The Study Schedule

The Cathedral of St. John School had closed three weeks before the exams for the preparation leave. It seemed to William that all the students had finished with their syllabus except him. However, he had a plan. The first thing he did after returning home was to prepare a study schedule for the holiday. He recalled, 'If you're failing to plan, then you're planning to fail.' He had everything chalked out.

William believed that if he could stick to this schedule, he would be able to finish, if not all, at least the majority of the curriculum. His parents would be proud. Alas, poor him! What young William failed to realize was that making a plan and implementing it were two very different things.

Next morning, the alarm went off at 6:30. "Ten more minutes won't make much of a difference," thought William, and went back to sleep. When his mother shook him by the arm, it was already 10:13 am. William sprang out of bed, got all freshened up, had his breakfast, and got down to studying at quarter past eleven. He began with arranging numbers on the number line. He tried three questions but his answers didn't match with the ones given at the back of the book. "I need some exercise and fresh air so that my mind wakes up properly," he convinced himself and went to the park.

After playing on the swing sets and see-saws, he was all set to return when he saw two of his friends. "Hey, William, come, let's play cricket. I'll beat you," exclaimed one of his friends.

"Ha! You're forgetting, Oliver, it's me who beats you every time. But, I've got to study today," replied William.

"Are you scared?" Countered his friend.

"Okay, let's do it then." William was convinced that self-respect should not be compromised at any cost.

He returned home at 4:35 pm, all drenched in mud and sweat. "I need to take a bath. A healthy mind needs a healthy body."

When he sat down for a late lunch, he discarded the idea of studying while eating. Although, he did lose track of time once he started playing puzzles while munching on his food.

Finally, when William sat down to study, he couldn't memorize a thing. He felt upset. Would a quick game on the mobile help? The purpose of the device was to provide comfort to the user, he thought. And what better time than when one is feeling low?

William was exhausted. His eyes drooped and he dozed off on the sofa itself. It was 10 pm by the clock!

Without realizing, William had managed to waste one whole day in his schedule.

Story Value: This story has tried to tell us the importance of sticking to schedules and timetable is of utmost importance.