Lately, when the on-chain congestion gets bad, I watch the mempool like watching the morning rush hour: submitting a transaction doesn't mean you'll get on immediately, it just means you get a number first. Everyone is bidding to get ahead, and miners/validators will naturally pick the ones that pay more; those that pay less just keep waiting in line, until you start doubting your life choices, or even get stuck and have the transaction fail and be returned (with a small fee deducted, which is quite annoying).

My mom also asked me: If I click send, shouldn't it arrive immediately? I said... theoretically yes, but you should think of it as "bidding to get on the chain," not just pressing a transfer button.

Some people also use large transfers or move funds between hot and cold wallets at exchanges as smart money, but I see it more like someone rushing to cut in line: if you're in a hurry, you pay more; if not, you wait patiently. Overanalyzing it doesn't help much—ultimately, whoever is willing to pay more gets to go first.