The Hidden Cost of ‘I’ll Do It Later.

image source

Honestly, I’d say one of the biggest things that
can hold someone back in life is procrastination. It’s that silent habit that creeps in and steals time, opportunities, and progress. Sometimes, you won’t even realize how much damage it’s doing until it’s too late. For me, procrastination has shown itself in different ways, but one experience that really stuck with me was during my second year in school — it involved a one-unit course called "knowledge Appreciation".

At the time, I looked down on the course because it was just one unit. I felt there was no way I could fail it, so I pushed it aside and focused on other courses that I felt were more “important.” I didn’t even bother going through the materials properly — I just kept saying, “I’ll read it later.” And when “later” came, it was just a few days to the exam.

That was when i opened the course PDF, and honestly, I felt lost. Everything felt new, like I was seeing it for the first time. But instead of panicking, I convinced myself that since it was a CBT exam, I’d still scale through. I thought I could just guess my way to a C or maybe even a B.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.

I got into the exam hall, answered the few questions I knew, and just clicked randomly on the rest. Deep down, I knew I had messed up. And when the results finally came out, that was the first course I checked — and sadly, it was the only one I failed out of 12. That one-unit course I thought was nothing ended up humbling me.

But then again, I believe not all procrastination is entirely bad. Sometimes, life gets overwhelming. There were days in school when I’d have back-to-back lectures, assignments piling up, and clothes waiting to be washed. I’d get back to the hostel completely drained. In those moments, pushing laundry to the next day wasn’t really procrastination out of laziness — it was just me being human. If I had some spare cash, I’d even take them to the dry cleaner.

Still, I can’t deny that I procrastinate more than I should. There are times when I literally have nothing urgent to do, and instead of using that time wisely, I’d just be on my phone all day — scrolling through TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter like my life depends on it. I might even have an assignment due, and I’d ignore it until the very last minute. The next morning, I’d wake up rushing, looking for answers online, or even start copying from my friends in a hurry. It’s stressful, but somehow, I still repeat the same pattern.

Honestly, I don’t think I can completely stop procrastinating. Sometimes, I plan to do something, and then it just slips my mind. By the time I remember, hours have passed — or even days. That’s just how life can be sometimes. But I’m learning. I may not be perfect, but experiences like EES 201 are reminders that procrastination always comes with a cost, and if I want to avoid paying it again, I need to do better.

Thanks for reading.