Here’s a tip from a teacher: When teachers set due dates for assignments, they generally set them with MORE than enough time for students to get the work done. They know that different students will take different amounts of time to complete the work, so they imagine the maximum amount of time it might take, and then they even add time to that. Of course, there are exceptions to every rule, but generally, this is the case.

Usually, the reason that you feel like you haven’t had enough time to get something done is not because you actually didn’t have time, but because you procrastinated and waited until the last minute to get started. In order to avoid this, set your own due dates! After all, you’re the one that’s in control of your work and your planning, so why not?

If the teacher gives you an assignment that is due in 6 days, tell yourself that it’s due in 4 days. By doing this, you’ll just plan to get it done sooner and you won’t have the extra added stress of not getting it done in time. Plus, if ever the assignment actually does end up being longer than you expected, at least now you have that extra time to dedicate to it. In most cases, though, it will just give you more free time to enjoy the things you really enjoy doing.