Companion Learning: My Four Hours with Time

A Quiet Company

In recent years, I have increasingly enjoyed the method of "studying with company." I am not a student, but during times when I need to focus on work, I often turn on study atmosphere videos on YouTube—those with soft music, café background sounds, or the sound of rain outside at night. They make me feel quiet, accompanied, yet not distracted.

From Mobile Stopwatch to Web Tool

At first, I used the stopwatch on my phone to time my work sessions. Later, I found it a bit cumbersome to switch—once the phone lit up, I couldn't help but check messages or browse other things. So, I simply created a small webpage to accompany myself while studying and working.

👉 https://dk-js.com/study-with-me

The structure of the webpage is very simple: On the left, there's a stopwatch that can start, pause, and reset; On the right, there's a YouTube video player where I can insert any study companion video; Below, I've listed several channels I often watch, like Lofi Girl, Library White Noise, and Night Rain Sounds...

My Study Space

So, every day I open this page, play a quiet video, and then start the stopwatch. The initial goal is to focus continuously for 4 hours, though I do not push myself too hard. Sometimes when I’m in a good state, I complete it in one go; other times, I pause briefly to make a cup of tea or enjoy the beautiful scenery in the video.

This little tool feels more like a sense of ritual for me. When I open the webpage and hit “start”, time switches to a state that is “mine”. I no longer get distracted and do not need much external stimulation, just quietly work, write, and think.

I love this quiet company. It has no reminders, no leaderboards, and does not force you to clock in. It simply records time silently, accompanying you through one focused moment after another.