Perhaps the most important rule in college would be to not procrastinate. You may have gotten away with studying for a test the night before in high school, but college is a different beast. You’ll find yourself having a lot more free time in college because you’re able to pick-and-choose your schedule. However, you’re likely to have more work.

I’ve noticed that if I give myself a certain period of time to do something, I usually am able to complete it during that time — for example, giving myself 30 minutes to complete a homework assignment will force me to try and get it done within that time. This is called Parkinson’s Law, which states that work expands to fill the time given to complete it.

Simply put, if you allocate a certain time to do something, let’s say 1 hour to study chemistry, you’re more likely to complete it in that time. Sure, you could probably also spend 3 or 4 hours on chemistry, but if you give yourself a more limited time period, then you are more likely to prioritize the important tasks first. This will lead to more productivity.

Work expands to fill the time available for its completion.

Parkinson’s Law

A little disclaimer: you shouldn’t use Parkinson’s Law to make unrealistic goals or deadlines. You can’t become a doctor in 1 day, and you probably couldn’t study for the MCAT in one week and do really well on it. Instead, Parkinson’s Law could be best used as a planning tool.

If you gave yourself 1 hour to study for a chemistry exam, how would you go about doing it? Studying your weakest concepts first would be a solid way to start. Focusing on the most important things would be a useful way to get the most out of Parkinson’s Law and to be productive.

On the other hand, if you had 1 month to study for a chemistry exam, then the entire process could take you a month because there would be more reasons to procrastinate on studying.

While it would take more effort to complete a task in a shorter amount of time, it would also decrease the amount of distractions and help you take care of your priorities. This will help you get rid of the important tasks earlier and leave more free time for you to do other things you enjoy.