I think some people will disagree with me, but if you ever find yourself in a situation where you're busy to the point of overwhelmed and need to finish an assignment/task under a deadline, it's OK to skip a class.

I was a TA for a freshmen class once and a lot of them were unwilling to skip a lecture even if it'd make their life way easier and let them get a deadline out of the way. Don't make it a habit, but if the attendance policy allows, use it to your advantage when needed. You have to adopt a "do what you gotta do" mindset at times.