This article originally appeared in The Simplifier #22.

Tired of being late?

by Shawn Tuttle

Be a fly on the wall for a moment. You are in a room where a 2-person meeting is about to take place. One woman walks in, takes a seat, pulls out her notebook—she’s ready. She pulls a magazine out of her bag and reads an article. Ten minutes later (and late!) another woman comes pushing into the room like a Tasmanian Devil and plops her stuff on the table breathlessly exclaiming, “I’m so sorry I’m late! I lost track of time and there was no where to park, and…”

Are you like that second woman—always frazzled and never on time? Could family, friends, and colleagues say about you, “Oh, he/she’s always late”? Making excuses for tardiness doesn’t earn back the goodwill and respect lost when you are consistently late. Being on time repeatedly does.

Being on time regularly has many other benefits as well. You portray a calm and collected persona, indicating that you are able to handle responsibility. You are more likely to be called “organized.” And if you feel more organized, and people think you’re more organized, you’re well on your way to actually being more organized!

If you are frustrated by the negative effects of living “Tasmanian Devil”-style and want to change your wild ways, check out these easy tips:

1. Take time to estimate your departure time.
   When entering appointments in your calendar, take an extra 30 seconds to estimate what time you’ll have to leave in order to arrive 10 minutes early. Then, enter that departure time before the appointment name. This makes for easy reference when consulting your schedule during the day.

   • For example, a 10:30 am appointment that requires 20 minute door-to-meeting-place travel time would be entered as:
     “leave 10:00 - Meet with Lance”

2. Identify details to help you be prepared.
   When entering an appointment in your calendar, make a list of what to take.
   • This can be entered on a sticky note and put in your planner, or
   • It can be written in the “Notes” section of the appointment in your digital planner.
   • Most importantly, it must be somewhere you automatically look before leaving for the appointment. (Make it even easier on yourself by preparing the night before–see our tip on this here.)
     

3. Set an alarm to ring when it is time to switch gears.

   • The alarm is a reminder that it is time to finish one activity, and prepare for the next. Tasmanian Devil-style people seldom leave time for “wrapping up” in order to prepare for their next activity.

   • In general, set the alarm to ring 15 minutes before it’s time to leave. You know yourself best! If you need 45 minutes to clean-up and have a bite to eat before leaving, set the alarm for 45 minutes before your departure time.

   • Setting the alarm for the departure time itself isn’t as effective because it can create a rushed feeling when you realize that you aren’t ready to walk out the door.

   • Using the alarm in your scheduling program (ex. Outlook or Entourage) is convenient because you can set it when you enter the appointment. Sync with your PDA (Palm Pilot, Blackberry, etc.) which then serves as the alarm! If you won’t be near your computer or PDA, use the alarm on your watch, phone, kitchen timer, etc.

4. Memorize an exit statement and be comfortable excusing yourself.
   Have you ever found yourself talking with someone while the thought “I’m late!” is flashing across your mind? And for whatever reason, you can’t seem to find an easy conclusion to the conversation?

   Have a simple statement ready to go, and be bold in using it. For example, “Hey, I’d love to continue this conversation another time, I have another appointment to go to (or prepare for).” Few people will hold the fact that you’re trying to be responsible against you.

5. Envision your timely arrival.
   Take 2-5 minutes every morning to envision yourself arriving at your appointments on time. A relaxing time to do this can be while enjoying a cup of tea or coffee—which may mean adding time to your morning routine. Do you grab your coffee on the go? Allow an extra 15 minutes and sit down to enjoy, and visualize. Retraining yourself out of crises mode may feel foreign at first… stick with it!

    

Now, be a fly on a wall for a moment—a very different moment. You are in a room where a 2-person meeting is about to take place. One woman walks in, takes a seat, pulls out her notebook—she’s ready. Another woman walks in (on time!), sets her bag down while greeting her colleague with a smile, “Great to see you! How was your weekend?”

Refreshing, isn’t it?

—
Shawn Tuttle is founder of Project Simplify