Being late once is understandable.
Being frequently or even occasionally late is rude.
Its time to get back on schedule.
This is a dense list of practical methods to stop being late.
And youll realize how often youve been handing out reasons as if everyone didnt already know them.
Instead of focusing on causes, apologize for theeffectof your lateness.
Thats the decent thing to do.
Dont fill that time with anything else.
When you have that free time, use it to get ready for the next appointment.
If you take more expensive modes of transportation, calculate the cost difference.
See how much you spend each year on lateness.
Visualize being late to meet someone.
Feel the shame and the panic.
Think about the peace of mind as you wait for the other person.
Think about standing from your seat and warmly greeting them, grandly forgiving their own lateness.
Plan exactly what youll do on your phonewhile you wait for everyone else to show up.
One morning,get up stupid early, and start your morning routine immediately.
You might not end up getting out early, but youll feel the luxury of having more morning time.
(To avoid making that extra time disappear, you might need to leave your phone tucked away.)
Set multiple alarms.Not to wake up, but to reach benchmarks in your morning routine.
This is especially fun with kids.
Plan better
Use these concrete tools and strategies to stay on schedule.
Alwaysadd three minutesof out the door time to your estimated travel time.
This is the bit that Google Maps cant warn you about.
Alwaysadd the length of one screw-upto your estimated travel time.
You know how the weather forecast gives the temperaturein the shade?
Driving and transit directions give the travel timeif nothing bad happens.
If a single, typical delay is enough to make you late, youre not leaving early enough.
No item is too small.
Include everything youd do on a particularly late day.
Prep the coffeemaker, set out the bowl and spoon for cereal.
In extremely important cases, physically grab everything youll need tomorrow and stand outside your door.
When you end the door, youll remember one more thing you forgot.
If you have kids, make this pre-prep more explicit.
Help your kids fill it on the weekend.
Tomake a habit of this nightly prep, find natural ways to fit it into your usual bedtime routine.
Pick tomorrows outfit while you put todays away.
Set out breakfast dishes while you clean up from dinner.
Time your shower.Give yourself five minutesor threeto wash up and avoid daydreaming.
Use a favorite song as the timer, if its not too distracting.
Make your shower just cold enough to be uncomfortable.
Dont drink coffee until you get to work.A big change, and one your body will resist at first.
And the longer you delay your morning coffee, the more it keeps you alertonce your body has adjusted.
Use your calendars time to leave alert feature.Google and Apple both offer alerts based on current travel times.
Theyre not 100% reliable.
That bumps the alert a little earlier, which youre less likely to self-correct for.
Make your feelings clear.At Lifehacker, editor-in-chief Melissa Kirsch wants to start every meeting on time.
She has no elaborate policy; she simply told the team that we will start meetings on time.
When someone is unexpectedly late, Melissa politely and professionally treats it as a minor embarrassing mistake.
She doesnt belabor the point but does pause the meeting until everyone has arrived.
Fifteen minutes after you arrive, leave.
This is a specialized policy, only advised for dealing with real problem people.
If you are more than 30 minutes late, you will not be allowed in to class.
If you were late more than twice, you were banned from the remaining classes, and not refunded.
Have a hard out.Dont let someones lateness make you late.
Whenever its in your control, give every appointment an end time.
If an event begins late, that doesnt mean it runs lateit means the event is shorter.
Dont let late people run everyone elses world.
