Study groups die of politeness. Everyone agrees the midterm is soon. Everyone agrees someone should "take the early chapters." Nobody's name is on chapter 6. On the night before the exam, three people skipped the same pages because the split was a vibe.
Write the assignment as a decision record. Then get a reply that puts a name on each chapter.
Name the chapters before you name the people
List the units a person can actually finish. Chapter numbers, page ranges, or lecture dates — whatever the exam will use. Close the list. "The rest of the book" is not a unit.
Add the output you expect, in one sentence each. A one-page outline. Five practice questions. A list of formulas with the page they came from. If the output is "be ready to teach it," say how long they should speak and what they should not do (read slides aloud).
Do not start from availability stories. Start from the work. People can then pick a unit that fits a night they already have, which is the opposite of a chat that tries to find a night nobody has.
One decision per person
Ask for a decision: take chapter 4, take chapter 5, or name a leftover unit you can finish by Sunday 6pm. That is the whole ask. The reply is the point — a name on a chapter, not a thumbs-up on the idea of studying.
Set an honest deadline with a default. "Unclaimed chapters get assigned in the order they appear, Sunday 6pm, and I will send the list either way." A date with no consequence invites the polite delay that empties the plan.
If two people want the same short chapter, do not broker it in emojis. State the tie-break you will use: first reply, or the person who took less last time. Put that rule in the briefing so you are not inventing fairness under pressure.
Make the record durable
A RelayLink briefing keeps the split on a thread you can open the night someone says they thought you had chapter 4. Options, owners, the ask, your note. You draft it, you read it, you confirm the send. The model does not assign homework under your name without you.
People without accounts answer from email. People who already have accounts need an accepted contact. If the group will keep using this, invite them once.
Nicknames are yours. "Quiz kid" does not belong in a package they read unless you shared that word. Use the names they use in class.
No files in the send. The textbook and the slides stay where they are. The briefing is who owns which unit.
A silent block is possible and you will not be told. If someone drops off, the default you wrote still assigns their chapter. That is kinder than a group chat that pretends they are coming.
When the units are small enough to claim in a line, connect your assistant and get names on pages before the exam writes the split for you.