In this guide
The student layout
A student's new tab has one job: make it easier to start working and harder to drift. The layout should put the study timer in an unavoidable position, show today's commitments immediately, and keep the task list visible without being overwhelming.
| Left column — structure | Right column — content |
|---|---|
| Pomodoro timer (large) | Hacker News or RSS feeds |
| Google Calendar (today) | Quote widget (daily motivation) |
| Todoist or built-in Todos | Habit Tracker |
The Pomodoro timer in the top-left means it's the first thing you see when you open a new tab during a work session. If it's running, you get back to work. If it's not running, you start it.
Pomodoro — structure your study sessions
The Pomodoro technique divides work into focused intervals separated by short breaks. The widget sits on your new tab and runs in the background — start it before you open your lecture notes or research paper, then get to work.
| Study type | Recommended interval | Break |
|---|---|---|
| Active reading / note-taking | 25 minutes | 5 minutes |
| Problem sets / coding assignments | 50 minutes | 10 minutes |
| Essay writing | 30–45 minutes | 10 minutes |
| Exam revision (flashcards) | 20 minutes | 5 minutes |
| Group study sessions | 45 minutes | 15 minutes |
You can set custom durations in the widget settings — click the timer face to open them. Long work sessions (50+ minutes) are well-supported; the timer doesn't force the classic 25-minute structure if your flow prefers longer blocks.
Google Calendar — today's commitments at a glance
The Google Calendar widget shows all of today's events from your open Google Calendar tab. Each event displays the time and title. Past events appear dimmed so the visual emphasis shifts to what's coming next.
For students, this replaces the habit of opening Google Calendar as a dedicated tab to check lecture times or office hours. The events are visible on every new tab — you always know when the next commitment is without switching context.
The widget reads from whichever calendars are visible in your Google Calendar tab. If you share a calendar with a study group or a lab partner, those events appear automatically as long as the calendar is enabled in Google Calendar.
Tasks — what's due and what's next
Pinodock offers two task options: the built-in Todo panel (no account required) and the Todoist widget (for users who already use Todoist).
Built-in todos — type /todo <task> in the launcher to add a task. Open the Todos panel from the dock to see, check off, and manage tasks. Everything is stored locally — no account, no sync, completely private.
Todoist widget — if you use Todoist for your assignments and deadlines, the widget shows today's due tasks read from your open Todoist tab. Keep a Todoist tab open in the background; the widget refreshes it automatically.
For students, a useful task structure is:
- One task per assignment due this week — each dated to its due date in Todoist
- One task per reading that needs completing
- One task per email/follow-up that needs a response
Today's view then shows only what's immediately relevant — not the entire semester backlog.
Habit tracker — the disciplines that compound
Academic success is built on daily disciplines that don't show up on any assignment. The Habit Tracker makes these visible every time you open a tab:
| Habit | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Study 2+ hours | Consistent deep work compounds over a semester |
| Review notes same day | Same-day review dramatically improves retention |
| No phone during Pomodoro | Protecting focus is a learnable skill |
| Exercise | Physical activity measurably improves memory consolidation |
| Sleep before midnight | Sleep is when learning consolidates — not optional |
Log habits with /habit <name> in the launcher. The tracker shows streaks and weekly completion rates — the streak number visible on every new tab is a stronger commitment device than any app reminder.
RSS feeds for academic research
The RSS widget aggregates multiple feeds into a single list, refreshed automatically. For students, this replaces checking multiple news and research sites manually:
| Subject area | Useful feeds |
|---|---|
| Computer science | Hacker News RSS, arXiv CS, ACM News |
| Economics / finance | The Economist, FT, Bloomberg Economics |
| Biology / medicine | Nature News, Science Daily, NIH News |
| Psychology | APA Monitor, Psychology Today |
| Law | SCOTUS Blog, Harvard Law Review |
| General | Lobsters (https://lobste.rs/rss), BBC News |
Enter feed URLs (one per line) in the RSS widget settings. Articles are sorted by recency across all feeds. For research-heavy periods, this keeps you aware of developments in your field without allocating dedicated time to news browsing.
Dark mode for late-night study sessions
Type /dark-mode in the launcher to see all 13 theme options. For late-night studying, the most useful flavours are:
| Theme | Character | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Soft | Warm grey, gentle contrast | Long reading sessions |
| Espresso | Deep dark brown, minimal accent | Late-night coding or writing |
| Mocha | Warm brown, amber accents | Evening note-taking |
| Matcha | Dark green, calming palette | Long study blocks |
| Taro | Deep purple, soft purple text | Creative or writing work |
Add all to apply the theme across every open tab: /dark-mode all espresso. This themes lecture slides, research papers, and Wikipedia all at once — useful when most of your sources are in the browser.
Useful commands for student work
| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
/translate <text> to spanish | On-device translation — useful for language coursework |
/summarise <text> | Summarise a paragraph with Gemini Nano — on-device, private |
/ask <question> | Ask Gemini Nano a question without opening a new tab |
/reader | Strip ads and navigation from any article — clean reading view |
/save <url> | Save a research article to the Reading List |
/note <text> | Append a quick note to the Scratch Pad |
+14d | Calculate the date 14 days from today — for deadline planning |
/currency 100 USD to GBP | Currency conversion for international students |
The new tab is opened hundreds of times a week during a semester. Building a dashboard that reinforces study habits, surfaces today's schedule, and starts a focus timer with one click turns the most-opened page in your browser into a productivity ally rather than a distraction gateway.
→ Build better habits with the Pinodock habit tracker