by Sophie Playle

Created on: August 29, 2008

To put it bluntly, it is easier not to study, than it is to study; just as it is easier to study badly than to study effectively. So many people at college or university develop bad study habits, and it is difficult to break these habits. However, with a bit of effort and perseverance, you can develop better study habits which will hopefully help you achieve the grades you desire.

Bad Study Habit 1: Prioritising social life over study time.

Everyone knows that studying is definitely not the only thing you get up to at college and university. It is a much more complex experience than that. You will often have more than one thing to do at once, but as the old saying goes, you should experience everything in moderation. It isn't healthy to lock yourself away studying all the time, but likewise you can't kid yourself that half an hour studying merits three nights out on a row. You have to maintain a balance between your social and academic life.

Solution: Create pre-planned study time.

Allocate slots of time throughout the week when you are least social active to study in, such as a spare afternoon or early evening. If you have two hours to spare between lectures on a Wednesday, make an hour of it part of your pre-planned study time. If you are a morning person, get up a little earlier and have half an hour of study. If the only spare time you have is in the evening, decide not to watch Hollyoaks' on television and instead, you guessed it, have a study session. It is surprising, once you really look at it, how much extra time you can find to study in if you really try. Every now and then you may have to sacrifice a night out, but if you are smart about it you can keep on top of your studying and maintain a healthy social life.

Bad Study Habit 2: Giving in to distractions.

They are everywhere. And I mean everywhere. If you are working on a computer, the internet is the most deadly distraction. If you are in your house, there is always the television, or music playing, or friends interrupting. Even if you are sitting quietly, there may be something interesting catching your eye outside, or if you are in the library there are people whispering or scraping chairs... Everywhere! So how do you beat them?

Solution: Remove them!

Turn off your wi-fi, or unconnected your internet cable to remove the distraction of the internet. Don't study in the same room as a television. Put a Do Not Disturb' sign on your door if you have to, to avoid housemates interrupting. Unfortunately, though,

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