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Example: personal study plan

Last verified: 2026-05-06 · Time: 10 minutes · No API key required

Turn "I want to learn X" into a 1-page weekly plan with study blocks, sources, and self-checks.

Layer 1 — Chat only Free

Help me build a 1-week study plan.

Topic: <e.g., causal inference for observational data>
Hours per week: <e.g., 5>
My background: <2 lines>
Goal: <what I want to be able to do at the end>

Output:
- 5 study blocks of 25 minutes each, with topic + source + a 2-question self-check.
- Order from easier to harder.
- One "stretch block" if I have a 6th hour.
- One "skip if tired" block.

Constraints:
- Cite real sources. If unsure, say so.
- Plain markdown.

How to tell whether it worked: every block has a real source you can find. The self-checks are non-trivial.

Layer 2 — Project Sub

Build a "Learning coach" Project / Gem with your background, your tools, and how you like to learn (visual, math-first, examples-first).

Layer 3 — Memory Sub

Global memory:

- For study plans: 25-minute blocks, easier-to-harder, real cited sources.
- I prefer math-first explanations with one concrete example.
- Background: epidemiology, comfortable with R; learning Mendelian randomization.

Layer 4 — Scheduled action Sub

Sunday 17:00 local: "Draft next week's study plan based on my saved goals." Manual fallback: Sunday calendar reminder.

See No-code automations — Weekly learning plan.

Layer 5 — Custom assistant Sub

Custom GPT / Gem / Skill named "Study coach":

  • Knowledge files: textbook table of contents, a list of trusted authors, a sample completed week.
  • Sample prompts: 3 different topics the coach handled well.

Layer 6 — Developer / API (optional)

A daily script that reminds you of the next block + asks for a self-check answer. Drafts only; never auto-grade. See Agent Factory.

Make it reusable

  • Save the Project. Each Sunday, paste a 1-line "this week's emphasis."
  • Keep a "what I learned" log; paste it back for next week's plan.

Make it robust

  • Eval: try the plan for 2 weeks; rate each block 1–5 for usefulness.
  • Red-team: ask the coach to recommend a source from a journal you don't trust. It should refuse or flag.
  • Drift check: monthly, ask: "Given what I've actually completed, what plan would you draft now?"

What good output looks like

  • Real, findable sources.
  • Self-checks you can't pass without doing the reading.
  • Honest about prerequisites.

If your plan doesn't have this feature

  • No Project → paste prompt + background each Sunday.
  • No Memory → keep your background in a notes file; paste once per session.
  • No native task → Sunday calendar reminder.

See also