Bad Student Habits You Need to Kick in 2026

Student Productivity Tips

            Happy 2026! The roll in of the new year is a great time to assess what bad student habits we practice that are holding us back from being the best version of ourselves. Remember, no one is perfect; we all have things that can be improved, and we’ve all had bad habits that keep us from better health, progress, productivity, or learning. The question isn’t “can you improve;” it’s “do you want to improve?”

            Bad student habits are rampant among college students, and almost all of us are guilty of one or more of these. Often, we chalk it up to living the “college experience,” which may be somewhat true. Staying up late to hang out with friends, sleeping in to make up for it, putting off that project until the last minute because motivation was low and distractions were high. The list goes on and, in some ways, these are part of the college experience.

            But just because some of these experiences are part of the college experience, doesn’t mean they are parts that you should live in. Just because somethings are common experiences in college doesn’t necessarily make them the best experiences or the right way to do things. In fact, many of these bad student habits are just that: bad habits that have bad results.

            Don’t get me wrong. Choosing to stay up late once in a while to make memories with your friends is not a bad thing. But every night? Not so good. Putting off an assignment because you’re swamped? Understandable. Putting off every assignment until the last possible minute? Get ready for burnout.

            If you’re looking to make 2026 the year that you transform your student life and make the most out of your education, then this is for you. The best student productivity tips I can give you are the bad student habits that you need to kick this new year. So, let’s look at what needs to go…

Bad Student Habits

Procrastination

This is no surprise, but procrastination isn’t helping you. As far as bad student habits go, procrastination is one of the most common. That burst of desperate “productivity” that hits you the night before your big assignment is due is not exactly quality. It may be enough to get you a passing grade, but it isn’t teaching you to prioritize “good” work—it’s teaching you to normalize fast work.

Your goal as a student should be to learn how to think critically, analyze information, communicate your understanding, and to prepare yourself for your desired career. Quality is key when you want the career that pays well. So, start that preparation now. Start scheduling times to work on projects a few weeks before they’re due. Prioritize good research, intentional drafts and taking your time. Focus on getting it right, instead of being forced to just get it done.

Staying up late/sleeping in too much (keeping inconsistent sleep schedules)

You need sleep. One of the best student productivity tips I can give you is to get good sleep. But the best way to get good sleep isn’t to wait until you’re absolutely exhausted each night and then sleep in—shocking, I know.

Think of it like your body operates off of an internal clock, which tells it when things “usually” happen. Sleep is especially linked to your internal clock, that’s why, even when you go to bed “early” to wake up at an earlier time, you still feel like you’re being dragged through the mud when the alarm goes off—if your body is used to waking up later, then it can feel like you haven’t gotten a full night of sleep even if you have because your internal clock is off schedule.

The best way to feel like you’re getting the best sleep is to keep a consistent sleep schedule that allows you 7-8 hours of sleep minimum and has you waking up at almost the same time every day. You’ll feel better rested, more alert, and mentally ready to start your day. Better sleep is linked to better memory and cognitive function, so you’ll likely have a better time remembering and learning as well—helpful when you’re a student.

Studying with your phone

Your phone is a distraction. When you have the “world at your fingertips” 2 inches away from your fingers, it’s hard to really focus on your notes and not indulge every curiosity, notification, or doom scroll trap. Every time you “take a break” to look at your phone, you break your train of thought and interrupt your brain as it’s processing and interpreting information.

Not only does this prolong your studying efforts, but you’re unlikely to commit much of what you’re reading to memory. Having your phone even just in the same room can be such a concentration killer. It’s better to create a habit of studying without your phone in sight. Plug it in to charge in a different room when you go to study. It’ll make it easier to not indulge every time you think of checking it.

Using your phone right before bed and when you wake up

Being on your phone and using it for social media, texting, or even gaming stimulates the brain and keeps it active, which doesn’t sound like a bad thing—until you’re trying to shut off your brain and sleep. When you’re scrolling on Instagram before bed, you’re actually delaying sleep, not encouraging it. Your brain will keep active to consume the content and comprehend what you’re seeing on your phone, which makes it harder to fall asleep quickly.

Additionally, your phone produces something called blue light, which mimics daylight and signals to your brain that it isn’t time to sleep. There is some correlation between less melatonin production and high phone usage before bed. Melatonin is a natural hormone produced by your brain that helps you feel tired and fall asleep. Now, you can potentially turn your phone onto “night mode” and that helps keep the light from affecting you, but your brain will still be active, so you’ll still be delaying your sleep and inevitably making the morning harder for your future self.

As for avoiding your phone in the morning, that’s more about taking intentional time to prepare for your day and center yourself on the Lord. Start off with prayer, read scripture, do your morning routine, have a cup of coffee, and do it without distractions. Start your day with intentional actions, no social media, and set the tone for focus and productivity.

Neglecting Rest and Self Care (especially during finals or high stress seasons)

I bet you didn’t expect to hear this, but on the list of bad student habits is being a non-stop student. That student who has study sessions, homework, and classes filling every available second of their days is actually hurting themselves more than helping.

You need to take breaks—yes, even during finals week. Burnout happens when you’re firing on all cylinders, ALL THE TIME. While dedication to your studies is not a bad thing, overdoing your capacity is. Take a breath, take a break, take a walk or do some yoga, make a cup of coffee, put on a face mask. Whatever is going to calm you down and make you feel more relaxed, do that.

Your body and your brain need rest. When you allow for those rests, you can be more productive during your study sessions or writing that paper.

Your soul and your life need variety. Time spent with the Lord, in prayer and in the word. Time for friends and family and in creation. School is important, but living and breathing school is one of those bad student habits that it’s time to nix this new year.

Substituting Water with Caffeine

One of the bad study habits to kick this year is drinking caffeine like it’s water. Just because water is used to make a lot of caffeinated drinks, doesn’t mean they’re 2 for the price of 1. They aren’t even synonyms. Caffeine, while a staple for college students, is not a substitute for water.

Your body needs water to function. When you don’t get enough water, dehydration sets in, your body and brain start slowing down. It’s essential for cellular function, which means your whole body runs on water. While coffee and other caffeinated drinks are made with water, they actually may quicken dehydration. So, while you get the kick in energy, your cells also hate you a little bit for it.

Does that mean you can’t go in for that second (or third) cup of coffee during finals week? No, you can down another cup of joe’. You just need to balance your caffeine intake with enough water. As a baseline, you shouldn’t have more caffeine than water.

(Wondering what kind of caffeine is best? We’ve got you covered: What is the Best Caffeine for College Students?)

Not eating REAL food

Your body and brain need nutrients to function properly. The better you feed yourself, the better you function

Your body and brain thrive on certain nutrients that you don’t find in a bag of lays chips. Things like amino acids, antioxidants, vitamins, and omega 3 fatty acids—things found in natural and whole foods. A brain run on Doritos and donuts is a brain that’s barely running. Your body also feels and functions better (ie. energy, recovery, etc) when you’re fueling it properly. That said, here is a list of foods that you should start prioritizing for your best brain and body function:

• Leafy greens and broccoli
• Berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries)
• Olive oil
• Whole grains (avoid too much processed breads)
• Fish (especially salmon or canned tuna)
• Beans
• Avocados (in moderation)
• Coffee and Tea (I knew my love of coffee was not in vain)
• Red Bell Peppers
• Walnuts

These are not the only foods that are good for your brain and body, these are just some of the best and easiest ways to get the nutrients that you need to thrive.

You can have a sweet treat or a yummy snack every now and then but be sure not to build it consistently into your diet. Not only is it not good for you, but you’ll start to feel the effects mentally and physically. Avoid too much soda, fried food, and high-in-sugar foods. You may love them, but your body doesn’t.

Binge Watching Shows

This is, of course, self-explanatory. When you binge watch shows, your focus and thoughts revolve around the show. During summer, or breaks from school, this isn’t a big issue. But, when you’re supposed to be focusing on classes, homework, and studying, having the drama from the latest episode of engineered addictive drama running around your head all day doesn’t leave much room for learning or studying.

Not to mention, it’s time consuming. “One more episode” doesn’t seem like a lot… Until you realize that you’re 4 episodes deep for the day, each one is 20 minutes to an hour long, and in that hour and a half to four hours, what have you accomplished? Not homework, studying, or sleep. Suddenly your day is gone and nothing has been done with it. Looking for student productivity tips? Cut out the binge-watching.

Using AI in College to do Everything

Using AI in college to help you find sources or to check your grammar is great… but that’s not the way that many students use AI. Many students use AI to do homework and research as quick as possible—by having AI do all the heavy lifting. Not only does AI find the sources, but it picks out the important information, quotes, and rewrites it. AI writes their papers, fills in their homework, and puts notes into study points to use the night before an exam.

It’s one thing to use AI to help you, it’s another when AI does everything for you. Believe it or not, shortcuts for learning are often not shortcuts at all. They’re just short term.

You learn nothing if AI does everything for you. The purpose of college is to prepare you for the career world and give you the skills necessary to succeed and exceed. If AI does all the work, you’ve wasted four years of your life, thousands of dollars in tuition, and you’ll be no more prepared or capable than when you started. What you will have is a crippling dependence on AI/technology and little to no critical thinking skills.

If you want to be a better student, then you need to be the student and do the work, the reading, and the writing, not AI.

Not Participating (Coasting)

One of the bad student habits that you need to kick is sitting back in classes. Yes, it can be boring, and you may not always like the subject, but college offers you the unique ability to have conversations in class, ask questions and invite discussion, and actually engage with the subject matter beyond yes and no/right and wrong answers. Coasting through classes, passively taking notes, or daydreaming won’t help you learn.

Actually engage in class. You’ll find that you get more out of the class periods, understand the information better, and you’ll likely remember more of what’s discussed.

Engaging in class, asking questions, having discussions, and taking notes not just on the material but on what’s discussed allows you to connect with the material in a way that passive learning can’t give you. Participating in class creates new opportunities for critical thinking, processing, and understanding the material enough to respond, refute, or build on what someone else or the professor says.

This will build your confidence and familiarity with the content and information and make it easier to recall later on, and resulting in deeper, more effective learning.

Conclusion

            Bad student habits may have their reputation as part of the college experience, but they don’t have to be your whole experience. You can overhaul your student life this year, and put in place healthier, more sustainable habits that set you up for success as not just a student, but as an independent, career-chasing, healthy individual.

            It won’t be easy, and you may not be able to kick all of the bad habits, and that’s okay. It’s a process, but if you stick with it, you’ll find that you’ve done yourself the biggest favor. The discipline, focus, energy, and confidence that come from conquered resolutions is no small feat. And just think, if you start kicking these bad student habits now, who knows? You could be that ambitious, whip-smart, focused, and engaged student you’ve always wanted to be in just a few short weeks.

For information on Christian colleges and universities, or to be entered into one of our scholarship drawings, visit us at The Christian Connector.