Bedtime stories: Procrastination

Procrastination

In a quiet village called Green Hill lived a boy named Arjun. He was a bright and happy boy, always smiling and making friends. But Arjun had one big problem: he liked to put things off until later. He would say, “I’ll do it later” every time someone gave him a task.

Arjun’s mother, Rani, tried to teach him to be responsible. “Arjun, you have a lot of homework tonight. Finish it early, or you will struggle later,” she said every evening. Arjun would smile and reply, “Don’t worry, Ma. I’ll do it later.” Then he would run out to play or watch the birds by the river.

Days turned into weeks, and soon the school announced an important test. The teacher gave every student ten days to prepare. Everyone started studying, making notes, and practicing questions. But Arjun said to himself, “Ten days are too many. I can rest now and study later.”

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Each day he said the same thing. “I have nine days… I have eight days… I have a week… I have five more days!”

Then came the night before the test. Suddenly Arjun felt nervous. He opened his books, but he didn’t know where to start. The pages were long, the lessons were many, and his mind felt tired and lost. All the things he had ignored came crashing down like a huge wave.

He tried to read quickly, but nothing stuck in his head. The clock ticked faster and faster. Before he knew it, it was morning, and he had learned almost nothing.

At school, when the teacher handed out the test paper, Arjun felt like he was staring at a page from a strange book. The questions were unfamiliar, and the room felt too warm. He tried to answer, but he knew deep down that he was not prepared.

A few days later, when the results came out, Arjun received a very low score. He felt ashamed and disappointed. He watched as other students smiled and celebrated. They had worked hard every day, and now they were happy. But Arjun felt sad because he had wasted precious time.

That evening, he walked down to the riverbank where he liked to play. The sun was setting, and the water shimmered. Suddenly, Arjun noticed an ant carrying a grain of rice. The ant was tiny, but it worked hard every moment, moving slowly towards its nest. Arjun watched as it kept going, never stopping or complaining.

He remembered what his teacher had said many times: “A little work every day is better than doing too much at the last moment.”

Arjun felt a wave of guilt and understanding wash over him. He promised himself that from that day, he would never say “I’ll do it later” again.

The very next morning, Arjun changed his routine. He started making a list of things he needed to do. After school, he would finish his homework first before going out to play. He would read a chapter every evening and review it the next morning. Slowly, he felt more confident and more at peace.

Days became weeks, and soon another test arrived. This time, Arjun was well-prepared. He felt calm and focused. When he received the paper, he smiled because he knew the answers. He worked hard and gave it his best.

A few days later, the teacher announced the results. Arjun had done very well! His friends cheered for him, and the teacher patted him on the back. Arjun felt proud, not because he got a good score, but because he had learned the value of using time wisely.

From that day, Arjun lived by a simple rule: “What can be done today should be done today. Never wait for tomorrow.”

He also shared this lesson with others. When he saw younger students making the same mistake, he would tell them, “If you wait too long, the work will pile up like a mountain. But if you do a little every day, the mountain becomes a hill, and the hill becomes a path you can walk with ease.”

As years passed, Arjun grew into a responsible young man. He worked hard in his studies, and later in his job. He became someone others could count on, someone who inspired people to use their time wisely.

He never forgot that lesson by the riverbank when he watched the tiny ant. He knew that no matter how small the step, if you take it every day, you can reach your goal.

Moral of the Story

“Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today. Time is precious, and a little effort every day can lead to great results.”

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