Breaking out the books is a major part of college life – a lesser-enjoyed part of college life but still, nevertheless, a part of our education. Have you ever felt like you’re trying to take one step forward with your academics but instead you’re taking two steps back? Maybe you’re doing these eight common things that actually do more harm than good during your study session.

1. You keep your phone right next to you.

That’s right. Just by having your phone next to you while studying, you’re setting yourself up for distraction after distraction. The second your screen lights up, you can’t help but instinctively glance over for a quick read of the message or notification you received. Before you know it, the phone is in your hands and you’re texting paragraphs. This breaks your concentration and it’ll take you time to re-focus on what you were studying. You will still want to keep your phone close in case of an emergency but you can try keeping your phone screen-down to avoid looking at it. Even something as small as putting your phone in your backpack or hiding it behind your laptop is beneficial.

2. You play lyrical songs while studying.

Some people just prefer listening to music while studying but they may not necessarily be listening to the right study music. It’s best to avoid listening to songs that contain lyrics if you’re studying for an exam. The words from the song will mingle with the words you read from studying and you might not even realize it. Furthermore, you may concentrate more on the lyrics to the song. This is a wonderful way to waste your time! I like listening to pieces from composers such as Steven Reineke. These pieces are performed using concert instruments and there are no lyrics. These songs are soothing during a tough study session!

3. You keep a (insert social media outlet here) tab open on your computer.

With the hustle and bustle of college lectures, homework assignments, club meetings, and appointments, you might sometimes feel like your brain has too many tabs open – so does your computer! Yes, we see some interesting things on social media and it’s nice to have something to check out during a study break, but you’re way more likely to digress from your studies and go onto social media if you have a social media tab already open on your computer. I have found myself doing this many times, sadly, but when I realized it was a problem I implemented a simple solution: close social media tabs before studying! Out of sight, out of mind!

4. You force yourself to study even when you’re tired.

I probably don’t have to tell you this twice but if your heart really, truly, genuinely isn’t into studying, at the moment, then don’t force yourself to cozy up to your textbook. Everything you do pertaining to class material is useless at that point because you likely won’t retain the information. This might sound “strange,” but there are times when I’m really just pumped to study. Yes, you read me right. I sometimes look forward to studying. This is the prime study time – do it while you’re in the mood or at least in a good mood. You’ll be more active in regard to your studying and more likely to remember what you read.

5. You study on an empty stomach.

Don’t think you can power through hunger so you can finish the last two chapters of Java programming. I like your enthusiasm there but, first things first: you need to take care of yourself before you take care of business! If you study on an empty stomach, instead of feeling a sense of accomplishment, all you’ll feel is a loud, angry raccoon clawing at the inside of your stomach. You definitely don’t want hunger to be a distraction, especially if it gets to the point where you feel light-headed or nauseated. Make sure you have something in your system before you hit the books and, yes, I will be disappointed if you try to get away with cookies and coffee as a meal.

6. You eat while you study.

You’re super hungry and you have five chapters to outline. You think you’re killing two birds with one cheeseburger if you eat while you study – it happens. This multi-tasking, however, is not helping how you study. Many people think that if they’re good at multi-tasking it means they can be more successful at what they try to do. This is actually bad for you. Your brain can only focus on so many things at once. Truth be told, it’s a challenge for our brains to equally disperse focus between two tasks. You might think I’m lying, but isn’t it more efficient to do one thing at a time and ensure you understand it thoroughly rather than do two things at a time and then have to later revisit one because you still didn’t understand it?

7. You study with friends.

Studying with friends can be a great motivation to get work done. Personally, I like being with people when I study because it makes me more inclined to focus on what I’m doing and not do completely weird things to distract myself. Beware: pick your study buddies carefully. It has happened to me way too many times where I sit down to study or do work with a chatty friend and we end up talking so much that we get close to nothing done! A task that should have taken me an hour-and-a-half to complete took me three-and-a-half hours to finish! This is an incredible waste of time and a sure-fire sign that you need to study with a different friend next time!

8. You work too hard.

Ever heard the saying “work harder, not smarter”? That’s exactly what I’m talking about. Pulling out a 30-page outline of your textbook that took you a week to make feels impressive and you feel accomplished, but if there was a way you could have studied that ensures you’d get the same amount out of it, with way less work, then that’s the way to go. Here’s another one: “quality, not quantity.” Make sure your method of studying is effective in how it allows you to understand and retain information. If something isn’t working for you, fix it – don’t sit around hoping that next time will be your lucky day and you’ll magically understand everything.