Sourced from NPR | Dec 7, 2021
5 Tips To Help You Stop Being So Late
(Or At least Make You more Honest About It)
Being late can send such a stressful ripple through an entire day - both affecting yours and someone else's. No matter what kind of lateness Olympics you are competing in, striving to be on time is the only real way to stop being late (and did I mention, less stress too!)
Rashelle Isip is a New York City-based professional organizer, productivity consultant, coach and author.
Rashelle Isip/Collage by NPR
Rashelle Isip works as a professional organizer and productivity consultant and is not a Late Person! This is why the good people from NPR’s Life Kit arrived early (!) to the interview to ask her for some guidance. Below are the key points from their time together.
Think of being on time as a way of showing respect.
It's important to be on time. We are interacting with not only others but also ourselves. Being on time shows respect for the person you are meeting with and it also means that you're showing up for yourself. Punctuality can be a reflection of how well you are respecting your own time and your own well-being. You can always let time pass, but you can't get it back once it's really gone.
Know that departure time doesn't equal arrival time
If you are consistently late, one thing you can do to help yourself is to be more punctual and plan ahead. Try picking out your outfit the night before, pack your bags and map your direction out for the day of. Also, start thinking about how much time it will take to get there. Add in travel time and also give yourself a spare few extra minutes in case something pops up, like fighting traffic, buying a new metro card, or picking up flowers — leave room for accidentals!
Another tip is to work backward from when you need to be somewhere to give yourself time for the transition. "How much travel time it'll take to get to the place? And by travel, I mean everything — from the moment you leave your home [or] place of work," says Isip. "There's a lot of steps that I think people just don't consider." So if you need to fight traffic or buy a metro card, or pick up flowers or print something, leave time for that stuff.
Start getting comfortable with being early.
Something so simple can be one of the hardest challenges for people. If you don't like turning up early, try using that 10-15 minutes to gather your thoughts so you can prepare yourself for your meeting. Even if it means doing nothing at all, people watching, or taking a small break for yourself. What could be the downside of sitting and collecting your thoughts? 10 minutes go by so quickly. Think of it as a moment to catch your breath and give yourself a moment to settle in.
Lateness can be local
"Different societies have different structures in place when it comes to lateness," says Isip. What it means to be on time in Sao Paulo might be different from what it is in San Francisco. "If you're not aware of that societal agreement, then you could end up in a situation where you might be embarrassed or you might be considered rude." When you're traveling, Isip says to check in with someone who's more well-versed in that culture.
"The thing that's most important here," she says, "is that honesty and being clear about, 'OK, well, where are we? What type of rule or social custom or etiquette do we need to follow?' "
Being honest about your tardiness.
Everyone is late sometimes. Unexpected events and accidents happen. If you know you're going to be late, let the person you're meeting up with as soon as you can. Communicate right away. It's not, thinking about it and then calling or texting 30 minutes later.
