Do you try your best to be on time, but you are always late anyway? Your colleagues and friends have already ceased to be surprised, and the head opens a vacancy for your place? These seven tips will help you change your habits and finally start doing everything on time.
People are divided into two types: some always arrive early, others are always late. Non-punctual people usually believe that the reason lies in the peculiarities of their character. Clinical psychologist Josh Klapow, who studies behavior, thinks they are partly right.
“The tendency to be late depends both on personality traits and on developed habits,” he says. — Some feel the passage of time worse, while others, on the contrary, constantly remember it. The environment in which we grew up also plays a role. If a person was brought up in a family where promptness and efficiency were valued, where it was customary to plan a day and keep track of time, and parents showed this by example, then most likely he will get used to coming on time or even in advance.
If at home no special attention was paid to the schedule of the day and punctuality, then a child who grew up in such a family is unlikely to strive for this. The decisive factor is what we were punished and encouraged for in childhood.
Tracking the real daily routine, you can understand how much you manage to keep up with everything and how difficult it is
“Were you praised when you did something on time? Or did you have a lifestyle that encouraged free scheduling and no set deadlines?” Klapow asks. According to him, both punctuality and lateness depend on a combination of various factors: inborn characteristics, lessons learned in childhood, rewards and punishments in the family.
But this does not mean that you are doomed to be late all your life. Even if you have to overcome innate tendencies, you can still do a lot to become more punctual.
1. Think about the consequences of being late. According to Klapow, punctual people are always very aware of the consequences of being late. Think about what your disorganization leads to. Take a notebook and make a list of all the unpleasant consequences that your lateness has caused in the past. We can talk about missed important meetings, speeding tickets, remarks from superiors, insults from friends, and even just tiredness.
Kevin Cruz, author of 15 Time Management Secrets. How Successful People Do It All emphasizes how important this exercise is.
“If there are no consequences for being late, where will you get the motivation to change?” Cruz asks. He recommends asking friends and family what they think of your constant tardiness. This kind of feedback will help you better understand how your disorganization affects others. This will give additional motivation to finally start to change something.
2. Track your habits. If you want to learn how to be more realistic about timing, try keeping track of your successes and failures. Klapow advises using a timer to measure how much time you spend on various daily activities — morning shower, commute, walk the dog.
If you are chronically late everywhere, it is possible that you simply underestimate how much time it takes to complete such tasks. Tracking the real daily routine, you can understand how much you manage to keep up with everything and how difficult it is. This will tell you how best to adjust the usual daily routine.
3. Unload your schedule. Punctual people are usually no less busy than those who are prone to constant lateness. They are just more realistic about their capabilities. If you always miss something, you may have overestimated your strength and taken on too much.
Therefore, Klapow advises to unload the schedule: “Look at your plans, deadlines, responsibilities. Think about what you can give up to reduce the load. Can you delegate some of your responsibilities to someone? Or give up something that takes a lot of time? Or not to take on some projects? By unloading the schedule, you will feel that you can manage everywhere and cope with everything. ”
4. Set a time frame for upcoming tasks. Kevin Kruse stresses the importance of planning in advance the start and end times of various activities — meetings, calls.
“Many are late simply because they were delayed by some previous duty,” he explains. When moving on to a new task—for example, starting to answer backlogged emails or heading out to brainstorm with co-workers—be clear in advance when you’re done. This will help you not lose a sense of time and fulfill all your obligations.
If you try to be everywhere exactly at the appointed time because you don’t like to wait, then you risk being late if something doesn’t go according to plan.
5. Plan ahead. To stick to a schedule, it’s important to develop habits that will help you be more efficient. For example, find out in advance how to get to your destination, or make a list of tasks that need to be completed before leaving the house.
If you’re always late to work because you’re leaving at the last minute, try to organize your mornings better. Before going to bed, prepare in advance all the things or tools necessary for work, lay out all the necessary clothes, and pack your lunch.
6. Leave reminders, set alarms. “Change your world gradually so that the sense of time comes to the fore,” Klapow recommends.
How to do it? To get started, learn how to use various reminders — alarm clocks on the phone, stickers, notes on the calendar. Another technique that Klapow advises is to set all the clocks back five minutes. This little trick will also have a positive effect on the ability to do everything on time.
7. Get used to waiting. To learn to be on time, it is important to get used to periods of forced waiting. If you try to be everywhere exactly at the appointed time, because you do not like to wait, then you risk being late if something does not go according to plan. Kevin Cruz tries to arrive everywhere well in advance — both to the airport, and for a business lunch, and to meet friends.
“Because of this, I’m never late, even if there’s an accident on the highway or I can’t find my way right away,” he explains. If he arrives early and has to wait, he uses that time to answer calls and emails or just read a book.