I’m in the senior year of my BA program online through Southern New Hampshire University’s College of Continuing Education. I love it—the classes challenge and educate me, and my professors and advisor have always been professional and approachable. The schedule is also predictable, and has easily become part of my routine. There’s something due every Thursday, and there are other things due every Sunday. That’s it. Easy, right?

Unfortunately, that’s not the case for everyone.

If you are someone who finds themselves out with friends, catching up on your favorite TV series, or snuggling with your boyfriend on a Thursday night, the assignment that’s due just barely crossing your mind and then ignored in favor of the activity at hand, this article is for you.

When you choose to put off your homework for a day, you may think you only lose a few points off your grade. To you, it may be no big deal if you get an A- or B, or even C, because you decided you had something better to do than turn in your work on time. Unfortunately, the consequences are much more far-reaching than that.

Before I talk about those consequences, let me just say that if you have a medical emergency, some unforeseen family situation, a car wreck, or you just can’t get away from work long enough to complete the assigned tasks, that’s different. Many of us, especially those of us that take online classes, have busy lives outside of school. We have jobs or children or families or homes that need our attention too. We get pulled in a million directions, and sometimes our balancing act comes crashing down. All you can do in these cases is pick up the pieces and start juggling again.

It’s also different if you talk with your professor ahead of time. If you know you have a crazy weekend coming up, a medical situation unfolding, or something is happening in your family, let them know! Communicate your circumstances ahead of time, and in most cases they’re sympathetic and understanding.

No, I’m talking to you, the people who causally dismiss deadlines. Who decide taking the 10-point hit is no big deal. It is a big deal. When I go into the discussion boards for one of my courses, and only 16 of the 23 students in my course have turned in the required post for the week, I’m just baffled.

YOU are paying for the courses you attend!

Your success is directly based on the effort you put in.

If you don’t put in the effort, you’re not only throwing away your money, you’re throwing away your own potential. These classes are set up for you to succeed—if you just follow the instructions and meet the deadlines.

Why are you there if you aren’t willing to put in the work?

Another consequence of late work is the impact it has on your professors and classmates. If you’re not engaged in the discussion boards, I won’t have as many posts to interact with. My professor may be so busy grading your late paper that was due last week that they don’t get to my current week’s submission in time, and then I don’t have the feedback I need to do my best work on the next week’s project. Turning in late work bogs down the whole system.

The next time you’re feeling a little tired and would rather put the TV on and fall asleep to Psych, please remember your classmates, your professors, and most of all, yourself. It’s not just 10 points. It’s your commitment to yourself. It’s the efficiency of your professor. It’s your interaction with your classmates. It’s not only your future, it’s the future of everyone in your course. Make it as successful as you can.