Let me start by saying that being late sucks. It’s stressful, unproductive, and generally makes you feel like a crappy friend/employee/person. But being late is not an inherent trait that some people were born with and there are things we can do to be on time, whether it’s meeting your partner for dinner or being at your desk before 9:00am, these 9 strategies can help you in your quest to becoming an early bird (or at least an on-time owl). In other words, they’ll show you how to not be late, especially for people who always are.
1. Being on time is a habit. Charles Duhigg has a great three-minute video about what habits are and how to break them. For us chronically late people, being tardy is not in our blood – it’s in our minds. Think of it as a bad routine you’ve put yourself in and then work to change that routine. We create routines for nearly everything – from the way we sign our name to the route we take to work. Being on time is just a matter of changing the routine and habit of being late that you’ve created in your head.
2. Not all clocks are made the same. Er, actually that’s not true. All clocks are pretty much exactly the same, but an individual human being’s perception of time is not always the same as another’s. The reason I am usually late is because if I have to be somewhere at 9:00, I’ll tell myself I need, say, 45 minutes to get ready and leave, but then after showering, which felt like it took only 10 minutes, ended up taking 20 and all of a sudden I’m in a mad panic. This happens constantly and I know I’m not alone here. Sometimes it amazes me how incorrect my assumption about how long things take is. How can you fix this? Well, recognizing that your time intuition is off is a big leap in the right direction. Stop assuming you know how to keep track of things perfectly and breathe in the fact that some people just have better “time intuition” than you. Once you’re past this, move on to #3.
3. Figure out how long things really take. Exactly how long does it take you to shower? Eat breakfast? Pick a shirt to wear? If you don’t have solid answers for these basic questions, maybe it’s a good idea to start timing yourself. Once you figure out how long things take, it’s much easier to plan accordingly. Think of it this way – if you make the same salary each month, but also have bills that equal about as much as your salary, you’d want to make a budget to ensure that you can pay each expense without winding up in debt, right? Being late is the equivalent of going into time debt. Budget your time, stay out of debt.
4. Do all the morning prep the night before. And I mean all. I even put my coffee mug and coffee on the counter, ready to go. All I have to do is press a button to heat it up. I used to just leave my life a mess before going to sleep and would do it all in the morning – from packing my computer bag and choosing what to wear to making breakfast and taking out the trash. The little things add up and ever since I started prepping everything the night before, I’ve saved tons of time and stress in the morning. I actually like mornings now.
Related: How to Get Shit Done Even When You’re Totally Unmotivated
5. Write down why you were late. A lot, and I mean A LOT of things in our lives could be improved if we took more time to evaluate why they occurred. Often, we spend our time observing things like dazed catnip kittens who assume life just “happens.” Of course it happens, but there’s generally a reason, even if it’s small. Not only will analyzing your tardiness help you figure out the patterns and thinking behind why you’re always late, but analyzing the things that happen in your life can even make you a happier person.
6. Jump out of bed. You read that right. This suggestion is aimed at people who have trouble getting anywhere in the morning. In junior high, my lateness started to hit a peak. I was constantly tardy and would always miss the school bus. Once this became a big enough problem, I knew things needed to change. I decided to start leaping out of bed. Yes, leaping. The second I heard my alarm, I would jump out of bed like someone just tickled my butt. It worked extremely well and the best part was that when I woke up, I really woke up.
7. Set all your clocks to the same time and possibly later. First, it makes sense to set all of the clocks in your house to the same time (generally I make sure they match the time on the clock at work!). If the clocks in your house are off, then it can create confusion and time illusions. Another variance is to set all of your clocks to a slightly later time. I know someone who does this and it works well for her. Even if you are aware that it is actually ten minutes earlier than what your clock reads, it still creates a brief emotional response that causes us to assume we’re running late and then get moving quicker.
8. Being late is a product of valuing other things more than valuing being on time. For example, if you’re late for work, it might mean you value sleeping for 15 extra minutes rather than being on time to your job. In order to be successful, we need to constantly ask ourselves – “what do I value more?” If your answer is “sleep,” then focus on why being on time to your job (or whatever it may be) is more important. It’s a matter of re-working your mind and what really is important vs. what your subconscious deems to be.
9. Prioritize. Nowadays, it feels like everyone has about 30 to-do lists with a growing list of items left uncrossed. If your problem with punctuality comes from doing too much, then be a little kinder to your planner. Figure out what’s important and get that done first. It’s not worth being late to an interview because you wanted to cross off a few bottom feeders on your master list.
Related: 4 Ways to Increase Your Productivity By Multitasking LESS
Did you write this post just for me? Because I needed to read it! I have struggled with perpetual lateness for a long time…I dare say it might have even been passed down to me! It often comes from trying to squeeze in one more thing before jetting out the door. My husband and I have learned from experience that “things always take longer than you expect they will.” Almost ALWAYS. And we have successful changed our lateness habit in regards to going to the airport. We had a few trips that we decided were not worth getting a few more winks of sleep to only end up sweaty and stressed, running to the gate. So, now we leave margin. Like 1/2 hour or more extra than we think we need. And it usually ends up being about right. Or we get to the gate early and have a leisurely game of Ticket to Ride on our iPhones. Win! I just need to apply this same thinking to the rest of my life, mainly meeting up with people for coffee or attending rehearsals. I’m always rushing, trying to beat my GPS (not safe or wise), so I think I’m really going to take your #1, #3, and #8 to heart. I definitely want to value other people’s time more than I value accomplishing extra tasks…so something’s gotta change! {Thank you for this. I’m seriously motivated now.}
Lauren! So glad it motivated you in some way. I’ve always been perpetually late, too, and I agree it was passed down to me by my dad! I remember plenty of family vacations together where our whole family would be running to the gate while our names were called out over the airport PA system haha how pathetic! I’ve been trying to work on it more lately, too, and I’m also getting much better at airports, but like you, still have trouble being on time to simple things, like lunch with a friend. Baby steps, am I right? Good luck! 🙂
I turned off the music to turn my full attention to reading this post. This feels like you’ve written a person letter for me. I have faulty time perception too, when it comes to gauging how long I need to get ready. I’m saving this to read it again. I clearly need to! Thank you! (Keep ’em coming, girl 😉 )
haha It felt like I was writing a letter to myself when I wrote it, too! I also have fault time perception…but I’m working on it! Something I’ve recently found to be effective is to plan to be 15 minutes early or just pretend like the time you need to be somewhere is 15 minutes before the actual time. It’s been so helpful!
Thank you for the tips!!! I feel more motivated now :))
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That’s great to hear! Thanks for stopping by, Teodora 🙂
Great tips! I am always late!
Really good advice! The worst part of my morning is figuring out to wear, I need to start setting up my morning the night before like you do! Thank you for sharing!
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Loved this…as I used to be a terribly late person. I grew up and realized how inconsiderate it can be and I am now…less late. Not perfect, but improved!
#6. I have hilarious pictures in my head right now of people leaping out of bed. I love that it worked for you!
I am the same way! …Less late haha. 🙂
I really needed this. I’m seriously SO bad at being late all the time- and it’s mostly because I drastically underestimate the time it takes to get ready and make the commute. You have me wanting to time myself now. Great ideas!
xoxo – Kelly
http://www.dreaminlace.com
Ahh I was totally the same way, Kelly!
I am guilty of being late sometimes… normally in the morning. For me the best solution is getting everything ready the night before. If I’m packing a lunch it’s ready to go when I go to bed the night before. Not just saying, “I’ll wear this tomorrow.” but actually finding it and having it ready. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve decided to wear an outfit only to discover it was dirty or escaped to Narnia or whatever and end up wasting time. Thanks for sharing these tips 🙂
Hey, Dia, that is a really great way to cut back on being late!