🗒️ Idiom: Procrastination Is the Thief of Time (Saying)
💬 Meaning
- Delaying tasks wastes valuable time.
- Completing work promptly leads to better productivity and avoids unnecessary stress.
🧠 Example Sentences
- Procrastination is the thief of time. We need to start the quarterly report today.
- Remember that procrastination is the thief of time; finishing the client presentation now will save last-minute pressure.
- Our team learned that procrastination is the thief of time when last week’s delays caused a project deadline to be missed.
🏛️ Origin
This expression is often attributed to Edward Young, an English poet, who wrote in his 18th-century book Night Thoughts. “Procrastination is the thief of time.” The phrase expresses that waiting or delaying work steals opportunities. In business, it is a reminder that acting swiftly and managing time well leads to success.
📝 Practice Exercises
1. Fill in the blank:
Don’t delay the product launch, ____________________________.
Answer
procrastination is the thief of time
2. Choose the correct option:
What does “procrastination is the thief of time” mean?
a) Time is lost if you procrastinate
b) Waiting too long can waste valuable time
c) Both a and b
Answer
c) Both a and b
3. Rewrite the sentence using the idiom:
“We shouldn’t wait until tomorrow to complete the client report.”
Answer
Procrastination is the thief of time — we should complete the client report today.
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Rob is a CELTA qualified English teacher with 15 years of international experience. He has a BSc and PGDip from Loughborough and St Andrews universities in the UK. He has taught in Thailand and Saudi Arabia and now works with professionals worldwide.
