How can i become punctual

You know a lot of people who are late for every occasion. Or are you the person who is always late? Whether it is you yourself or your friend, all latecomers have one thing in common. They have a backpack like a trekker, filled with reasons accumulated over the million occasions they have been late for.

Whether it is jam-packed traffic, having to drop a friend or the alarm not sounding, a justification is ready. Being late once in a while is normal. We always have unexpected traffic, a flat tire, an unforeseen task showing up and so on.

If your practice of being late has become habitual and the reasons mentioned have become an everyday story, you have a problem to solve. Being punctual starts in the mind. Being late has less to do with the circumstances you face. It is said — Punctuality is the politeness of Kings. Whether you are on time or late depends on what is in your mind. If you want to be on time, you will find a way. On the other hand, if you believe it is ok to be a little late, you will assume the circumstances are causing you to be late.

The secret to effective time management starts with punctuality. This applies both at work and outside work. Are you the person who shows up late when meeting friends? Being late is both a habit and a disease, a contagious one.

With time, people start showing up late for your meetings, because they know you will be late anyway. Showing up late at every occasion is also called chronic lateness syndrome. Do you know what being late says about you? If you cannot honor a time commitment, it is impossible for you to be effective at managing time.

If you are late on a daily basis it implies two things. When you repeat being late enough number of times, you will end up being a person who is not taken seriously. If people joke about your late coming habits, do not be proud of yourself.

If all the above-stated of being late were not bad enough, here is the most important damage you cause to your own self every time you are late. Every time you do not honor your word, you subconsciously lose respect for yourself. The more you do it, the more you convince your mind that it is acceptable to be late. Over time, your mind learns that not honoring a time commitment is a common occurrence.

Soon, the mind translates the same belief into the goals you set for yourself. You mentally convince yourself that being late with your goals is acceptable. Final Result — You keep postponing your goals forever. If you have trouble managing your time well, start being punctual with everything.

Effective time management is more of a habit, a mindset, and a lifestyle. It is not a process to follow. You do not need to read a book or hear some expert advice to be punctual. It is plain common sense. If you are anticipating traffic, leave a little early. If you do not always wake up at the first alarm, set a second alarm. You already know what it takes to be punctual. You just need the discipline of applying what you know in practice. We will get to the exercise of making sure you are always on time henceforth.

Before we get there, let us consider the scenarios when it is acceptable to be late and when it is not. If it makes no difference to anybody or the situation if you are late, it could be acceptable to be late. This is because your late arrival is not halting the stream of events. Your friends can get started and you can join them a little later.

Use a Timer. Once you know how long it actually takes you to complete different tasks, use a timer to make sure that you adhere to those times. For example, if you know that it takes you three minutes to take a shower, set a timer for three minutes right before you step into the shower.

Then, when you hear the timer ring, turn the water off and step out of the shower right away. One reason why you may have a tendency to be late is because you simply have too much to do. If your schedule is unrealistic, how can you possibly be on time for anything? Make sure that you only commit to do the number of things which you can realistically get done, and which you can realistically be on time for.

Be Prepared to Be On Time. Preparation is one of the keys to punctuality. The night before, do the following:. Give Yourself a Time Cushion. Even if you know how long it takes you to perform different tasks—such as driving to work or driving to a meeting across town—give yourself some extra time in case of unexpected events.

Here are some of the myriad of things that could go wrong as you try to get to your meeting across town:. Instead, they also give themselves a time cushion in case something goes wrong. Be Prepared to Wait. That is, they prefer to be late rather than having some downtime. The key to overcoming this hurdle is to be prepared to have to wait. The best way to avoid being late is to plan to be early. A lot of people think that those who are important keep others waiting. And no one wants to feel unimportant.

However, being early is really a sign of being organized, having respect for others, and having good time management skills. And these are all character traits of important people. Always Leave on Time. Therefore, at ten a. Look at the following:.

Set Up Reminders. Set up a reminder for meetings and appointments an hour before you have to leave. Also, set up another reminder for fifteen minutes before you have to go. Practice the Day Before. For important events, such as a job interview or if you have to give a presentation, practice how to get to where you need to be the day before.

Make a good first impression when it comes to important events by practicing the day before so that you can be on time. Being punctual signals to others, as well as to yourself, that you can be depended on. Use the 12 tips above to become more punctual. Live your best life by adopting the habit of always being on time.

Did you enjoy this article? Good tips. Recently, I read about a high profile mayor of a major city in the U. As with any problem, you cannot fix it if you're in denial that it's a problem at all.

If you're not sure whether your issue is chronic, ask your friends and family to tell you honestly whether they consider you a punctual person. If punctuality is truly an issue for you, you won't have been able to hide it from them.

Check to see if your tardiness is the result of passive aggression. Being late can be a form of resentment at having to be a certain place to do a certain thing. If you think this is the case, try to change your events around, or otherwise practice accepting that which you can't change. According to a study conducted in San Francisco, 20 percent of the US population has the same issue.

Notice how being late affects others. You probably really want to be on time, and when you're late, you feel genuinely sorry for inconveniencing others.

But if you're late again and again, people will feel that your behavior is inconsiderate. Being late puts other people in the position of having to wait for you. It's seen as a statement that you value your time more than you value theirs, even if you really don't feel that way. Do you appreciate having to sit alone in a restaurant while you wait for your friend to show up half an hour late? Be kind to people that are late while also telling them how you feel.

Eventually, being late all the time will erode people's faith in your reliability, creating a negative impression that could eventually extend to matters other than punctuality. Get your adrenaline rush in other ways. Do you feel a little buzzed when you're rushing to beat the clock? It's like a game, and if you can get there before the timer runs out, you win. However, this exhilarating habit can have bad consequences when you lose your gamble with time too often.

If you like the rush of adrenaline you feel when you're down to the wire, stop putting your appointments on the line and try to get it some other way, like by playing timed computer games, taking up track and field sports, or — if you really like the rush — parachuting from a plane. Make punctuality one of your core values. It doesn't seem as meaningful as honesty or integrity, but punctuality is intimately tied to these important values.

When you say you're going to be somewhere at a certain time, and you don't show up, what does that say about you? When it happens over and over, might it affect others' impression of your integrity, or cause them to think twice about what you say?

Try to take punctuality as seriously as you take other values you strive to uphold. If you care more about being punctual, you'll start being more punctual. Examine the areas in which you're more likely to be flippant about punctuality. If there are certain people you don't bother meeting on time, or a certain class you always come to 15 minutes late, it's possible that the people and the class just aren't that important to you.

Try to spend your time doing things you care about doing, and do them with intention. Show up on time and be all in. When you care about what you're doing, and you're living with integrity, it feels right to get there on time. Enjoy the rewards of being a punctual person. After a few weeks of rearranging your habits and thought patterns so you can be more punctual, it won't feel as difficult — and you'll start reaping the rewards of being the sort of person who's never late.

Here are a few examples of the benefits you'll experience: You'll be much less stressed out on a daily basis, and you won't have to make excuses and apologize all the time. You'll probably experience a professional boost, since you'll no longer be late for work. Your personal life will be uplifted as people begin to see you as a reliable person and trust you more. Being habitually punctual tends to have the effect of actually allowing you to be late from time to time, since people will start giving you the benefit of the doubt.

Did you know you can get expert answers for this article? Unlock expert answers by supporting wikiHow. Amber Rosenberg, PCC. Support wikiHow by unlocking this expert answer. Not Helpful 0 Helpful 0. Not Helpful 1 Helpful Not Helpful 2 Helpful Can you suggest a study schedule for exams that I can use when I will be in home?

Paul Chernyak, LPC. Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. Kids are really good at making their parents late. Follow all the above tips, not just for yourself but also for your kids. Have their clothes ready including coats and mittens , make sure they get baths the night before, etc. Take a few minutes the night before to make sure their books and homework are in their backpack, then place it by the door.

Check for any permission slips that need signing. If your child is very young, make sure their diaper bag is always fully stocked. But some organized twelve year olds can definitely help you out! Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0. Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0. Old military adage: If you're not 5 minutes early, you're 10 minutes late! Quick thing to remember. If you're on time, you're late. If you're late, then you've got a lot of explaining to do.

If you think you are more than occasionally late to work, school, church, appointments, etc. Helpful Not Helpful Lateness is corrosive to good relations with friends, colleagues and of professional standing. Having a strong personality and being able to smooth over individual instances of lateness still leaves a building resentment.

Holding people up who have planned and prepared work, journeys, meals, entertainment etc. Helpful 15 Not Helpful 2. Remember your reputation is on the line. The power of showing up is limitless. Related wikiHows How to. How to. Life Coach. Expert Interview. About This Article. Co-authored by:. Co-authors: Updated: May 28, Categories: Featured Articles Time Management.

Article Summary X To be punctual, aim to be 15 minutes early so that you'll still be on time even with some unexpected interruptions.

In other languages Italiano: Essere Puntuali. Nederlands: Punctueel zijn.