Bad habits are really nothing more than the wrong decision made over and over. So always decide to be early.
—Diana DeLonzor
Ellen, a top-notch newspaper reporter, dashed into the restaurant brushing the snow off her coat, unwrapping her scarf, and clearing her fogged glasses. She looked like a Ferris wheel out of control as she caught herself from falling into the front counter. She shifted her purse and notebook in front of her and scanned the room.
When she spotted me, she hurried over and slid into the booth while her litany of excuses tumbled out. “I’m so sorry I’m late, Marcia. Just what I needed: to be late for an appointment with a professional organizer . . . to write an article on getting organized. This is the story of my life. I really want to find out how to change it. Maybe we’ll start there. By the way, thanks for coming.” She sighed. “And how are you today?”
I have to confess I was more like Ellen in my past than she knew. I battled a lifelong habit of sliding into places just in time rather than on time or early. And I knew right where the problem began.
Five Sources of and Solutions to Chronic Lateness
Over the years, I discovered several sources of chronic lateness. I shared with Ellen that “on-time” people may view being late as a character flaw, but it is more complicated than that. The punctually challenged person may not know the source, yet identifying what is causing our lateness is the first step to finding the solution. Becoming aware can help us make the needed changes.
1. THE CAR RUNS OUT OF GAS AND YOUR WALLET IS EMPTY. Ellen ran into two problems on her way to the restaurant: she needed gas in her car and she didn’t have a dime in her pocket to pay for coffee. So she borrowed ten dollars from a coworker and ran the two blocks in the snow.
Time-saving solution: Plan a dependable schedule for banking and gas. Fill your gas tank on the weekend so the car is ready on Monday morning. Do your banking on a regular day at the end of the week.
2. YOU FORGET TO SUBTRACT TIME TO GET READY. If it’s 10:00 a.m. and you need to be at a luncheon at noon, how much time do you have to continue working? If your response is two hours, that may be the problem, because late people don’t subtract the time needed to get ready and drive to their destination. In Ellen’s case, twelve o’clock registered as the next event, and the arrival time became the departure time.
Time-saving solution: Use the “On your mark, get set, go!” principle. Just as a track coach shouts, “On your mark, get set, go!” so should you remind your-self to get ready. Subtract thirty minutes for closing your activities, gathering your things, and traveling. Plan only one and a half more hours of work and you’ll meet your goal of being on time at noon.
The “On Your Mark, Get Set, Go!” Principle
“On your mark”—This is the time to stop the activity you are doing, close your e-mail, and put things away.
“Get set”—This is the transition time needed to think about what you’ll need for the next event, collect your things, and get ready to leave.
“Go!”—This is the time to walk out the door and drive off so you’ll arrive early.
3. YOUR CLEANUP TENDENCY KICKS IN. While it is normal to clean up before you leave, this is not the time to go through your in-box, delete unnecessary e-mails, and label a file folder so you show up with a tidy set of papers in tow.
Time-saving solution: Write a “next actions” note. Jot a note before you leave, reminding yourself of your next steps. That will make it easy to resume your unfinished task when you return. Don’t sabotage arriving at your destination by perfecting your desk or your appearance. Allow five extra minutes for touch-ups. Then leave.
4. YOU THINK THAT “TRANSITION TIME” TAKES NO TIME. Another common problem is ignoring the time it takes to actually get out the door and to your destination. Allow yourself the few minutes you need to find a coupon, get your sunglasses, fill your briefcase, close the blinds, lock the doors, and make sure the dog is OK.
Time-saving solution: Set aside time for routine “out-the-door” tasks. These “out-the-door” transitional tasks are often the culprit that turns being on time to being late. Estimate how long they take, and add those minutes to the over-all time needed. Practice your accuracy.
5. YOU DON’T OWN UP TO YOUR EMOTIONS. When you are fuming over being late, check your emotions. What are they telling you about this event? For example, perhaps you feel anxious when you’re around a certain person who asks too many questions, and you think you can avoid him or her if you arrive a few minutes late.
Time-saving solution: Acknowledge your emotions and work through them. If one person seems invasive with questions, plan a general answer such as, “Thanks for asking. Things are going well. How about you?” or “How are your kids?” Polite small talk will distract nosy people and fills in the time until the meeting starts.
How Do “On-Time” People Do It?
Did you know that “on-time” people think differently than late people? They do, and so can you. One high school band director, Warren Torns, had this advice for his six hundred players: “To be early is to be on time. To be on time is to be late. And to be late is unacceptable.” By following this simple rule, his band was nationally recognized for excellence.
Tracy, a single working woman, says, “I go early to social events so I can catch up with my friends.” She always makes people feel glad they came because she is there early greeting them with her smile and peaceful demeanor.
Harry, a busy manager, makes it to work early every day. “I’d rather arrive early than having the stress of being late,” he says frankly. He sets the pace for his family by talking with each of his kids and getting out the door on time.
Ten Practical Tips for Being on Time
1. Always keep car keys, purse, and backpack on hooks and a shelf by the exit door.
2. Keep a clock in a prominent location so you can check it quickly when you have to leave your activities to be on time.
3. Clean out your purse or briefcase each evening so it’s ready to go the next morning.
4. Know how much money is in your wallet so you won’t run out of cash at an awkward time.
5. Check and fill your gas tank on a regular schedule, such as a quarter tank every Friday before the weekend prices go up.
6. Give up that “one last thing” before walking out the door to be on time.
7. Think about what you could do with an extra five minutes for every place where you arrived early. Consider it a bonus of an hour a week or more.
8. Put CDs you want to listen to in the car—an incentive to get your drive under way.
9. Review your plans and to-dos for the rest of the day and make note of things that have changed.
10. Arrive early and reward yourself for the stress you saved by enjoying a cup of coffee or briefly calling a friend.
You can simplify your time by dropping the stress of arriving late. Start living by enjoying the five minutes you gain from being early. You actually do more harm to yourself with stress and guilt by working up to the last possible moment than by preparing to leave with time to spare. As a bonus, people will respect you for being dependable, which is an admirable character trait that shows you respect yourself and others.
Being on time is a habit worth acquiring and practicing. Not only will it improve your life, but it will influence others to respond by being reliable as well. And not only would that cut our waiting time in half each day, each week, and each year, but we could all experience more free time at the end of the day!
It’s Your Time
Punch Up Your Punctuality (Time Habit #1)
■ Start a calendar to keep track of being “on time” for one particular event each day (e.g., arriving at work, leaving work, or eating dinner).
■ Aspire to be on time twenty-one times in a row, and then reward yourself for a making a new time habit.
■ Notice the benefits of being on time, and practice relaxing while doing so.
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.
—Aristotle