Top 5 Online Study Websites and Virtual Work Spaces
I recently discovered online study websites and virtual spaces, and I am impressed. I previously posted my desire to start a Writing/Work Accountability Group on reddit–it gained some traction, but not as much as I thought.
In a separate post, a reader suggested that I try study together discord servers, and that opened a whole new world for me. I had no idea virtual study websites or online work spaces existed. I was also clueless about aesthetic virtual spaces and opportunities to co-work with others online. This list contains some of the virtual solo and collaborative spaces I discovered in my search.
LifeAt
LifeAt is one of my favorite virtual spaces. You can explore hundreds of video spaces and build your own. The great thing about LifeAt is that it includes drag and drop productivity tools like Pomodoro timer, a Todo list, a sound board, and Spotify (you can link your Spotify account)! You can also track your daily productivity and see daily streaks.
One of the greatest features of LifeAt is its video chat. I have invited friends and colleagues to join my room to collaborate. You can also join the LifeAt discord server— though I am yet to check it out. Kudos to the team for building such an amazing virtual space for remote work.
Here’s my referral link to try it out. The link allows me to unlock premium features at no cost to you.
If you are looking for more affordable options, check out these lifeat alternatives. These sites are fairly similar to lifeat and offer many of the same features.
Bindr
Bindr was another site I explored. The site allows you to join a study session with people anywhere in the world. In my experience, most users are focusing on their work, and are working with their mics off and cameras on. You can add group tasks, see other users tasks, set a timer, chat with session members, and video call. You can also access the public breakroom or session breakroom–though I am yet to use these functions. Bindr also allows users to keep track of the number of hours they’ve studied by the day and week.
Overall, Bindr may be more meaningful for advanced students if they create a private link and share it with colleagues and collaborators, especially those who may not want to work with strangers. However, I’ve logged in on a couple of occasions, and found the community to be safe.
Fiveable
Fiveable was a simple site. Unlike LifeAt and Bindr, it did not include a video call function (though, I hear this might be a future plan). However, users can use the chat feature and the group and personal timers. Each participants’ tasks list is visible to everyone on the session, which I believe helps with motivation and accountability.
Join the 24/7 MyStudentHq session on Fiveable and work with other motivated learners to accomplish your writing goals.
Learn more about the MyStudentHq online writing accountability group.
Study Together
StudyTogether claims to be the “largest global student community online.” Users select a room based on whether they are comfortable with their cameras on or off–in some rooms, cameras are mandatory. Some study sessions take place on Zoom, while others are live in the app. Users can also use their solo rooms to study. The general setup of solo rooms reminds me of the LifAt experience–though some things like ambient music and a Spotify connection are missing. It also appears to be a space just for the user. Video calls and chat features are both not available.
It does include a place to add session goals, which can be helpful to those looking to track progress. Users can also see their daily progress on their stats dashboard and the community leaderboard. The dashboard presents a gamified experience that will likely keep users committed to their work over time.
StudyStream
StudyStream is another site I discovered and the only one I am yet to try. It provides 24/7 virtual study rooms accessible by users worldwide. StudyStream Servers are available in three main categories: (1) pre-university students, (2) university students, (3) professionals. Users can see the number of people online and access the Study Stream community via Zoom or Discord.
Although I was excited to find study communities online, they are less likely to be as intimate as Writing/Work Accountability Group with people you know. However, I like that individual users can create private rooms and invite friends and colleagues on most of these sites. It seems like a great way to continue study or workgroups that were taking place in person before the COVID-19 pandemic moved most things online.
Checkout my virtual study Notion template for productive daily work
Get the template ($10.00 USD) here and reach out if you have questions about it.
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