Procrastinating.
Every day, I would tell myself:
“Today I’m going to study.”😮💨
I would sit at my desk, open my laptop, prepare my notes, and get ready to study.
Then I would check TikTok.
Just for five minutes.
Then Instagram.
Then back to TikTok.
I would look at the clock and somehow 40 minutes had disappeared.
And I still hadn’t started studying.😅
The worst part?
I did this again and again….
I Always Thought I Had More Time
Whenever I wasted an evening, I told myself:
“It’s fine. I’ll study tomorrow.”
Tomorrow became the weekend.
The weekend became next week.
And suddenly, the exams were getting closer.
I knew I had to study, but every time I tried, my phone was there.
One notification.
One video.
One post.
One quick check.
That “quick check” could easily become another hour.
I kept thinking I had enough time to catch up.
I didn’t.
Then I Failed My Exams 😥
Eventually, the consequences arrived.
I failed my exams.
And I lost an entire year.
That was when I realized something important.
Procrastination doesn’t always look dangerous.
Watching TikTok for 20 minutes doesn’t feel like a serious problem.
Checking Instagram doesn’t feel like a serious problem.
But when you repeat these habits every day, those minutes become hours.
Those hours become days.
And those days can eventually become months.
In my case, they cost me a year.
Your Phone Is Designed to Keep Your Attention
Think about the difference between studying and scrolling.
When you study, you have to make an effort.
You have to read.
Think.
Solve problems.
Sometimes you don’t understand something, and that can be frustrating.
Social media is much easier.
Swipe.
New video.
Swipe.
Funny video.
Swipe.
Interesting story.
Swipe.
Something completely random that you suddenly need to know everything about.
There is always something new.
And before you realize it, you’ve spent an hour consuming information you probably won’t even remember tomorrow.
Meanwhile, your notes are still sitting there.
Waiting.
The Biggest Lie: “I’ll Do It Later”
This was probably my biggest mistake.
I always believed there would be more time.
“I’ll start tonight.”
“I’ll study tomorrow.”
“I’ll catch up this weekend.”
But every time you say “later,” you’re making a small deal with your future self.
You’re basically saying:
I don’t want to deal with this now, so the future version of me can handle it.
Eventually, that future version of you runs out of time.
That’s exactly what happened to me.
You Don’t Need to Become a Productivity Robot
I’m not saying you should delete every app, stop having fun, and study 12 hours a day.
That’s unrealistic.
TikTok isn’t automatically bad.
Instagram isn’t automatically bad.
Reddit isn’t automatically bad.
The problem starts when you can no longer control how much attention you’re giving them.
If you’re trying to study, put your phone somewhere else.
Not next to your laptop.
Not face down on the desk.
Somewhere else.
Then start small.
Don’t tell yourself:
“I need to study for six hours.”
Tell yourself:
“I’m going to focus for 30 minutes.”
Thirty minutes of real focus is better than three hours of sitting at your desk while checking your phone every five minutes.
Your Time Doesn’t Feel Valuable Until It’s Gone
This is probably the biggest lesson I learned.
When you’re wasting time, it doesn’t feel expensive.
It’s just another afternoon.
Another evening.
Another weekend.
But time becomes very expensive when you realize you can’t get it back.
I can retake an exam.
I can study the material again.
I can improve my habits.
But I can’t get that year back.
So if you’re a student reading this while you’re supposed to be studying, remember my story.
Close TikTok.
Close Instagram.
Open your notes.
Or don’t.
Keep scrolling.
You’re next.
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Is this ai?
This spells out the exact issue so many of is face nowadays, be it in regular day to day chores or something specific like for exams… such an important message!