--- {"title": "How to fit tech tutorials into spare time in 2026", "description": "Practical steps for tech tutorial watchers to fit lessons into spare time, with tools to consider and mistakes to avoid.", "url": "https://xpdaily.com/how-to-fit-lessons-into-spare-time-for-tech-tutorial-watchers/", "date": "2026-10-31"} --- Practical steps for tech tutorial watchers to fit lessons into spare time, with tools to consider and mistakes to avoid. Pick the tutorials that fit a spare block, put them in order, and start at the top. YTSort can reorder a YouTube playlist you own by video length [^1]. | Option | What it does for you | Price | |---|---|---| | Paper list or sticky note | You write each title and length, then rank them by hand | Not published | | Spreadsheet | You keep titles and lengths in columns and sort by length | Not published | | YTSort | Reorders a YouTube playlist you own by video length, shortest or longest first [^1] | Free [^1] | ## What you need before you start Fitting lessons into spare time takes only a few things. Start with the list of tutorials you plan to watch, since you cannot plan a block without knowing what is on it. Each tutorial needs its length, which YouTube shows on the thumbnail, because length decides which one fits a short gap. Next, decide how much time you have. It might be a lunch break, a commute, or a quiet evening, and that answer decides whether you go short first or save the long tutorials for later. You also need a place to keep the order. The playlist itself, a paper list, or a spreadsheet all work. What matters is that the order lives in one place. Check who owns a playlist before you reorder it. If it is not yours, copy the tutorials into your own list or work from a written one. If you want a tool to do the sorting, you need a web browser and a short setup before you start. Follow the tool's own instructions to add it. Set aside a short block to do the sorting before you start watching. Sorting in the middle of a lesson tends to break your flow. ## Step by step These steps work with any method, including a pen and a sheet of paper. 1. **Open the list of tutorials you plan to watch.** Make sure you can see every title before you choose an order. 2. **Write each title with its length.** Take the time from the thumbnail. Do not sort yet. 3. **Mark tutorials that depend on others.** If a later tutorial builds on an earlier one, keep the two together. 4. **Rank the rest from shortest to longest.** Put the shortest at the top. 5. **Decide where the long tutorials go.** Leave them at the end, or set them aside for a longer free block. 6. **Read the new order once.** Look for any lesson that now sits in a confusing place. 7. **Apply the order.** Reorder the list by hand, or use a tool that does it for you. 8. **Start from the top when a spare block opens.** Watch the first item, then move down the list. 9. **Jot a line of notes after each one.** Short tutorials pass quickly, so notes help the ideas stick. 10. **Review after a few sessions.** If the order is not helping you learn, change it. ## Tools that can do it You do not need software for this. Here are options to consider. **Paper list or sticky note.** You write each title and length, then rank them by hand. Nothing is published here about price or limits, because that depends on what you already have. **A spreadsheet.** Keep titles and lengths in two columns and sort by the length column. Facts about specific spreadsheet apps are not provided here, so check each app's own page for its limits and cost. **YTSort.** YTSort is made by the team that publishes this site, and it is one option among these. It reorders a YouTube playlist you own by video length, shortest or longest first [^1]. It sorts the full playlist, not just the videos loaded on screen [^1]. YTSort is free [^1]. It shows the before and after order so you can check it before applying [^1]. After sorting, it reads the playlist back from YouTube and re-applies any moves that did not stick [^1]. You can get YTSort in three ways: a bookmark that runs it, a browser script, or a Chrome Web Store extension [^1]. The extension needs Chrome or Edge, and the script version works in any browser, including Firefox, with Tampermonkey, Violentmonkey or Greasemonkey installed [^1]. ## Common mistakes to avoid **Sorting a course that builds lesson by lesson.** If later tutorials rely on earlier ones, a pure shortest-first order can leave you confused. Keep dependent lessons together. **Trusting the order without a look.** Read the new order once before you start. A quick check catches lessons that ended up in an odd spot. **Forgetting the long tutorials.** Moving them to the end is fine, but give them a free block or they may never get watched. **Trying to reorder a playlist that is not yours.** Check who owns it first, and copy the tutorials into your own list if needed. **Watching without notes.** Short tutorials go by fast, so a line of notes helps you keep track of what you covered. **Never checking the order again.** If the order stops fitting your schedule, check it again and adjust it. ## Frequently asked questions ### How to put the shortest tech tutorials first in a YouTube playlist? List each tutorial with its length, rank the list from shortest to longest, then apply that order to the playlist by hand or with a tool. Start at the top when a spare block opens, and keep dependent lessons together so the order still makes sense as you go. ### Can YTSort sort a YouTube playlist by video length? Yes. YTSort reorders a YouTube playlist you own by video length, shortest or longest first [^1]. It sorts the full playlist, not just the videos loaded on screen [^1]. It is free [^1]. Check that the playlist is one you own before you start, and apply the order only after you have read the new list through. ### Can YTSort show the new order before it is applied? Yes. It shows the before and after order so you can check it before applying [^1]. After it applies the order, it reads the playlist back from YouTube and re-applies any moves that did not stick [^1]. Whatever method you use, read the order through once before you start watching. ### Which browsers work with YTSort? The Chrome Web Store extension needs Chrome or Edge [^1]. The script version works in any browser, including Firefox, once you add a script manager such as Tampermonkey, Violentmonkey or Greasemonkey [^1]. You can also run it from a bookmark [^1]. Pick the option that matches the browser you already use. ### Should tech tutorial watchers always fill spare time with the shortest videos? Not always. If a course builds lesson by lesson, keep dependent lessons in their original order, even when a longer one comes next. Shortest first can suit a short free block, but a longer block may suit a longer lesson better. Review the order after a few sessions and change it if your learning is slowing. YTSort is free; all install options include the same features. [^1] - [Visit YTSort](/go/start-ytsort) ## Sources [^1]: YTSort's own description of itself (the product of this site's publisher) (/go/start-ytsort)