Being late is one of the worst characteristics anyone could have. The only thing being late proves is that you are irresponsible, lack organizational skills and disrespectful towards other’s time. Its not about the occasional lateness which cannot be helped. Some people have the tendency to be late every time. We all know these people who just can’t help it. Even if they wake up at 6 am, they will still be late for the 9 am meeting, every time. Most people tend to neglect their lateness, and brush it off with a simple excuse and a smile, but this could seriously impact your career, potential love life and other aspects of your life. Here are some points on – How not to be late?
1. Accept that you are always late
The first thing you should do if you want to change your habit of being late is, accept that you are a late comer. You have to realize that no matter how early you get up, you are always late. Being late becomes a habit after a while. The only way to change this habit of chronic lateness is breaking the habit. You can always break your habit no matter what. It takes one step at a time, but once you accept that you need to change, you are on your way.
2. Change your perception of time
Every clock in the world is same, with same seconds, minutes and hours, yet, you are the only one who is always late. The problem might be with your perception of time. It does not mean that you don’t value time; it just means that you have poor time management skills, which can easily be learned. If you give yourself 30 minutes to get ready and yet always take at least 45 minutes, perhaps you need to give yourself an hour for preparation. Admit that you suck at time-calculation and you aren’t able to track timings for your activities.
3. Clock your activities
The best way to change your perception of time is to clock your activities. If you have always given yourself 15 minutes for shower, but you aren’t exactly sure, clock it. Clock all your regular activities for few days. When you have the exact idea of how long you need to get on with your daily chores, you will have a better perception of time.
4. Never plan to be exactly on time
Those who are constantly late set up an exact time to reach somewhere or do something. If you are 15 minutes away from your interview scheduled at 9, you probably leave at 8:45. If you only forget your cell phone or keys inside and have to run back in, you are already late. Plan to be somewhere at least 15 minutes early. Especially with work, do not assume you will finish the company report within a day and wait till the last day. It’s better to under-promise and over-perform than to over-promise and under-perform.
5. Welcome the wait
Some people tend to be late intentionally, just because they hate the ‘waiting’ part. Better you than them is their motto. If you are one of those people, try and welcome the wait. Think of something you can do while waiting for someone. Read a magazine; call someone you haven’t talked to in a while. Basically, do something to keep yourself busy instead of infuriating over how you hate waiting. If that person is making you wait more than you should, confront him, and of course send him a link to this article.
6. Keep your alarm and phone off reach
One reason to always being late is the never-ending habit of ‘snoozing’. No matter how early the alarm rings, very least number of people get up at that exact time. Keep your alarm off reach, somewhere you can’t stretch your hands and touch it. This will force you to get up. Just remember not to go back to bed after you have finally got up to stop the noise. Also, checking your phone as soon as you wake up is a waste of time. There is not going to be anything important that you must check at 6 in the morning. That’s just another way to procrastinate. Using social media as less as you can will save you a lot of time.
7. Prioritize
When you value something else rather than being on time or completing a certain task, you are bound to be late. You need to learn to prioritize what’s actually important at that moment. Be able to say no. Often times, it’s having to drop off someone else or doing some chore for others that gets us to be late. Remember, getting coffee with your college mate when you are getting late for your interview is not a good idea. Set reminders for what’s important. If you are on a deadline for your company report, lay off movies and TV shows until that’s complete. Do everything you can to prioritize what’s important.