Tips for Being Punctual- Even for the Chronically Late

clock-761606_1920Everyone is occasionally late and there can be a number of things out of your control that can make you late.  For example, traffic, a previous meeting going long or a babysitter cancelling.  Unfortunately, some of us couldn’t be on time if our lives depended on it.

You need to decide to make being on time a priority.  Only you can change your behavior and habits so it is your decision.

There are some significant benefits to being on time: it reduces stress, builds trust, and shows respect for others. On the other hand, when someone has to wait for you, you’re demonstrating that you don’t respect their time, or worse, that you don’t respect them. You’ll also feel like you are more in control of your time.

Regain control of your time with these tips:

  1. Start out on the right foot. Make sure that you get up on time. Set your alarm if you need it and then actually get up when you need to. If you need to hit the snooze button, set your alarm for 5 or 10 minutes earlier so that you can get the happy feeling of lounging for those extra few minutes but it won’t make you late.  A few tricks if you can easily turn off your alarm and go back to sleep:
    1. Put your alarm clock on the other side of the room so you have to get up to turn it off.
    2. Have multiple alarms set up in more than one location.
    3. Have a very annoying alarm that ensures you cannot roll over and ignore it.
  1. Have extra time built into your schedule. Factor in some time for all the things you cannot control. Essentially you want to assume the worst and modify your schedule taking these things into consideration. For example, if your meeting is supposed to end at 4:00, avoid agreeing to another meeting at 4:30 on the other side of town. What if traffic is heavier than expected or first meeting runs late?
  1. Plan your day the night before. At the end of the day you know what you need to do next so it is clear what your priorities are for the next day. Taking some time in the evening to plan the next day will be more efficient and prevent you from needing to make decisions first thing in the morning. Incorporate planning the next day into your evening routine.
  1. One schedule. You want to keep a record of your appointments in one place. Having different methods of recording appointments such as on your phone, on scraps of papers, and on your desk calendar is a disaster waiting to happen. Have you ever double booked yourself? I know I have. It’s embarrassing to have to cancel or change an appointment and the person who you have to change may feel like they are not a priority. Choose one place to schedule all of your obligations.
  1. Get ready first. Rather than checking your email until the last possible moment and then getting ready to leave, get ready first. Getting ready may take a little or a lot of time. You won’t know until you get ready.  You can then spend any remaining time checking your email and easily close it or turn it off and walk out the door.
  1. Stop on time. Obviously, you need to end your previous activity before you can start a new one. If you end late, you will be late for the next activity, and maybe the one after that. Make sure that you consider the consequences of continuing your current activity and not stopping on time. How will your decision affect the remainder of your day?
  1. Know your destination. You might know that your destination is near a mall, but that’s not specific enough. Pull up the address on your computer phone or GPS before you leave. Know exactly where you’re going and how to get there. Hopefully this will prevent you from getting lost. Thanks to technology, there are maps showing any traffic problems on your route which will help you avoid them and not be late.
  1. Use alarms. Give yourself a warning alarm so you are reminded 15 minutes before you need to leave. For example, set an alarm for 8:00 if you need to leave the house by 8:15. This will hopefully give you enough of a warning so that you won’t be late.
  1. Have enough gas. Sometimes you will be running late, even if you have built extra time into your schedule. Have enough gas in your car to be able to get where you need to go the next day. This is part of planning the night before – make sure you have enough gas in the car to make it through the next day before you go home. Some people like to keep at least a half-tank of gas in their car.

You don’t have to be late anymore. It is possible to be on time! You don’t have to be late all the time. All that is needed is for you to want to change this habit by picking up a few new habits. Start your day off right, manage your schedule, and choose to respect others by not being late. Use alarms to your advantage. You can be known for your punctuality if you so choose.

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