrolling reels and social media. This is the big one. Social media feeds you small hits of dopamine constantly. Over time, this destroys your ability to focus on anything that doesn't give instant gratification — including studying.
- Read a physical book or Kindle for 10-15 minutes before bed. Not your CA textbooks. Any good book you enjoy. This naturally makes you drowsy and transitions your brain into sleep mode. Avoid reading on iPad or phone screens — the blue light keeps you awake. A Kindle is much better because its light is far gentler.
- Try counting from 1 to 10, slowly. Neeraj Sir uses this himself. He puts on soft piano sleep music (no lyrics, no podcasts), puts in his earphones, and counts slowly from 1 to 10, then restarts. Most of the time, he's asleep before he gets very far.
- Separate your workspace from your bedroom if possible. If you can keep your study area in a different room, do it. Your bedroom should feel like a place of rest, not work.
Morning: Your Golden Window
When you wake up — whether it's 6 AM or 12 PM — your brain is at its freshest. Use this window.
Within 30-45 minutes of waking up, freshen up, wash your face, get ready properly, and sit down to study. Don't ease into it for two hours. Freshen up and go.
And one important point: there is no rule that says you must study in the morning. Some people function better at night. That's completely fine. The principle is — study during your best window, whenever that is. Experiment, find out what works for you, and then stick to it.
The Study Structure: Stretches and Breaks
Here's how to structure your study day:
First stretch: 3-4 hours of deep study. This is your longest and most important block. Phone on DND. Minimum disturbances. Have a water bottle nearby. If you drink coffee, have it during this stretch. Get into a flow state where your mind is locked in.
Break: 1 to 1.5 hours. Take a real break. And here's where most students go wrong — scrolling reels is NOT a break. Twitter, Snapchat, Reddit, Instagram — none of these are breaks. They keep stimulating your brain with dopamine while giving it no actual rest.
A real break means your mind is at rest. Talk to your family members physically present at home. Read a book. Meditate. Journal. Listen to music. Go for a walk. Even a phone call with a friend is fine. The point is: disconnect from screens and meaningless content.
When you scroll social media during breaks, you're essentially training your brain to find entertainment only in short bursts. Then when you sit down to study, your brain is bored and restless. You've accidentally swapped things around — scrolling has become your main activity and studying has become the break.
Second stretch: 3-4 hours of deep study.
Second break: 1 to 1.5 hours. Same rules apply.
Third stretch: 2 hours.
Total study: roughly 8-10 hours. As exams approach, this can go up to 10-12 or even 14 hours on some days. Don't beat yourself up if you hit 12 instead of 14. 12 hours of real focused study is extraordinary.
Start gradually. Don't try to peak on day one. Build up slowly over days and weeks.
One Subject at a Time
This is an advice Neeraj Sir has been giving for 14 years and it still holds.
When your classes are over and you're in exam preparation mode, study one subject at a time. Take one subject, give it 8-10 hours a day, cover it thoroughly, and finish it. Then move to the next one.
Don't worry about forgetting the first subject by the time you get back to it. You'll revise everything closer to the exam. Memory comes back fast during revision.
When you try to study 3-4 subjects simultaneously, you waste an enormous amount of time just switching between them. Your brain can't jump from one context to a completely different one efficiently. The switching cost is huge.
If you absolutely must do two subjects in a day, make one your major (80% of your study time) and one your minor (20%). But ideally, one subject per day is the best strategy.
Planning: Be Realistic
Make a plan. But don't panic when the plan doesn't execute perfectly — it never does. Even the biggest companies in the world don't execute 100% of their plans. Even the best entrepreneurs face daily surprises.
The goal is not perfect execution. The goal is to minimize the gap between what you planned and what you actually did. Keep working to close that gap a little more each day.
One important note: make a realistic plan. Many students write plans that are achievable only in an ideal world — plans that have maybe a 10-20% chance of execution. A plan you can actually follow 70-80% of the time is far better than an ambitious plan you follow 10% of the time.
Weekly Rest
You cannot grind for 60-70 days straight without a proper break. Your body and mind will give out.
Take at least half a day or a full day off every week. No studying. No study-related content. Pure enjoyment. Pursuing a hobby. Go out with friends or family. Watch a movie alone if no one's available. Read a book just for fun.
This break is not laziness. It's maintenance. It keeps you going for the long haul.
The Big Picture
Where you end up in life is a direct result of your habits and your routine. This is true in student life. It's true in professional life. It'll be true throughout your entire career.
Most discussions about CA exam preparation focus on which book to read, which chapters to cover, how many pages per day. Nobody talks about the foundation that makes all of that possible — your sleep, your routine, your ability to focus.
Fix the foundation first. The rest becomes much easier.
Sleep well. Build your own routine. Study in stretches. Take real breaks. One subject at a time. Be consistent.
That's how any exam gets cleared.
All the best!
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