Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Daripada belajar tanpa rencana, lebih baik saya membuat tabel kecil dan diagram waktu belajar untuk satu minggu. - Rather than studying without a plan, it is better that I make a small table and a time diagram for studying for one week.

daripada is also used for comparisons:
Dia lebih tinggi daripada saya. = He is taller than me.
Here, it’s comparing two choices/actions, not physical characteristics.

How does the pattern “Daripada ..., lebih baik ...” work? Is this a fixed structure?

Yes, Daripada ..., lebih baik ... is a very common pattern to express preference: choosing one action as better than another.

General pattern:

Daripada [clause/action A], lebih baik [clause/action B].

Examples:

Daripada tidur terus, lebih baik kamu belajar sedikit.
Rather than sleeping all the time, you’d better study a bit.
Daripada marah-marah, lebih baik kita cari solusi.
Rather than getting angry, it’s better we look for a solution.

You can also put lebih baik first:

Lebih baik saya membuat tabel kecil ... daripada belajar tanpa rencana.

Both orders are natural. The version in your sentence (starting with daripada) is very common in spoken and written Indonesian.

Could I say “Saya lebih baik membuat tabel kecil ...” instead of “lebih baik saya membuat ...”? Are both correct?

Both Saya lebih baik membuat ... and Lebih baik saya membuat ... are grammatically acceptable.

Differences in feel:

Lebih baik saya membuat ...
Slightly more natural in everyday speech here; lebih baik works like an initial comment:
“It’s better if I make ...”
Saya lebih baik membuat ...
Also possible, but can sometimes sound more like “I am better (suited) to make ...” depending on context.

In this specific sentence, lebih baik saya membuat ... is the more typical, idiomatic way to express a choice between two actions:

Daripada belajar tanpa rencana, lebih baik saya membuat tabel kecil...
Rather than studying without a plan, it’s better if I make a small table...

Why is belajar used here instead of mempelajari? What’s the difference?

belajar = to study / to learn (general activity)
mempelajari = to study something in detail / to examine / to learn (a specific object)

In this sentence:

belajar tanpa rencana = studying in general, without a plan.
There is no specific object mentioned (like math, Indonesian, etc.).

If you used mempelajari, you would normally expect an object:

mempelajari bahasa Indonesia = to study Indonesian.
mempelajari sejarah = to study history.

So belajar is correct and natural here because it refers to the general act of studying, not “studying X” as a specific object.

What is the function of tanpa in belajar tanpa rencana? Could I say something like belajar tidak dengan rencana instead?

tanpa means “without” and is the normal, natural way to say “without a plan”:

tanpa rencana = without a plan
tanpa persiapan = without preparation
tanpa alasan = without a reason

So:

belajar tanpa rencana = study without a plan.

A phrase like belajar tidak dengan rencana is not natural Indonesian. It sounds like a literal, awkward translation of English. Use tanpa to express “without” instead:

Saya tidak belajar dengan rencana. (grammatical, but odd phrasing)
vs.
Saya belajar tanpa rencana. (natural)

Why is it tabel kecil and not kecil tabel? Where do adjectives go in Indonesian?

In Indonesian, adjectives normally come after the noun.

Pattern:

[noun] + [adjective]

Examples:

rumah besar = big house
meja panjang = long table
buku baru = new book
tabel kecil = small table (chart)

So:

tabel kecil is correct.
kecil tabel would be wrong or at least very unnatural in standard Indonesian.

There are a few special cases (like orang kaya, orang gila), but the default rule is: adjective after noun.

What does diagram waktu belajar literally mean? Would jadwal belajar be more natural?

Literally:

diagram = diagram, chart, visual representation
waktu = time
belajar = study/learning

So diagram waktu belajar = a diagram of my study time, a visual representation (for example, a timeline, a block diagram, etc.).

jadwal belajar means study schedule/timetable and is extremely common and natural:

membuat jadwal belajar untuk satu minggu
= to make a study schedule for one week.

Both are correct, but:

Use diagram waktu belajar if you really mean a visual diagram or chart of time.
Use jadwal belajar if you mean a typical schedule (days, hours, subjects), which is more usual for planning study.

Why is it untuk satu minggu? Could I also say selama satu minggu or seminggu? Are there differences?

All three are possible, with small nuance differences:

untuk satu minggu
- Literally: for one week (for the purpose of one week)
- Emphasizes the intended time span or target period.
- Fits well with making a plan/schedule:
  - membuat jadwal belajar untuk satu minggu
    = make a study schedule for one week.
selama satu minggu
- Literally: during/for the duration of one week
- Focuses a bit more on the duration of the activity:
  - Saya belajar keras selama satu minggu.
    I studied hard for one week.
seminggu
- Colloquial, shorter form of satu minggu = “a week / one week”
- You could say:
  - ... untuk seminggu
  - ... selama seminggu

In your sentence, untuk satu minggu nicely matches the idea of planning for a particular period.
untuk seminggu would also sound natural in speech.

Can I omit saya and just say lebih baik membuat tabel kecil ...? When is it okay to drop pronouns in Indonesian?

Yes, you can say:

Daripada belajar tanpa rencana, lebih baik membuat tabel kecil dan diagram waktu belajar untuk satu minggu.

This is still understandable and grammatical. Indonesian often omits pronouns when the subject is clear from context.

However:

Including saya (lebih baik saya membuat ...) makes it clear that you personally are the one making the table, and it sounds a bit more natural in a self-reflective sentence like this.

General rule:

You can drop saya/kamu/dia if context makes the subject obvious.
You keep them when:
- you want to be explicit or emphasize who does the action, or
- the context is not clear.

Why is membuat used instead of just buat? When do I need the me- prefix?

membuat is the standard active verb form meaning “to make / to create”.

Base form: buat (root)
With prefix: me- → membuat

In standard Indonesian:

Use membuat in normal sentences with a subject:
- Saya membuat tabel kecil. = I make a small table/chart.
buat on its own can appear:
- in some informal speech (especially in Jakarta slang),
- or in certain fixed expressions, e.g.,
  untuk buat apa? (colloquial) = what for?

In your sentence, membuat is the correct formal/neutral form:

lebih baik saya membuat tabel kecil ...
Not: lebih baik saya buat tabel kecil ... (colloquial, very informal).

Could I replace lebih baik with sebaiknya in this sentence? What’s the difference?

Yes, you could say:

Daripada belajar tanpa rencana, sebaiknya saya membuat tabel kecil dan diagram waktu belajar untuk satu minggu.

sebaiknya and lebih baik are very close in meaning, but:

sebaiknya ≈ “should / ought to / it’s advisable to”
- Common in giving advice or recommendations:
  Sebaiknya kamu tidur lebih awal. = You should sleep earlier.
lebih baik ≈ “(it’s) better (if)”
- More literally comparative: one option is better than another.

In this sentence:

lebih baik emphasizes the comparison between two choices:
daripada A, lebih baik B.
sebaiknya sounds a bit more like general advice to yourself:
“I should make a small table and study-time diagram.”

Both are natural; with daripada, lebih baik is slightly more classic and explicit as a comparative.