Taming Time: Chronic lateness

Be honest: when was the last time you had your pick of seats at an event, or could report what the initial comments at a meeting were? More to the point, when was the last time your first words weren't "Sorry I'm late!"?

One of the stereotypes of creative people is that we're always late, and it's one of those cliches that has an uncomfortable root in truth. But I like to think that we don't tend to chronic lateness because we're deliberately being inconsiderate but because we don't have that great a grasp of time.

I know I'm guilty of the sort of magical thinking that leads people to believe things like "I've got plenty of time to finish this post, take a shower, get dressed, let the dog out, scarf down a quick dinner, drive 25 miles and find a parking place. Plenty of time. So much time, in fact, that I can do a couple of things after I finish this post." And you know where that leads.

The costs of chronic lateness can really add up. On a professional level, you're alienating current and potential clients and looking way amateur. On a financial level, you're getting speeding tickets. On a personal level, you're annoying the crap out of your friends and family. And on a physical level, the stress that inevitably results from your chronic-lateness-caused rushing is doing horrible things to your body.

So how can you stop, or at least reduce, your chronic lateness?

Learn how long it takes to do stuff. (Yes, this is the same suggestion for reducing procrastination. I wonder why that is...) Does it really take 25 minutes to drive to class, like I thought it did? Or does it actually take between 33 and 40 minutes, which are the low and high scores when I actually timed it last month? (Answer: the second.)

Go with the higher estimate, then set an alarm. Now that I know I need up to 40 minutes to get to class, I know to set an alarm for 6:08:30. Why such an odd time? Because class starts at 7, but I want to allow time to unpack my bag, get a drink of water, etc. So I'll need to leave no later than 6:10. If the alarm goes off at 6:10, my wacked-out thinking will figure that it'll take me a bit of time to stop what I'm doing and hit the road, so then I'm already late, so why bother. That additional 90 seconds is time to stop, put my stuff away and get going. Any more than 90 seconds, and I'll be tempted to do something.

Make a friend of being a little bit early. You might notice that in the above estimate, I might wind up getting to class a whole 7 minutes early. This might seem like wasted time, but it's easy enough to find a use for that little packet of minutes: bring along a book, play a game on my beloved iPod touch, connect with my classmates, do some deep breathing in the car, walk around a bit before sitting in class for 3 hours. Instead of thinking of these tactics as ways to kill time, celebrate them for what they really are: rewards for being early and unstressed.

Don't set your clocks ahead. This never works because you'll always be thinking, "The clock says 6:15 but I know it's really 6:08, so I have (say it with me) plenty of time to..." You can't outsmart yourself.

What other tactics have you learned for combatting chronic lateness? Talk to me in the comments!

Comments

[Cloak Link]

Time is indeed of the essence, you'll never know what you've lost until such time has passed you by and it's forever gone. As they say, you cannot step on the same water, twice. Good post! :)

[Liz Emmett-Mattox]

Can I just say....OUCH! Guilty on all charges! For me one of the biggest issues is forgetting how long it takes to get out the door. I'll know I want to leave at 7:15- so at 7:15 I START to put on my shoes, gather my crap (run into the other room to get the book/notes/etc. I need), grab my purse, fill my water bottle... and guess what- I'm out the door at 7:23!
I have to say- for me setting my watch a few minutes early DOES help. I noticed that my 'late factor' was between 3-5 minutes- so that's how much I set my watch ahead. I forget I've done it, so when I get into the car and realize I'm not as late as I thought I was- I'm relieved!

[Catherine Cantieri]

Liz, if setting the watch ahead works for you, I say GO FOR IT! I've just seen so many folks (myself included) start automatically subtracting from their set-ahead watches. As long as your system works for you, that's all you need. :-)