Being late rarely feels catastrophic in the moment. A few minutes here, an hour there.

But delay has a hidden multiplier: the longer you wait, the steeper the cost becomes.

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In 2007, researchers at MIT studied the impact of flight delays.

A ten-minute hold-up at one airport didn’t just inconvenience a few passengers—it cascaded across the network, creating hours of knock-on disruption. One late departure meant missed connections, grounded crews, and millions lost.

That’s the quiet truth about lateness: it compounds.

It shows up in daily life too. The meeting that starts late eats into the next one. A late reply to a client email creates space for doubt. Paying an invoice late doesn’t just add interest, it strains the relationship.

Economists even have a term for it: delay costs.

In logistics, being late can increase expenses by multiples. In medicine, a delayed diagnosis often means treatment that is riskier and more expensive. In careers, postponing decisions like learning a skill or moving jobs can cost years of growth.

We tell ourselves “a few minutes won’t matter.”

But time isn’t linear when it comes to delay, it’s exponential.

Until next time,

— Quiet Moves