Selfish. Inconsiderate. Irresponsible. If you're
constantly late, people might associate you with these negative
qualities. A lack of punctuality has more to say about your relationship
with yourself than your feelings for friends, family, and co-workers,
but they don't always see it that way. To add hours to your day and make
everyone around you appreciate your newfound reliability, kick these bad
habits now. No procrastinating!
|
You hate downtime.
When you get to an appointment early, do you resent the "wasted" time
you could have spent being productive at home or at the office? Embrace
it. There are actually scientific benefits to daydreaming. |
|
Before leaving the house.
You do just one more thing. If you need to catch the bus at 8:30 a.m.,
8:29 a.m. is not the time to load your dishwasher. |
|
You rely on phones to buy you more time.
Texting your friend or emailing your manager "I'm running five minutes
behind!" does not excuse your tardiness. |
|
You neglect your calendar.
Don't let meetings or appointments surprise you. Keep your calendar up
to date and review it at the end of each workday and first thing in the
morning so you can prepare. |
|
You wait for a crisis situation to motivate you.
There's nothing like a hard deadline to spring you into action. But
waiting for adrenaline to kick in means that you're constantly putting
out fires and not planning ahead. You wouldn't have to rush to your
friend's birthday drinks on Thursday if you thought ahead about
finishing that important work task on Monday.
|
|
You pack too much into your day.
Be realistic about what you can do and when you can do it. Don't
hesitate to say no. Underpromising and overdelivering is better than not
keeping commitments.
|
|
You snooze.
That snooze button is sabotaging your chances of being on time. A better
morning starts the night before. For a more restful night's sleep, when
you crawl in bed trade your overstimulating and potentially
stress-inducing smartphone for a regular old book.
|
|
You overindulge.
Alcohol can also lead to poor sleep and a sluggish morning. Whether
you're trying to make it to a Friday morning meeting after happy hour or
Sunday brunch with an old pal, skip that last glass of wine the night
before and hydrate instead. |
|
You avoid the real issue.
If you commute during a horrible rush hour, maybe you should shift your
hours. Get more work done in the evening? Ask your boss to move your
start time from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. and stay later. If you have a health
issue that is keeping you up at night, visit the doctor.
|
|