7 Deadly Sins #6 Sloth: Ayaan and the Procrastinated Project

Ayaan was a 14-year-old boy who loved playing video games. Every day after school, he would rush home, drop his backpack by the door, and spend hours immersed in his favorite game. His parents often reminded him to balance his time between homework and fun, but Ayaan always found a way to put off his schoolwork.

 

One Friday afternoon, Ayaan’s teacher assigned a big science project. The project was due in two weeks, and the students were expected to do research, create a poster, and present their findings to the class. Ayaan knew it was important, but he figured he had plenty of time to get it done.

 

“All I need is a couple of days to do it,” he thought to himself. “I’ll start working on it next week.”

 

That weekend, Ayaan spent most of his time gaming. Every time his parents asked about the project, he’d say, “I’ll get to it soon.” The first week passed, and Ayaan hadn’t even picked a topic. Whenever he thought about starting, he told himself he could always do it later.

 

As the second week rolled around, Ayaan’s classmates began talking about their progress. Some had already started building models, while others were busy working on their posters. Ayaan started to feel a little nervous, but he pushed the feeling aside. “I’ll start tomorrow,” he said, just as he had said the day before.

 

Question: How do you think Ayaan’s habit of procrastinating might affect his project? Have you ever put off something important until the last minute?

 

The weekend before the project was due, Ayaan finally realized he was out of time. With only two days left, he hadn’t done any research, hadn’t chosen a topic, and had no idea how he would finish everything in time. Panic set in.

 

Ayaan spent the entire weekend rushing through his work. He quickly searched the internet for information, threw together a sloppy poster, and rehearsed his presentation just once. By Sunday night, he was exhausted and disappointed with the results. The project was done, but it wasn’t his best work.

 

On Monday, Ayaan watched as his classmates presented their well-prepared projects. Some had built volcanoes that erupted, others had detailed posters with creative designs, and a few had even brought in props. When it was Ayaan’s turn, he felt embarrassed as he stood in front of the class with his hastily made poster. His presentation was unorganized, and he could see that his teacher wasn’t impressed.

 

Later that day, Ayaan received his grade—it was much lower than he had hoped. He knew he could have done better if he hadn’t waited until the last minute. He felt ashamed and disappointed in himself.

 

Question: What do you think Ayaan learned from this experience? How could he handle his time better in the future?

 

That evening, Ayaan talked to his parents about what had happened. They weren’t angry, but they reminded him that putting things off often leads to stress and poor results. Ayaan realized they were right. He knew he needed to change his habits and start managing his time more wisely.

 

From that day on, Ayaan made a promise to himself to start his assignments as soon as they were given. He discovered that when he spread out the work over several days, he didn’t feel as stressed, and his projects turned out much better. He also found that he had more time to relax and play video games when he wasn’t rushing to finish everything at the last minute.

 

Moral: Sloth, or procrastination, may seem harmless at first, but it often leads to stress, poor results, and missed opportunities. By staying disciplined and managing our time wisely, we can achieve our best and enjoy our free time without worry.