WHY ARE YOU ALWAYS LATE ?

For most of us, whether or not we are timely is usually considered a character trait. You are either punctual, just a bit late, consistently late or completely off the boards missing events totally. Fact of the matter is, timeliness is a dying art these days. Etiquette guides will tell you that arriving late is not only rude, it makes a statement about how you feel about the importance of an event or the individuals involved. Real life tells us that no matter how hard we try, sometimes we are late. Have you ever noticed that when you are late, you feel anxious? For those who are always late, this can mean just a constant level of tension during transitions.

Everybody is late for something at one time or another. Cars break down or become stuck in traffic, oversleeping happens unexpectedly, Yet, for some people running late isn't an occasional occurrence precipitated by an event mostly or completely out of their control.
For some people, being late is a way of defining themselves and a way of life. The problem is that this way of living and being is viewed upon with great suspicion in a society where promptness reveals your level of dedication and enthusiasm to relationships, work, studies and more.

                                         

In business, a meeting is arranged with plenty of notice only for the day to arrive and the person who called the meeting arriving late or not turning up at all. Everyone else has made the effort to get there early for this meeting but somehow the person who is facilitating has an excuse for coming 20 minutes late. Admittedly, there are uncontrollable circumstances; however, some people simply choose to hide behind the numerous excuses they can give for their poor time keeping and what can frankly be described as a very rude attitude to others. It makes you wonder if everyone is not facing the same challenge of traffic when people casually say they were delayed by traffic. 

Valuing people is simply putting other people into consideration when a meeting or appointment is set so that you do what is necessary to ensure you arrive in good time. This is for no other reason but that you do not keep someone else waiting for no good reason. It speaks of good breeding and respect for others when you value them by valuing their time.   

A friend once told me that most of the books he has read in the last year has been done whlist being kept waiting for appointments. In order to change our attitudes in this regard, we must put ourselves in the picture. How would I feel if someone has wasted my time? The truth is that we all detest being kept waiting by people or even processes. When we think of how we feel, we must also try to consider how other people feel when we do the same. 

If chronic tardiness has taken sway over your life and has turned into a defining trait of who you are, it's likely that you're losing out on job offers, great opportunities, friendships, and more, all because you're allowing tardiness to rule your life. Yes, you are letting it happen and it's time to do something about it before you lose any more opportunities and even friends.

Valuing another person is as simple as respecting their time, knowing that no matter how big and how busy you are, no one should be disregarded and left waiting for no justifiable reason.

 

The experts agree that, if you are always late, you should first try to discover the underlying emotion causing it so your awareness can lead to change. Also, put yourself in the position of the person you’re meeting—and imagine that person’s frustration and wasted time. Then implement some of our expert strategies below.

Document. Make appointments real by jotting them down or entering them in your BlackBerry.

Create lateness buffers. Start getting ready earlier than normal and leave earlier too.

Track your time. DeLonzor says it’s important to avoid “magical thinking, repeatedly underestimating the time it takes to accomplish something,” by keeping track for a week of how long various tasks take and posting your new time frames where you can see them.

Don’t steal time. Don’t bargain with yourself about sending one more e-mail before you go, or sleeping 15 more minutes before you get out of bed.

Use your spouse as your on-time mentor. If your spouse is always on time, then say hello to your new punctuality coach.

Step into their shoes. Imagine how the people always waiting for you must feel.

Wear a watch. Even if you need to set it 10 minutes ahead, a watch is a time reminder you carry on you at all times.