Practical Tips for Being On Time

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timeIf you ask someone to list ten things about me, I can almost guarantee one will be “almost always on time or early.”  It’s probably bordering on obnoxious, and this is not to brag. I simply dislike the uncomfortable feelings associated with being late, so I do everything I can to show up or turn something in when I’m supposed to. The ways I accomplish that now that I am a mother are a bit different from before, but for the most part I’m still usually early to the party.

I understand that things are valued and prioritized differently depending on the person. However, I will argue that outside of random mishaps or schedules that are just too full, many reasons for lateness are easily fixed with some practical tips.

Get Real About Why You’re Late-Then Fix the Root Causes

The next time you’ve run late, take some time later on to write down your routine. Do you lose track of time while getting ready? Are you constantly running back inside for something? Are you prying kids away from toys? Were you checking your bag to make sure you had everything? Do this a few times and I bet you will see some patterns that are easily changed to make getting out the door more efficient. Sometimes we get so caught up in the rush that we don’t realize what’s causing it!

Work Like a Project Manager

In project work, you almost always begin with your deadline and back everything else into meeting that goal. This works the same way with departure time. It may be a pain the first few times, but eventually it will become habit to work backwards to figure out when you should be eating, dressed, picking up your bag and walking out the door. I’m talking specific milestones and times assigned to each—not a general “get ready by 3.” That way, you aren’t tempted to cut into the time you should be doing something else. That is what makes projects—and people—late.

Pad Your Time

This is my biggest piece of advice. And I realize it’s not always possible when running multiple kids all over—I only have one and he’s not even in sports or school yet. However, the more important or rare the occasion, the more you should be padding your time. My rule of thumb is anything within a half hour of my departure location needs 10 minutes added to accommodate any forgotten items or clothing mishaps. Anything over a half hour away or important in nature (such as a wedding) you should be adding at least 20-30 minutes to your timeline, if not more. Sometimes this means we’re waiting in a parking lot or circling the block, but it sure beats being that family walking up the aisle right behind the bride (side note–someone did that to me at my wedding).

Cut the Fluff

You’re running late to soccer practice—do you really need to go back in for your iPod? The reservation is at 6:00, but at 5:45 do you really need to be curling your hair? Can you survive without stopping for coffee on the way? Sometimes the things that make us late are the things that are less important than being on time. Ask yourself: Is it worth being even more late to grab/do/get that? You might just find you’re paying yourself back with a less stressful experience if you skip some things. And the people waiting for you probably won’t notice you didn’t spend an hour on your makeup!

Sometimes, $%#@ Happens

Recently, I was meeting someone at a newer office I had never been to before and my GPS took me to another location with a similar name. I had padded my time (it was over an hour away) and navigating back to the correct place during rush hour burned that extra time. I simply called to apologize and told them I’d be there as soon as I could. If you are going to be late and people are waiting on you, let them know as soon as you realize you’re behind–not when you’re already supposed to be there. Whether it’s a traffic backup or your toddler spills his drink all over you, you can’t predict everything–but you can respect others while you deal with it.

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Jenny Reed
I am a Cincinnati native, wife to Neil and mom to a 2 ½ year old boy named Wally. I am a project manager and consultant by trade and I am also the author of Cincinnati Day Trips, a guide to interesting places within one day’s journey from the city center. I’ll never pass up a roadside attraction and love car trips. I recently took up sewing and have a fabric stash that is entirely too large already. I share my adventures, mishaps and projects on my Twitter and Instagram accounts, @suburbinnati.

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