21 Bad Study Habits That Are Killing Your Progress
by Olly Richards
What would you say if I told you: “You already know everything you need to know about language learning”? “You know the bad study habits you've got into.”
Would you believe me?
The thing is, this might just be true.
You know that language learning isn't rocket science. You know that the most important thing is just doing a little bit every single day.
You know this…and yet you're not progressing as much as you should.
Something's not quite right.
But here's the thing: you probably already know everything you need to know. The first thing you should do is turn the spotlight on what you're already doing!
Bad Study Habits to Avoid
There are some destructive habits out there that are so serious that they can kill your progress.
Here are 17 language learning habits to watch out for.
If you recognise any of these bad learning habits, then you should focus on eliminating them right away, before you even think about trying any other methods.
You know how it goes. You come across a new word that you really want to remember… except you've forgotten it by the next day.
Stop wasting all this new language and start writing everything down, it's one of the best learning habits you need to get into!
I input new language directly into my SRS app immediately so it's safely recorded and ready to study.
2. Believing you need a fixed time every day for language study
If you're using this as an excuse for not doing the work – stop! For every month that passes whilst you're still trying to “find the time”, you're missing out on countless hours of potential bite-sized learning on the move. Click here to find out how to get better study habits.
3. Deciding fresh what to study each day
You risk wasting huge amounts of time and focus on deciding what you “feel like” studying each day. That time spent making decisions is detracting from your reserves of concentration that should be spent studying.
Barack Obama knows this – he only wears two colours of suit in order to cut down on decision-making in the morning.
A smarter approach to language learning is to use what I call Sprints – going deep into one particular activity for an extended period of time. Click here for my article on that.
4. Listening to audio without reading along
Listening is great, but you're missing out onso much potential learning, especially learning to deal with connected speech, if you don't read the text at the same time.
If your partner keeps slipping back into English, you're as good as wasting your time. Worse, you risk building resentment against them and damaging your self-confidence.
Yes, they're only trying to help, but in fact, they're making it worse. Tackle the problem head-on, get out of your poor study habits and run your language exchanges the right way.
Not starting is one of the most important habits to break while learning a language! If you don't start, you'll get nowhere.
7. Thinking you're not talented at languages
Language learning is 5% talent, and 95% hard work. The stories you tell yourself define your success. Change the stories. Instead of: “I can't, because I'm…”, try: “I can, because I'm…”
It doesn’t matter how confident you are as a person (well, a little bit of extra confidence doesn’t hurt); this almost irrational fear of looking stupid in front of other people can be as appalling as the thought of walking naked into work or school.
The key to overcoming this fear is by pushing through it.
Quit going over and over the worst-case scenario in your head and take the leap into the unknown.
Nobody was born speaking a language and everyone who has ever learned a second one has made mistakes at some point; that’s how we learn.
Making mistakes is not only the best way to improve our command of a foreign language, but it can also be a great way to break the ice between you and your foreign counterpart. Learn to laugh at your mistakes and embrace making them as a way of getting continually better at speaking.
8. Not speaking
Learning takes place when you find a gap in your knowledge of the language. Once you've noticed the gap, you can become more aware of it and begin to figure out how to close it.
Speaking gives you the quickest, most direct feedback possible on your knowledge of the language, and by not speaking regularly you're depriving yourself of this potential to notice and to grow and get into good learning habits.
9. Not listening to the same audio enough times
The major benefits of listening to audio in a foreign language come from repeat listening. You might learn a few new words with the first few listenings, but it's not just about the vocabulary.
By stopping and moving on to the next track you miss out on the more intangible learning that comes from listening to something multiple times and getting really comfortable with it.
10. Blaming grammar
Stop it! You're avoiding facing the real issue.
95% of meaning is thought to be communicated through lexis (i.e. words), and only 5% through grammar.
Grammar is an easy target, but if communication is your aim, then you need to spend time speaking with real people and concerning yourself with getting the message across one way or another.
This time, Uncle Sam is wrong…
I'm not saying grammar isn't important, but the most perfect grammar in the world isn't going to help you out when you're looking to establish a genuine connection with another human being.
For that, you need a big smile and a friendly attitude. Screw the future perfect and the relative pronoun. Focusing solely on grammar is one of the most ineffective study habits you can get into!
11. Feeling foolish for speaking with natives before you're fluent
I suffer from this badly. The danger is, that this feeling often doesn't disappear, even when you actually are fluent. By avoiding speaking with native speakers you risk missing out on a lifetime of opportunities to practice and improve.
Remember that people (even strangers) are concerned with your message first, and your language skills second.
Be confident, remember you're talking to another human being who wants to connect with people just as much as you do, and just tell them what you want to say.
12. Listening/reading to material that's too hard for you
Biting off more than you can chew can be demoralising and counter-productive. Tackling material intended for native speakers can seem like a great idea, but you're most likely to give up halfway through, having not really grasped most of the language within.
I try to find things where I understand 90% of it already, and 10% is unknown. That way I can focus all my attention on a small, manageable amount of new language. (Note: if you're looking for immersion material,this doesn't apply)
13. Overestimating The Power Of Immersion
I personally know way too many people who have fallen into this trap; believing that living a few months, or a year in a foreign country and they will come back fluent.
I’m sorry to tell you, but you still have to work pretty hard at it.
You will have to study, practice your speaking, and make every effort to speak the language whenever you can. When abroad, expats like to get together.
So choose your “immersion” destination wisely. If you can cope with being in a small village where no one speaks your language, then you’ll have to ask yourself if you can tolerate the loneliness and isolation that may breed, in the name of speaking fluently more quickly.
14. Not doing something every single day
Studying something every day is one of the best study habits to get into.
If you don't look at your language content every day, you're missing out on the benefits that come with regular study. But more importantly, the lack of a regular study schedule makes it more likely you will fall off the wagon and not study regularly at all.
That's the biggest danger of all. Commit to doing something every day, however small.
15. “And then Facebook happened!”
This great comment from Cedric on my Facebook page sums up the troubles of an entire generation.
Estimate the amount of time you have wasted on Facebook using a tool like Screen Time on your iPhone…Then get disturbed, and banish it forever with the Self-Control App for Mac. This tool has saved my life and led to successful study habits.
16. Watching too many movies
If you start to tell yourself that your penchant for movie-watching is a good alternative to studying… think again! It's one of the most ineffective study strategies out there!
By all means, watch foreign-language movies in your downtime, but don't kid yourself that they're playing a big part in raising your language level.
If you’re learning a language with a closed mind, it will reflect in your progress.
The idea is not just to learn a language, but to live the language. Be open to finding out about and experimenting with different cultures.
If you aren’t willing to try new foods and celebrate other people’s customs, then you simply won’t get to enjoy the best part of foreign language learning.
You’re far more likely to learn faster when you feel motivated to do so, and the more involved you get in the language you’re learning, the better.
So go celebrate Christmas Day on Christmas Eve, try eating meals with your hands, throwing tomatoes at strangers and dressing up in carnival gear.
20. Making it into a mountain
Ever heard the one about making a mountain out of a molehill?
Well, while learning a new language may be a little bit bigger than a molehill, if you make it into something insurmountable then your brain will shut down before you begin.
The trick here is to realise that learning a language is a marathon and not a sprint. There are ways that you can speed up your learning, obviously, according to necessity and budget; but not everyone is lucky enough to have the time or money to move abroad or take accelerated courses.
If you frequently fall into the trap of failing to listen to what a foreign language speaker is saying, the chances are it’s rolled into your fear of losing face.
You see, many of us get so caught up in the necessity to annunciate perfectly, conjugate correctly and deliver a flawless diatribe that we forget to actually listen to what the person is saying.
And that’s not good.
In fact; that’s worse than replying with mistakes, as you’re more than likely going to come out with something irrelevant, or be thrown off keel when they don’t reply as you’re expecting.
Learning a second language starts with a silent period. Silent because you should be listening, learning and assimilating information. Like a baby when they’re learning to speak.
——
Start developing good study habits
So, do any of these bad study habits sound familiar? 🙂
If you recognise any of these, then why not just pick one and commit to eliminating it from your language learning this week?
Leave me a comment to say which bad habit you'll be kicking! If you have any tips for beating any of them, let me know too!
If you found this useful, please Like it on Facebook, or click here to send a tweet.
Olly Richards is a renowned polyglot and language learning expert with over 15 years of experience teaching millions through his innovative StoryLearning® method. He is the creator of StoryLearning, one of the world's largest language learning blogs with 500,000+ monthly readers.
Olly has authored 30+ language learning books and courses, including the bestselling "Short Stories" series published by Teach Yourself.
When not developing new teaching methods, Richards practices what he preaches—he speaks 8 languages fluently and continues learning new ones through his own methodology.
Which language are you learning?
What is your current level in [language]?
Which language are you learning?
What is your current level in [language]?
Which language are you learning?
What is your current level in [language]?
Download Your Free StoryLearning Fluency Blueprint!
Discover the world famous story-based method that 1,023,037 people have used to learn a language quickly…
Which language are you learning?
What is your current level in [language]?
Which language are you learning?
What is your current level in [language]?
Which language are you learning?
What is your current level in [language]?
Download this article as a FREE PDF?
What is your current level in Latin?
Download this article as a FREE PDF?
What is your current level in Norwegian?
Download Your Free StoryLearning Fluency Blueprint!
Discover the world famous story-based method that 1,023,037 people have used to learn a language quickly…
Which language are you learning?
What is your current level in [language]?
Download this article as a FREE PDF?
What is your current level in Swedish?
Download this article as a FREE PDF?
What is your current level in Danish?
Which language are you learning?
What is your current level in [language]?
Download this article as a FREE PDF?
Download this article as a FREE PDF?
What is your current level in Arabic?
FREE StoryLearning Fluency Blueprint!
Join my email newsletter and get FREE access to your StoryLearning Fluency Blueprint. Discover how to learn languages through the power of story!
Which language are you learning?
What is your current level in [language]?
Download a FREE Story in Japanese!
Enter your email address below to get a FREE short story in Japanese and start learning Japanese quickly and naturally with my StoryLearning® method!
What is your current level in Japanese?
Download Your FREENatural Japanese Grammar Pack
Enter your email address below to get free access to my Natural Japanese Grammar Pack and learn to internalise Japanese grammar quickly and naturally through stories.
What is your current level in Japanese?
What is your current level in Portuguese?
What is your current level in German?
Train as an Online Language Teacher and Earn from Home
The next cohort of my Certificate of Online Language Teaching will open soon. Join the waiting list, and we’ll notify you as soon as enrolment is open!
Train as an Online Language Teacher and Earn from Home
The next cohort of my Certificate of Online Language Teaching will open soon. Join the waiting list, and we’ll notify you as soon as enrolment is open!
Download this article as a FREE PDF?
Loading…
What is your current level in Portuguese?
Download this article as a FREE PDF?
What is your current level in Portuguese?
Download this article as a FREE PDF?
What is your current level in Turkish?
What is your current level in French?
What is your current level in Italian?
What is your current level in German?
What is your current level in Japanese?
Download Your FREEJapanese Vocab Power Pack
Enter your email address below to get free access to my Japanese Vocab Power Pack and learn essential Japanese words and phrases quickly and naturally. (ALL levels!)
What is your current level in Japanese?
Download Your FREE German Vocab Power Pack
Enter your email address below to get free access to my German Vocab Power Pack and learn essential German words and phrases quickly and naturally. (ALL levels!)
What is your current level in German?
Download Your FREE Italian Vocab Power Pack
Enter your email address below to get free access to my Italian Vocab Power Pack and learn essential Italian words and phrases quickly and naturally. (ALL levels!)
What is your current level in Italian?
Download Your FREEFrench Vocab Power Pack
Enter your email address below to get free access to my French Vocab Power Pack and learn essential French words and phrases quickly and naturally. (ALL levels!)
What is your current level in French?
What is your current level in Portuguese?
What is your current level in Russian?
What is your current level in Russian?
What is your current level in Italian?
What is your current level in Italian?
What is your current level in French?
What is your current level in French?
What is your current level in Spanish?
What is your current level in Spanish?
What is your current level in Spanish?
What is your current level in Arabic?
What is your current level in Portuguese?
What is your current level in Turkish?
What is your current level in Korean?
What is your current level in Russian?
What is your current level in Japanese?
What is your current level in Chinese?
What is your current level in Spanish?
What is your current level in Italian?
What is your current level in French?
What is your current level in German?
Download Your FREENatural Portuguese Grammar Pack
Enter your email address below to get free access to my Natural Portuguese Grammar Pack and learn to internalise Portuguese grammar quickly and naturally through stories.
What is your current level in Portuguese?
Download Your FREENatural Russian Grammar Pack
Enter your email address below to get free access to my Natural Russian Grammar Pack and learn to internalise Russian grammar quickly and naturally through stories.
What is your current level in Russian?
Download Your FREENatural German Grammar Pack
Enter your email address below to get free access to my Natural German Grammar Pack and learn to internalise German grammar quickly and naturally through stories.
What is your current level in German?
Download Your FREENatural French Grammar Pack
Enter your email address below to get free access to my Natural French Grammar Pack and learn to internalise French grammar quickly and naturally through stories.
What is your current level in French?
Download Your FREENatural Italian Grammar Pack
Enter your email address below to get free access to my Natural Italian Grammar Pack and learn to internalise Italian grammar quickly and naturally through stories.
What is your current level in Italian?
Download a FREE Story in Portuguese!
Enter your email address below to get a FREE short story in Brazilian Portuguese and start learning Portuguese quickly and naturally with my StoryLearning® method!
What is your current level in Portuguese?
Download a FREE Story in Russian!
Enter your email address below to get a FREE short story in Russian and start learning Russian quickly and naturally with my StoryLearning® method!
What is your current level in Russian?
Download a FREE Story in German!
Enter your email address below to get a FREE short story in German and start learning German quickly and naturally with my StoryLearning® method!
What is your current level in German?
Download a FREE Story in Italian!
Enter your email address below to get a FREE short story in Italian and start learning Italian quickly and naturally with my StoryLearning® method!
What is your current level in Italian?
Download a FREE Story in French!
Enter your email address below to get a FREE short story in French and start learning French quickly and naturally with my StoryLearning® method!
What is your current level in French?
Download a FREE Story in Spanish!
Enter your email address below to get a FREE short story in Spanish and start learning Spanish quickly and naturally with my StoryLearning® method!
What is your current level in Spanish?
FREE Download:
The Rules of Language Learning
Enter your email address below to get free access to my Rules of Language Learning and discover 25 “rules” to learn a new language quickly and naturally through stories.
Which language are you learning?
What is your current level in [language]?
Download Your FREESpanish Vocab Power Pack
Enter your email address below to get free access to my Spanish Vocab Power Pack and learn essential Spanish words and phrases quickly and naturally. (ALL levels!)
What is your current level in Spanish?
Download Your FREENatural Spanish Grammar Pack
Enter your email address below to get free access to my Natural Spanish Grammar Pack and learn to internalise Spanish grammar quickly and naturally through stories.
What is your current level in Spanish?
Free Step-By-Step Guide:
How to generate a full-time income from home with your English… even with ZERO previous teaching experience.
Download this article as a FREE PDF?
What is your current level in Thai?
Download this article as a FREE PDF?
What is your current level in Spanish?
Download this article as a FREE PDF?
What is your current level in Cantonese?
Download this article as a FREE PDF?
What is your current level in Russian?
Download this article as a FREE PDF?
What is your current level in Korean?
Download this article as a FREE PDF?
What is your current level in Japanese?
Download this article as a FREE PDF?
What is your current level in Italian?
Download this article as a FREE PDF?
What is your current level in German?
Download this article as a FREE PDF?
What is your current level in French?
Steal My Method?
I’ve written some simple emails explaining the techniques I’ve used to learn 8 languages…
Which language are you learning?
What is your current level in [language]?
Which language are you learning?
What is your current level in [language]?
I want to be skipped!
Join 84,574 other language learners getting StoryLearning tips by email…
“After I started to use your ideas, I learn better, for longer, with more passion. Thanks for the life-change!” – Dallas Nesbit
Which language are you learning?
What is your current level in [language]?
Download this article as a FREE PDF?
What is your current level in Chinese?
Which language are you learning?
What is your current level in [language]?
Find The Perfect Language Course For You!
Looking for a breakthrough in your language learning?
Complete this short survey to find the perfect course for you!