Every second that passes is a second you’ll never get back.

Parkinson’s law states that however much time you have to complete a task is how long it will take you. One way or another, work usually drags on to fill the time you have to complete it. Let’s say your teacher gives you 45 minutes to write a paragraph. Chances are, it’ll take you 45 minutes, more or less. But if your teacher only gives you 15 minutes, you’ll buckle down and get it done in 15. I know I’m not alone in finding this to be oh so true, especially when it comes to homework. I and other students will spend eight hours on a research paper that we could’ve crunched down to six; we’ll study for two extra days not because we need to, but because we can. Part of the reason why we do this is that we live in a culture where excessive effort is considered a virtue. Going the extra mile is great. But going the extra mile takes effort AND time, which is constantly running out. As students, one of the reasons time seems so scarce is that we tend to let assignments take up time we don’t have. 

If you feel like you need to work faster, but you aren’t sure how, here are five quick tips.