How to Stop Being Late for Good (Proven Strategies)

Are you the person who's always racing against the clock? Do you find yourself constantly apologizing for showing up after the scheduled time? If you want to figure out how to stop being late, know that you're not alone and this can be solved.

Many people struggle with chronic lateness. In fact, some surveys estimate that 15 to 20 percent of people admit to being consistently tardy.

Figuring out how to be on time is possible.

Why We Run Late

There are many reasons why some people struggle with time. Organizational psychologist Dr. Amanda Ferguson, suggests the obvious reason first. She says people pleasing, is high on the list.

Focusing on what you can control is vital. By changing your habits, you might improve in a surprising way.

Evaluate Commitments

Take a candid look at everything you've committed to. Are there commitments that you don't need, to save time and energy?

Perhaps you can reduce those unnecessary burdens. Reviewing your commitments can free up the mental space for keeping track of everything.

Present-Oriented versus Future-Oriented Mindset

Dr. Fuschia Sirois, a professor who studies time management, says promptness is a learned behavior. She discusses time orientations as future oriented or present oriented.

Those that live moment to moment tend to run late more frequently. However, those who keep the big picture in mind and are flexible show healthier outcomes.

Flexible time management, as you can see, is important, to live at our fullest.

Make the Shift to Better Time Management

Dr. Amanda Ferguson explains that, "It's not going to be lasting unless you make a paradigm shift." A change means you're seeing time in a new perspective and how to use time properly.

This could mean seeing when we don't put ourselves first. Being on time requires centering yourself.

How to Stop Being Late and Be On Time

Making concessions is important. We need to understand when making a change.

We cannot be focused on the outcome, but need to do our best on things at times.

Building a Time Buffer for Grace

Buffers between scheduled times are crucial. But have you tried giving yourself "fake" times?

Have you thought about lying to yourself about starting times to be early? Rashelle Isip says we have to be careful with the grace period.

It has a 20 minute window time period. Adding buffer time means giving yourself a small bit of wiggle room.

We need to plan for what happens after the official starting time, or other various reasons that throw us off.

Under Estimating How Long it Takes

According to surveys done back in 2006, 15-20% of Americans said they were consistently late. In today's time, how accurate are people with the time it takes to do things?

In general, a significant amount of the U.S. population shows up late for work. Roughly 30% are frequently running late, day and night.

Change your Semantics

Rethinking what "being on time" actually looks like in context will make a big impact. It can completely alter how we look at when an "event starts".

Instead of, "We must go," switch to the "curtain goes up at 5pm". Ellen Hendriksen mentions that the meaning behind being on time takes on an entirely new look.

Changing wording can greatly improve things in life. Things like saying we "should be *in*" the place, by a set time, versus, "We must *be*" there at that time can make a great impact.

Being Early is Not a Waste

Nobody likes sitting around waiting. It's why when people have scheduled meetings, but have to wait long past those starting times.

So if you deliberately show up early it is viewed the same way. When it's you being early, it changes this because you know ahead of time.

Therefore you can spend time filling that free time. Being early changes that.

Productivity

Here is a quick productivity view:

• Visualizing the Day - 10 minutes.
• Getting out the Door - 10 minutes.
• Parking time 10 minutes.

The 10 Minute Advantage

Have you ever considered 10 minutes early will create margin for any errors you have? Plan on arriving precisely at your allotted start time so you are always 10 minutes ahead.

The point of 10 minutes of bonus margin drastically improves any travel time and driving experiences. Instead, you can think differently, and it removes pressure that so many people experience.

Being early really helps manage those types of common errors with how to stop being on time. You could think of it as a one-minute window with lots of grace.

Plan Ahead

Take major time losses for doing things, but do it ahead. For instance, having to go shopping ahead can throw things off for any schedules.

Planning ahead is crucial for better organization and good management skills. Those extra minutes really count, and being organized makes an even greater difference.

Also it might surprise you, but Mary Solanto explains that lateness can also happen to anyone with ADHD. It also comes down to our individual characteristics for various reasons.

Use Visual Time Cues

Sometimes we need better, more concrete indicators. You could be running late from miscalculating what time it really is.

Surround yourself with regular clocks. New York based, Rashelle Isip who is a well-known time management coach says we see visual differences from regular analog clocks.

Having these visual cues can act as a way to set alarms in our brains to remind us.

FAQs about how to stop being late

How do I stop being always late?

Start by finding out the reason people are late so often, including your habits and tendencies. Work to come up with plans that make it simple, adding in margins for anything else that could disrupt the day.

This is a useful starting point. You may also discover that you have social anxiety about the events you are going to, making it harder to leave your home.

Talking with your close friends may provide a great deal of insight as well.

How do I train myself not to be late?

Set lots of notification methods and avoid any distraction activities while keeping consistent daily practices. Try to arrive ahead of meetings in order to alleviate unnecessary burdens.

This may help reduce the stress you felt. Use Google Maps before road trips so that you're aware of traffic.

Make goal setting a new standard in your daily routines.

How do I stop being up late?

Come up with better ways of scheduling yourself to help alleviate stressful things that hold people up. Get things handled prior to the departure time dates or meeting dates, while coming up with practical habits.

It will likely also help your mental health greatly. Also be sure to schedule some transition activities.

Being more aware and planning correctly helps to reduce chronic lateness.

Why do I always get late?

Poor management with our time can cause you to arrive late. Set alarms with appropriate reminders for things on our cell phone.

Look for different trending topics for different methods for getting places on time. Learning to improve yourself starts with a single step.

Be mindful and focus, it gets easier.

Final Thoughts

Becoming someone who regularly is arriving "ahead of schedule" is attainable. Change doesn't need to come at the cost of removing those parts, either.

Start to practice making the best usage of every bit of bonus travel time that is made from you, showing up ahead to an appointment or the day you are attending an official celebration. Prioritize the steps necessary on how to stop being late.

What do you do to be on-time? 🙂

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