How to stop being late and arrive on time

Being late is a common symptom of poor time management. It comes from a combination of poor planning, trying to squeeze too much in to the available time, leaving things to the last minute and not respecting your time or other people’s time.

Are you known for always being late??

It's one of the common challenges I help people to tackle. You can change your 'lateness' habit. Often pretty quickly.

When you set aside time in your day for a meeting or appointment, other people have done the same. I’m sure it’s your intention to turn up on time, avoiding a last minute rush, arriving ‘just in time’ or stressed because you’re running late, but often with the best of intentions, it doesn’t always (or ever) happen.

Perhaps you do manage to arrive ‘on time’ but only as a result of a frantic rush and scramble out the door, stressing at every delay along the way.

• Can’t find your keys, wallet/purse, charger …
• All the traffic lights are against you.
• You spend ages trying to find somewhere to park.
• The bus or train is delayed or even cancelled.
• Zoom/Teams decides to do an update just as you log in to your online meeting.

When you’re late, it delays the start of the meeting. It a source of annoyance, inconvenience and frustration (for you and them). Maybe you feel guilty for always being late.

How much better would you feel if you could arrive calm, collected and mentally ready for the meeting, instead of your usual last minute rush.

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Most common reasons for being late …

… or missing meetings, appointments and deadlines.

Not putting it in your diary.?If you don’t have it written down, you’re more like to forget or miss a meeting or appointment. As soon as you make the appointment, write it down, put it in your scheduler.?Set a reminder and change this if you need more time. Calendar apps make this easier to do. Some of them will also calculate your travel time, ‘leave now’ time.

Just one more thing. If you leave or arrive early you feel you’re wasting time. You could be using that time to do one more thing on your task list, make one more phone call … So you do one more thing and either lose track of time, I hear that often enough, or end up rushing out the door because you’ve tried to squeeze too much in and now you’re at the risk of being late.

Not leaving enough time?to get to the meeting. We have a tendency to think about travel time rather than real time. Take into account the time it takes you to get out of the door and into the car or to the bus stop. Or even the short distance when working from home. Those few minutes it takes to close down or switch from what you’re working on and open up Zoom/Teams. Always aim to?arrive early?and?allow extra time?for delays and hold-ups.

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A few tips to get you there on time.

Start with the end in mind?– aim to arrive early then work backwards from when you need to be there. The further you have to travel the earlier you should arrive. 5-10 minutes of travel time for every hour is a good rule of thumb. I tend to arrive 30 minutes earlier than needed if I’m travelling up to London by train and get an earlier train than I need to.

Know where you’re going?– sounds obvious but all too often people rely on their SatNavs without actually looking at where they’re going and then end up in the wrong place.?Google Streetview can give you a kerbside view of where you’re going, so it’s easier to recognise when you get there.

Allow for delays?– journeys can take longer than expected in peak rush hour time or if you encounter roadworks.?Allow time for getting to and from your?finaldestination. Sitting down, ready for the meeting to start. The extra few minutes walk from the car park, bus stop, tube or train station. Checking in or registering with reception. Getting to the meeting room.

You feel better, calm and collected when you arrive early. with the chance to catch up on a few things than to arrive late.

Apply the same principles even if you don’t have far to go or the meeting is on the same floor. Often it’s the people who live or work closest, even on the same floor if it’s the office meeting, who arrive late.

Let them know.?If you are going to be late or can’t make it, let them know – with as much notice as possible. Life happens. Things happen that are unavoidable. Being late or having to cancel at short notice should be the exception rather than the norm.

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A simple time trick

A useful mental trick is to set one or two of your clocks five minutes fast.

Despite being a time management coach, I haven’t worn a watch for years. There are enough devices around that make it less of a necessity. Our phones, computers, TV, radio. The only time I tend to wear a watch is when I'm on holiday or travelling. Although these days I'm still likely to have my phone on me.

• The clock in my kitchen is set five minutes fast. It’s the nearest one to my most frequently used exit door, so I know if I leave when it says it’s time to leave, I’ve got five minutes in hand.
• The clock in my car is set five minutes fast (confuses passengers). If I get delayed in traffic – I’ve got those extra few minutes in hand.

It’s a simple ploy. You’re not trying to trick yourself into thinking the time is later than it is (after all you set it fast in the first place), it’s just another useful tool and it works. Don’t give yourself the excuse?“Oh, I’ve got five more minutes”.

If someone cancels on you or you’re kept waiting, instead of resenting the delay, enjoy the extra time you now have available. Whether you've gained an hour or two or a few minutes, use the time to get on with another task, make a phone call, send an email, even just to relax. Make the most of it.

What is the impact of other people cancelling or missing appointments on you and your business? Inconvenience, frustration, wasted time? How much do late, missed or no-shows cost you and your business?

Let me know in the comments if this is an issue for you. How do you manage it or don't you?

If you're ready to Kick-Start your 2023 and fix your lateness habit,?get in touch?and let’s make it happen.

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Get in touch?if any of this sounds familiar and you'd like to stop being late for your meetings and appointments.

Read previous related blog posts on time management and productivity.

Tips to Kick-Start Your 2023?(blog post)

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