How to Be Punctual
Have everything ready the night before., Keep your essentials near the door., Create a staging area near the door., Anticipate delays before they happen., Commit yourself to being 15 minutes early for everything., Overestimate the time it'll take to...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Have everything ready the night before.
If you're not sure why you seem to chronically late, take a look at what happens before you leave the house.
You probably set aside a certain amount of time to get ready to go, and end up scrambling to get through a checklist of tasks before you can leave.
If you have everything ready to go well in advance, though, you won't have a bunch of hurdles standing between you and getting where you need to go.
Every single night, go through the following routine so that you'll have a lot less to do in the morning:
Lay out the clothes you're going to wear.
Complete any tasks you might normally leave for the morning, like writing emails or printing out documents.
Pack up your bag or briefcase with everything you'll need the next day.
Have everything ready so you can make a quick breakfast, or eliminate the need for morning cooking altogether by making some overnight oats. -
Step 2: Keep your essentials near the door.
Many people who are often late spend too much time searching around for their keys, cell phone, charger or wallet.
If you keep all of your essential items in the same drawer or tray near the door, they'll be waiting there for you when it's time to leave.If you tend to walk in the door and leave your keys on the counter, your wallet in the bedroom, and your phone on the kitchen table, you'll spend too much extra time looking for everything when you could be on your way.
Every once in a while, you'll probably forget an important item and have to go back to retrieve it, making you even later.
Instead, the moment you walk in the door, empty your pockets of all your essential items and put them in the same place every time.
If you keep everything in your purse, put that in the same spot in your house every time, too. , As you go about your daily routine around the house and think of items that you will need for your next trip, take the time to set them in the staging area.
If you get in the habit of doing this, everything will be ready to go and you will not have to do the mental inventory countdown each time you are ready to go.
You can go even further and put the items in your car as you think of them. , Are you full of excuses that seem legitimate? Traffic was bad.
Or, The train got delayed.
Worse, I had to stop and get gas.
If you thought ahead and anticipated these everyday delays, they wouldn't be making you late all the time.
Anticipate that these things are going to happen fairly often.
Being on a stalled subway car is not a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Leave early enough to overcome unanticipated delays and still get there on time.
Avoid completely unnecessary delays like stopping for gas.
Fill your car the night before.
Make sure your subway pass is loaded with plenty of fare, and eat at home, instead of stopping at the fast food drive-through for breakfast and waiting in line.
Check traffic and the weather to see if anything might hold you up, and leave early enough to make up for any anticipated extra travel time.
Remember, too, that the possibility of delays in bad weather is high.
Leave a sufficient time buffer to absorb the worst typical delay.
In cold weather allow an extra five or ten minutes to clear frost, snow, and ice from your vehicle.
If you ride a bus, know the route, have your fare, and keep cab money on hand in case of emergency.
If you are depending on another person for a ride—have a plan B! , If you have to be to work at 8:00, don't even tell yourself you can walk in the door right on the dot.
Instead, say to yourself, "I have to be at work at 7:45." If you do this, you will be on time even with little unforeseen interruptions.
You will be on time even if you encounter a traffic jam.
And on those rare times that you actually show up 15 minutes early; you will get kudos for being an enthusiastic employee.
If you can't stand waiting, have something you can read in short segments almost everywhere you go.
This makes it easy to be early, since in the 10-15 minutes you have before an appointment/event, you can get a few pages of reading done.
It'll feel like you're getting something done (and you are) while you are waiting. , If you tend to have everything ready to go in the morning, and you show up late even when you don't experience delays, you might be underestimating the amount of time it takes to get where you're going.
Optimistic thinkers tend to shave off a few minutes, hoping they'll be able to get places faster.
Unfortunately, all it does is make them late! Be realistic when you're planning your commutes, and punctuality will follow.
Sometimes, it's hard to know exactly how long it will take to get somewhere.
If you're preparing for an important meeting, like an interview, you might want to drive the route or do the train commute in advance of the meeting day.
Time your trip so you'll know what time you need to leave the house.
Don't forget to add 15 minutes to the overall trip time to account for delays.
If you figure it'll take 40 minutes to get to your meeting site, leave 55 minutes early just in case something trips you up. -
Step 3: Create a staging area near the door.
-
Step 4: Anticipate delays before they happen.
-
Step 5: Commit yourself to being 15 minutes early for everything.
-
Step 6: Overestimate the time it'll take to get there.
Detailed Guide
If you're not sure why you seem to chronically late, take a look at what happens before you leave the house.
You probably set aside a certain amount of time to get ready to go, and end up scrambling to get through a checklist of tasks before you can leave.
If you have everything ready to go well in advance, though, you won't have a bunch of hurdles standing between you and getting where you need to go.
Every single night, go through the following routine so that you'll have a lot less to do in the morning:
Lay out the clothes you're going to wear.
Complete any tasks you might normally leave for the morning, like writing emails or printing out documents.
Pack up your bag or briefcase with everything you'll need the next day.
Have everything ready so you can make a quick breakfast, or eliminate the need for morning cooking altogether by making some overnight oats.
Many people who are often late spend too much time searching around for their keys, cell phone, charger or wallet.
If you keep all of your essential items in the same drawer or tray near the door, they'll be waiting there for you when it's time to leave.If you tend to walk in the door and leave your keys on the counter, your wallet in the bedroom, and your phone on the kitchen table, you'll spend too much extra time looking for everything when you could be on your way.
Every once in a while, you'll probably forget an important item and have to go back to retrieve it, making you even later.
Instead, the moment you walk in the door, empty your pockets of all your essential items and put them in the same place every time.
If you keep everything in your purse, put that in the same spot in your house every time, too. , As you go about your daily routine around the house and think of items that you will need for your next trip, take the time to set them in the staging area.
If you get in the habit of doing this, everything will be ready to go and you will not have to do the mental inventory countdown each time you are ready to go.
You can go even further and put the items in your car as you think of them. , Are you full of excuses that seem legitimate? Traffic was bad.
Or, The train got delayed.
Worse, I had to stop and get gas.
If you thought ahead and anticipated these everyday delays, they wouldn't be making you late all the time.
Anticipate that these things are going to happen fairly often.
Being on a stalled subway car is not a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Leave early enough to overcome unanticipated delays and still get there on time.
Avoid completely unnecessary delays like stopping for gas.
Fill your car the night before.
Make sure your subway pass is loaded with plenty of fare, and eat at home, instead of stopping at the fast food drive-through for breakfast and waiting in line.
Check traffic and the weather to see if anything might hold you up, and leave early enough to make up for any anticipated extra travel time.
Remember, too, that the possibility of delays in bad weather is high.
Leave a sufficient time buffer to absorb the worst typical delay.
In cold weather allow an extra five or ten minutes to clear frost, snow, and ice from your vehicle.
If you ride a bus, know the route, have your fare, and keep cab money on hand in case of emergency.
If you are depending on another person for a ride—have a plan B! , If you have to be to work at 8:00, don't even tell yourself you can walk in the door right on the dot.
Instead, say to yourself, "I have to be at work at 7:45." If you do this, you will be on time even with little unforeseen interruptions.
You will be on time even if you encounter a traffic jam.
And on those rare times that you actually show up 15 minutes early; you will get kudos for being an enthusiastic employee.
If you can't stand waiting, have something you can read in short segments almost everywhere you go.
This makes it easy to be early, since in the 10-15 minutes you have before an appointment/event, you can get a few pages of reading done.
It'll feel like you're getting something done (and you are) while you are waiting. , If you tend to have everything ready to go in the morning, and you show up late even when you don't experience delays, you might be underestimating the amount of time it takes to get where you're going.
Optimistic thinkers tend to shave off a few minutes, hoping they'll be able to get places faster.
Unfortunately, all it does is make them late! Be realistic when you're planning your commutes, and punctuality will follow.
Sometimes, it's hard to know exactly how long it will take to get somewhere.
If you're preparing for an important meeting, like an interview, you might want to drive the route or do the train commute in advance of the meeting day.
Time your trip so you'll know what time you need to leave the house.
Don't forget to add 15 minutes to the overall trip time to account for delays.
If you figure it'll take 40 minutes to get to your meeting site, leave 55 minutes early just in case something trips you up.
About the Author
Anna White
Dedicated to helping readers learn new skills in DIY projects and beyond.
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