Time with studies in steps (6)
I believe the answer is:
treads
'steps' is the definition.
(I know this)
'time with studies' is the wordplay.
'time' becomes 't' (abbreviation).
'with' means one lot of letters go next to another.
'studies' becomes 'reads' ('read' can be a synonym of 'study').
't'+'reads'='TREADS'
'in' is the link.
(Other definitions for treads that I've seen before include "mates" , "Stared at tyre surfaces" , "Steps, walks" , "Sets the foot down." , "Puts the foot down" .)