Being on Time
How to be on time for meetings, appointments, and events.
Reader Ana wrote in:
No matter how early I get up I can never be not even early, but on time, to whatever I have to do. Is there a way I can change or am I doomed for life?
Ana, the quick and dirty tip is that you can learn to use mental timelines, alarm clocks, and friends to get places on time.
Our culture values punctuality. If you can never seem to get anywhere without sending out a frantic “I’m running late” text, this article is for you.
How to Stop Being Late
Conventional wisdom says turn your clocks ahead so you think it’s later than it is. Then you’ll run late, but really be on time by everyone else’s watch. If you do this, you must commit totally. You must reprogram every electronic device in your house. And if your TV or computer gets its time from somewhere on the Internet, disconnect it or never, ever believe its clock. I do that with my digital scale. I step on it, it shows some silly number, and I shake my head indulgently. Silly scale. It couldn’t possibly be right.
Reset Your Clocks and Believe Them
Since you know you turned the clocks forward, you might start thinking, “I have extra time, because I know I turned my clock ahead.” Resist those thoughts! Bad! That’s like thinking the “E” on your gas gauge means, “you have 40 miles left.” Yes, it could be true. And yes, last night that thinking stranded me by the side of the road in heavy traffic, in a torrential downpour, as cars zipped by and knocked off the side view mirror. If you turn your clocks ahead, follow up by believing your clock blindly
Plan the Invisible Tasks
You can also learn to adapt your mental timeline. Each morning, write out your appointments on lined paper. Leave several blank lines between each one. For example, “noon – lunch with Andy.” (four blank lines) “1:30 p.m. – meeting with Mark.”
On the blank lines between appointments, write down the preparations and travel time you need between appointments. Work backwards from the later appointment and figure out when you need to do each step.
How to Plan the Invisible Tasks
For example, if I have to meet Mark at 1:30 p.m. in my office, I have to prepare for that meeting with about 15 minutes of reading. That means being at my office by 1:15 p.m. Since my lunch meeting is ten minutes away, travel must start ten minutes earlier, by 1:05 p.m. Travel at 1:05 p.m., reading at 1:15 p.m., meeting at 1:30 p.m.
Gradually, you’ll learn to accommodate all the little tasks you don’t normally account for: packing up your stuff, putting on your coat and boots, and travel time. If you’re a social person, or at least politer than me, also schedule time to say your goodbyes, and time to stop and chat with people on your way out if that’s what you usually do.
Be Absurdly Over-the-Top
If you want to be as absurdly obsessive as me, finish by adding 10 extra minutes between every two appointments, just for unexpected stuff to happen. You’ll fit fewer appointments on your calendar, but you’ll be much more likely to make it to all of them.
If you try setting your alarm clock, planning for the in-between stuff, and adding padding time, and you still can’t get anywhere on time, learn to apologize.
You also have time to call in your questions to 866-WRK-LESS. Remember to leave your name.
Work Less, Do More, and have a Great Life.
Man Running Late image courtesy of Shutterstock
About the Author
Stever Robbins was the host of the podcast Get-it-Done Guy from 2007 to 2019. He is a graduate of W. Edward Deming’s Total Quality Management training program and a Certified Master Trainer Elite of NLP. He holds an MBA from the Harvard Business School and a BS in Computer Sciences from MIT.
