A study timetable is a very subjective matter. Therefore, let me just lay down the rough direction for you which you can fit in to your schedule.
- The newspaper should be read everyday. Therefore allot time for this. I would recommend reading the entire paper for the first month, just to get a hang of it ( If you are not in the habit of reading it regularly). Thereafter you will start to understand which sections and news you should pay attention to and therefore you can finish reading the paper in 45minutes - 1 hour. This is primarily intended to develop two aspects of your training. Your general awareness and also your answer writing skills. When you read the editorial, you will understand how an essay is written, how arguments are made and how different aspects of a topic are covered etc. Once you make this a regular habit, you would also start thinking analytically about issues.
- NCERT’s should be completed. This generally should not take more than a month, if you are a slow reader. I was so thorough with the NCERT’s, by the end, I could revise the entire NCERT’s in 2 days.
- Optional preparation:- I think you should atleast revise your optional 3 times before the exam. Plan to complete this.
- Prelims Mock Tests: I used to do this exactly one month before the prelims. I typically did 25–30 mock tests. Try to stick to a single institutes test series so that you don’t revise only question papers relating to the same topic, and feel a false sense of superiority. Also be ready to bleed. If you bleed during preparation, then you wouldn’t have to in the exam. If it is an online test series that many other aspirants take, there is another advantage. You can know how you have done relatively. This will help you understand where you stand.
- Answer writing: Try to write an answer everyday. If you are lazy then atleast frame the answer in your mind…And then write it. There is no time to be lazy.
- Previous question papers: You should atleast go through the last 10 years question papers of your optional paper. This will help you trmendously. UPSC, much like any other exam, repeats many of the questions. So this is something that you should leverage to your advantage.
- Allocate enough time for fun, exercise, and personal development: A typical rookies mistake is to allocate time only for studies. There should be adequate time kept aside for fun activities like watching a movie, reading some other books, hanging out with friends etc. These will help increase the quality of your study time. You should also exercise regularly.
These are the things that you should keep in mind while creating a timetable for UPSC preparation. However, if you are looking for an hour-to-hour or day-to-day break of time, I think you are not yet ready to take on UPSC CSE.
I have also written about other aspects of UPSC preparation here. Hope it helps you.