

If your keys, jacket, and wallet are always in the same place, you won’t need to waste valuable time looking for them. In other words, have a place where you always (and the key word here is always) leave your stuff when you come in the door. A good quick fix is to establish a drop zone at home and at work. Maybe you often run late because you can’t find the things that you need. Just make sure you don’t wait until the last one sounds to start getting ready. If you don’t feel like investing in something new right away, consider setting up two or three alarms on your phone before an event. Shop around and consider purchasing one that’s right for you. There are clocks that wake you up progressively, ones that make you a cup of coffee, and even ones that shock you, literally, for those extra heavy sleepers. There are some pretty cool alternative alarm clocks on the market these days. If you have a dinner meeting right around the corner, you still ought to plan to leave 10 to 15 minutes before you’re supposed to be there just the same. (That is, if you’d like to show up to places on time consistently.) So, if it takes 35 minutes to drive to work, you need to leave 50 minutes before you’re supposed to arrive. In order to navigate everything successfully, you need to allow a little time for unplanned events.


There are so many unexpected surprises in life. Be willing to start putting it above other things that aren’t as important. If you want to be on time, make that goal a top priority. They’ll leave an email unsent, walk away from a stimulating conversation, or wait to get a cup of coffee until after the meeting. People who arrive to things on time do so because they make it a priority. Knowing this might help you to show up on time. Being late often makes you feel less on top of everything than you would otherwise. You might worry about what others are thinking, or about what you might have missed. Being late doesn’t just bother others - it rattles you. It’s also helpful to keep in mind that entering a meeting late, for example, generally means that you won’t be at your best. That’s not the message you want to be sending. It can also make it seem as though you’re disorganized or otherwise unreliable. Lateness can feel like lack of interest, consideration and respect. When you show up late for an interview, or even just a lunch meeting, you send others a message. However, other people don’t - and might make assumptions about what your lateness means. You know that you’re someone who often runs late.
THE LATE BIRD GETS PROFESSIONAL
If you tend to struggle to make it to work, client meetings or other professional engagements on time, here are some tips for turning things around: 1. You should try to avoid being late, at least. There is a lot to be said for getting a jump on things, especially at work. The proverb the early bird catches the worm has been around for centuries, and for good reason. No matter how good you are at your job, you’ll struggle to get ahead if you can’t seem to get anywhere on time. Being late can really hold you back professionally.
