I Run a Company. I Also Cheated on My Exams.
I Run a Company. I Also Cheated on My Exams.I run a software company with my brother. I’ve been coding since 8th standard. I manage a team. I ship products.
I also cheated on my mid-term exams this year.
How does that make sense?
I wanted to study one hour a day. That’s it. One hour. If I did that, I wouldn’t have to panic before exams. I wouldn’t have to skip gym, skip work, cram everything into three days. I wouldn’t have to cheat.
But I didn’t do it. And I couldn’t figure out why.
I’m not lazy. I wake up, I work, I solve problems, I lead people. So why can’t I sit down and study for one hour?
The Trap I Fell Into
I thought my problem was distraction. So I deleted all my apps. YouTube, TikTok, Instagram. Gone.
It lasted about a month.
Then I reinstalled YouTube. Why? Because I wanted to watch self-improvement videos. I wanted to learn about productivity, discipline, focus. I wanted to become better.
Now YouTube shorts is my biggest distraction.
I installed the app to improve myself. And now it’s the thing destroying my focus. I was watching videos about productivity instead of being productive. I was consuming content about discipline instead of having discipline.
I tried to fix myself by watching other people talk about fixing themselves.
That’s the trap. And I think most of you are in it too.
What Distraction Actually Is
Here’s what I realized.
Distraction isn’t TikTok. Distraction isn’t YouTube. Distraction isn’t even your phone.
Distraction is anything you do when you should be doing something else.
If I said I will study at 7PM, and I’m coding instead, coding is the distraction. Even though coding is “productive.” Even though coding is my job. Even though coding built my company.
If it’s not what I said I would do, it’s a distraction.
This is the part that messed with my head. I always thought I was being productive. I’m working on projects. I’m managing my team. I’m building things. But I wasn’t doing what I said I would do. I was just doing whatever felt urgent or interesting in the moment.
That’s not productivity. That’s chaos with a good excuse.
What It Actually Cost Me
Not the exam. Not the grade. The way I saw myself.
In Matric and FSc, everyone cheated. Teachers helped. I never thought about it. But university was different. No one was handing me answers. It was just me, choosing to do it. And for the first time, I didn’t like who I saw.
I run a company. I lead a team. I’ve been coding since I was a kid. But I couldn’t do the one thing I told myself I’d do. One hour of study a day. That’s all it would have taken.
The worst part isn’t failing. The worst part is not recognizing yourself anymore.
My Resolution
I don’t have a list of goals for 2026. No new skills to learn. No income targets. No “become a better person” nonsense.
I have one resolution: stop lying to myself.
Every time I say “I’ll study at 7PM” and then don’t, I’m lying to myself. Every time I say “I’ll start tomorrow” and then don’t, I’m lying to myself. I’ve done this so many times that my own words mean nothing to me anymore.
So the resolution is simple. If I say I’ll do something, I do it. Not because it’s productive. Not because it’s good for me. Because I said I would.
That’s it.
And this works the other way too. I’m not making a resolution that says “no more TV” or “no more YouTube.” Those resolutions are dead by January 15th. Instead, I’ll schedule time for the things I enjoy. And when that time comes, I’ll actually enjoy them. Guilt-free. Because I planned for it.
The goal isn’t to become a machine. The goal is to trust my own word again.
I’m not trying to become superhuman. I’m trying to become someone who does what he says he’ll do.
Where to Start
If any of this sounds familiar, here’s what I’d tell you.
Start with one thing. Not ten. Not a whole morning routine. Not a life overhaul. One promise to yourself.
“I will study for 30 minutes at 7PM.” That’s it.
And make it stupidly easy to keep. If 30 minutes feels hard, make it 15. The goal isn’t productivity. The goal is proving to yourself that when you say something, it happens.
Schedule your distractions too. Don’t fight yourself. If you want to watch YouTube, put it in your calendar. 9PM to 10PM. When that time comes, watch. Guilt-free. When it ends, stop. You’re not banning anything. You’re deciding when.
When you fail, don’t spiral. You’ll break a promise. Everyone does. The old you would say “I already failed, might as well give up.” Don’t. Just do it the next day. No drama. No reset.
Track it simply. A notes app. A calendar. A piece of paper. Did I do the thing I said I’d do? Yes or no.
Once that one thing becomes automatic, add another. Then another. That’s how you rebuild trust with yourself. Not by overhauling your life in January. By keeping small promises until they become who you are.
You watched productivity videos this year. You made goals. You told yourself things would be different.
Why didn’t you do what you said you’d do?
Not “why didn’t you achieve your goals.” That’s the wrong question.
Why didn’t you do the thing you told yourself you would do, on the day you said you would do it?
That’s where it starts.