The Practice of Punctuality

The first chapter in the my book The Drunkard’s Path is called Important Traits for New Employees. The book is basically a guide to help one with developing their career as well as creating a more effective future and a balanced life. I thought that listing the most basic traits one needs to embody to work toward that goal should be listed first. While I only give a paragraph or so to each trait in the book, I could write a whole chapter on each one and its importance to your future. Essentially, what professionals get paid for is their ability to embody knowledge. Learning to embody the most basic traits early on in your career sets you up to be more effective and valuable in the future.

My intent is not to go into detail on every one of those traits. You can do that for yourself if you find the need. In this blog I only want to go into detail on one of these traits, the one that is listed first. Be on time. Otherwise known as being punctual. The importance of this skill goes way beyond your work life. This is a skill, which means to get really good at it, one must be mindful of it and practice it with regularity.

On the most fundamental level, being on time is about keeping a promise. It is about trust and trustworthiness. It is about integrity. Beyond that it is about respect for yourself as well as respect for others and their time. It is important to note that punctuality touches every aspect of your life, from arriving on time to work, to weekly gatherings with friends, to catching the train on your daily commute, even paying your bills.

When you are chronically late you are telling people that you are unorganized and that the promises that you make are not important to you. This is a breach of promise, not only to yourself, but to your co-workers, the customers as well as the manager and/or business owners.?It tells them all that you don’t value their time nor the promise that you make. It will make them question other areas in which you may break promises. You will be assessed as untrustworthy and promotions and pay raises may be much slower in being presented. You can see this clearly when you look at how someone who is punctual is treated. They are assessed as trustworthy, and therefore more opportunities will be open to them. To some, this may seem trite, but I assure you that your co-workers and employers will have much more respect for you when you are punctual. Respect translates into more possibilities.

As an aside to the career conversation, being on time with your finances will save you time, money, and aggravation. Just think about what a late deposit to your checking account can do, or what a late payment on a bill will cost you in fees and interest. This is true in just about any area of life. Being late on a first date sends a signal you may not want to send. Being late while traveling in other countries can be disastrous. The caveat here is that being late happens, and that sometimes it can have serendipitous consequences that can be fun and even life changing. But you can’t plan for those things, so it is best to work at being on time as a regular practice.?

Occasional tardiness is fully expected, after all, life happens. Just communicate clearly with those involved so that changes, if necessary, can be enacted. Not communicating clearly with today’s technology is a completely different breakdown and one that I will address in a future blog.

I know people who wear their tardiness as a badge of honor. They say things like ‘that is just how I am’, and ‘I don’t see the problem.’ They don’t realize the damage they are doing and are often unwilling to even attempt to make a change. They don’t want to step up to do the work necessary to change a habit that is betraying their future concerns. Instead, they choose to not see it as a problem. They just think others will have to deal with it, or that it is not a big deal. Oh well. I have a name for a person who is like that; I do hope it isn’t you.

The simple fact is that being on time, or the practice of punctuality, is a skill that needs to be developed. To me, being on time for something, whether it is work, an appointment, a class, or a meeting is important and needs my attention. This also includes pre-planning for what you will need to bring with you as well as anticipating any problems that may arise that can cause delays.

The benefits of being punctual are paramount: you will feel better about yourself, you will create trust in the workplace, you’ll have less stress when it comes to your calendar, you might even save yourself money, how others assess your integrity will increase. And, yes, you will be more effective in advancing a career and life you choose to create.

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