Punctuality is so basic a skill that few people discuss it. Some people get their daily dose of ‘exercise’ by running into meetings or events saying, “Sorry I’m late!”
While it might seem like lateness is just plain rude, time management can be harder than it looks. Also, showing up late for any event can be stressful, disrespectful, and can be costly.
These are, however, eight simple tips you can adopt to show up early and finish up tasks with time to spare:
1. Set an arrival time: Your arrival time is different from the set event time. This means that if the event is to begin at 2 pm, your arrival time cannot be 2 pm. You should always set an arrival time a few minutes (5–15 minutes) earlier than the event time.
2. Overestimate your travel time: We tend to underestimate the time it may take us to arrive at a destination. As a result, we are usually sprinting through activities. Instead of doing this, add some 10 extra minutes to the time you estimated would take you to get to your destination.
3. Prepare the night before: Always plan your movement the night before. You should write out your schedule or to-do for the next day and ensure your bag and other essentials are in place.
4. Avoid snoozing your alarm: Whenever you hit the snooze button, a less punctual version of yourself ‘goes out to meet the world.’ Practice getting up immediately when your alarm rings. You’ll thank yourself for it.
5. Set timers: Set a timer for your tasks. It will give you a sense of urgency and prevent you from becoming lax about getting ready. Setting a timer also makes you more likely to do your best with the time you have and move on to the next task.
6. Plan for emergencies: When planning our movement, we sometimes forget to leave time for emergencies. Always give additional time for things like traffic congestion or break down of your vehicle on the way.
7. Schedule your means of transport: Map out your route and decide the means of transport to use beforehand. If you are using a fast and reliable bike-hailing service like MAX Okada, allow time for the champion to arrive.
8. Do some attitude adjustment: You may have to adjust your attitude a little to get used to arriving early. Your punctuality often spells out your honour and respect for yourself, the people you are to meet and the event. Decide to be more honourable by showing up early.
Note that arriving on time is not arriving early. If a meeting or event is to begin by 10 am and you arrive at 10 am, you are late because the event already began without you.
