“You all are supposed to submit this assignment by next Tuesday. Is that alright?” Anvit’s Science teacher made an announcement. “You have only 5 days in your hand. Hence, don’t waste your time now. Start researching, making notes and keep your assignment ready before the submission date.”

When Anvit returned home, he ate evening snacks and played video games the whole evening.

“Anvit, you have to submit your Science assignment by Tuesday. It is a tricky one. You need to work on it from today itself.”  His mother reminded him.

Anvit, who was glued to the computer screen, stuck his head out and said quickly, “I have whole 5 days, Mom. There is no point in wasting time in it. Let me relax and enjoy the moment.”

His Mother nudged him a few more times and resumed to her cooking work. Anvit was always like that – he had a bad habit of postponing tasks till the last moment. He would waste time and would hurry up at the last moment.

It was Monday, a day to go for the assignment submission. Anvit bunked his school and sat down to work on the assignment.

“You will miss the important stuff, Anvit. Why did you miss?”  Mother asked in irritation.

“Mom, my bench partner, Arvind will help me with it. Don’t worry. Let me complete this assignment today.”

And the whole day, he was speeding up with his task. He took bath in the afternoon. He didn’t eat lunch properly. He was running after things. He didn’t have most of the materials as he had not bothered to buy beforehand. Hence, he dashed to the stores and purchased them. His mother was irritated with his hassle and she scolded him many times. But Anvit was adamant and believed that he was doing the right thing. He had brilliantly spent his time in his favourite activities during the week and now he was just concentrating on his assignment.

“He should know how to allocate time for tasks. He should understand the importance of time management.” His mother said to Anvit’s father.

Anvit completed his assignment in time and surprisingly, his assignment was one of the best in the class. The teacher was well impressed with his dedication.

“When you will read the content, you will get an idea how much effort he has put during the week.” The teacher told all the students to refer his assignment once as a model answer.

Anvit winked at himself. He returned home with the good news and his mother couldn’t find a reason to scold him for his postponing behavior. On the contrary, he happily exclaimed to his mother how he had devised a last-moment plan in advance.

“Mom, you need to apply smart strategy in this smart world. No need to be so particular.” Anvit nodded his head triumphantly.

His next Science assignment was due after 15 days. Anvit followed the same strategy of postponing his work till the last date of submission. But this time, his health condition became worse. Before three days of the submission date, he suffered from severe cold and fever. He had so much weakness that he couldn’t get up from the bed. He was tensed as he had not written a word on the assignment paper. He wished he could have studied and worked during the last 15 days.

“Mom, I feel guilty now. I never listened to your advice. You had said right that I should study and work every day and not postpone things.” He said to his mother when she was caressing his hair.

“Don’t worry, beta. It is good that you have learnt a lesson and you will follow it from now onwards. And this time, I will take care of the assignment. I will talk to your teacher tomorrow. We can even submit doctor’s certificate. I will try to get two days’ grace period for the submission.”

“Mom, I promise that I will never postpone any things in life. I will always be regular in my studies.” Anvit promised and his mother lovingly stroked his head.

Though it was embarrassing for Anvit, he received grace period of two days for the submission of assignment. His teacher was surprised that Anvit had not written a single word of the task.

“Anvit, I always thought you apply an organized approach while studying.” She said blankly.

Anvit submitted his assignment within the specified timelines. From then, he dedicated to his studies in a meticulous manner. He never postponed his tasks. His father noticed it and remarked to him, “When I was a kid, I was just like you. Postponing homework at the last moment. I used to write my homework when the bus was waiting at our doorstep. When I grew up and joined the corporate world, I realized that I did a mistake. I understood that time does not manage on its own, we have to manage ourselves to achieve our targets.”

Anvit nodded his head and decided that he would continue with his new habit.

Ankita Patil

Ankita Patil is a prolific writer and an avid reader. By qualifications, she is a Company Secretary and a Law graduate. She quit her full-time job and took up freelance writing few years back. She is also a novelist. Her fiction novels include Frustration Reloaded (a hilarious guide for a job seeker) and ‘C’ before my name with a ‘S’ (the first witty novel about CS profession). Apart from writing, she loves to travel, play with her pet dog and listen to her favourite music.

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