Most Common Time of Day to Learn to Code

We all have quirks when it comes to our daily routines. For example, you might be a morning workout person or swear by a nighttime shower. Or maybe your dog nudges you for a walk at 11am like clockwork. Or perhaps you can’t make it through the 3pm slump without getting yourself a little treat.

You probably have a favorite time of day to take coding courses or work on your latest programming project, too. Consistency is key when you’re learning to code, so it’s wise to find a schedule and routine that’s manageable for you. The cool thing about our courses and paths is that they’re self-guided, so you can work on them whenever you want, for however long as you want.

As part of Code Review, our look back on data from 2023, we wanted to know: What time of day do most of our learners like to work on courses? Read on to learn what the most popular time of day to learn to code is and the days of the week when learners are most productive.

Prime times for programming

According to our data, the most popular time for Codecademy learners to code is from 10am to 4pm, with 2pm coming in as the most active hour of the day. (We have learners around the globe, so we adjusted our data points to learners’ local time zones where possible.)

There might be a scientific reason why learners tend to log on during this period: Research on sleep and productivity suggests that your brain is ready to acquire new information between 10am and 2pm, and then again between 4pm and 10pm. As for the 2pm peak, it’s possible that lots of our learners are squeezing in a lunch break coding session when they feel refocused and refueled.   

While the majority of learners prefer to code during daylight hours, a slice of learners in our community are practically nocturnal. We found that 7% of Codecademy’s learners are most active between 12am and 6am. These night owls have found a way to harness the quiet solitude of the early morning hours or the late-night stillness to work towards their coding goals.

We’re all wired differently and have unique preferences for when we sleep and when we study. No matter when you log on to learn to code, take comfort in the fact that there’s probably someone else tuning in at the same time somewhere in the world.

Most active days of the week

When we unpacked the days of the week when learners in our community tend to be the most active, Tuesday came out on top. Perhaps it’s the sense of a fresh start after Monday or the anticipation of the week’s challenges ahead that fuels the Tuesday surge in activity. If Tuesday is your most productive day of the week, see if you can tap into that energy and use that day to tackle more complicated coding challenges.

On the flip side, we found that learners are the least active on Saturdays. If you’re not a weekend warrior, you can use Saturdays as an opportunity to reflect, listen to a tech-y podcast, or do something completely unrelated to coding. Understanding and adapting to the weekly ebb and flow can make your learning experience more intentional and enjoyable in the long run.

Make coding part of your daily routine

There’s truly no one schedule or routine that works for everyone, and the best time to code is whenever your mind feels sharp, and your enthusiasm is at its peak. Whether you burn the midnight oil or code during the day while your kids are at school, you have the flexibility to create your own plan — and change it if you need to.

Try coding during different times of the day until you zone in on your optimal learning period, then work to establish a realistic routine. If you need some inspiration, read this blog about the creative ways that real people in our community made time to learn to code. Remember: Everyone is unique, and what works for one person may not work for another.

We had a lot of fun unveiling the diverse habits of our community of learners, and we hope these insights help you feel motivated and inspired. Maybe it’s time to ramp up your weekly learning target, or set some ambitious goals for 2024 and beyond? Be sure to check out the rest of Code Review 2023 on the blog and social media to discover the Codecademy data points that defined this year.