Lack of punctuality is a bad habit that can ruin your life a lot. It harms your career, ruins plans, causes discontent among friends and family. And in general, it has a bad effect on the reputation. What can you do to stop being late?
Being late is always awkward and inconvenient. You are in a hurry, do not have time to pack up properly, you run, but you still come at the wrong time. Then you have to come up with excuses, apologize. But the boss or friends still look with condemnation, especially when it’s not the first time. Agree, there is little pleasant. Knowing how to properly plan your time is a valuable skill that is never too late to learn. In this article, we’ll show you how.
Lack of punctuality is consistently associated with irresponsibility. No one will rely on a person who never comes on time. He will definitely not be entrusted with a responsible task. Therefore, this habit interferes with career growth and spoils relationships with others. Over time, they cease to enter the position of a latecomer, are not interested in the reasons and only experience irritation. Self-esteem also suffers. It seems that you cannot control anything at all, which is why you yourself cease to respect yourself.
A punctual person disposes to himself. There is much less stress and conflict in his life. Colleagues and boss know they can count on him. Therefore, an organized employee is the first to be promoted. Family, friends and acquaintances also treat him with great respect.
It is important to develop punctuality to earn the favor of others, to become more confident and in control of your life. How to do this depends on the reason for the persistent delays.
Why are we late
Oddly enough, not always the reason for being late is not knowing how to plan the day. You can be late due to:
Excessive slowness
The person simply does everything too slowly and does not have time to collect. If to this is added the inability to calculate how much time it takes to get ready, then he will never be able to come on time.
Procrastination
Such a person constantly puts off important things for later. Instead of preparing for a meeting, he finds a lot of other, more interesting things to do. Sometimes this is banal laziness, sometimes poor organization, sometimes the result of prolonged getting used to a new routine.
Desires to assert themselves
This is the need for control of others or the desire to stand out. Such thinking is caused by complexes. It is important for a person that they wait for him, they cannot start without him. In addition, the one who comes later than everyone else will definitely be noticed. Self-centeredness and vanity make a person always come last.
Fear of being late
If you don’t feel like going somewhere, there are many ways to waste time quickly. Even the most punctual and pedantic person can easily be late for a meeting, which causes fear and anxiety in him. This type of lateness is typical for people with increased nervousness and self-doubt.
Protest
In this case, the person is also not always late. But only if the upcoming event is not to his liking. If you’re late for the office every day and still have time to travel to other places without any problems, you may actually just want to change jobs. Even if you have not yet understood this yourself, subconsciously you have already begun to provoke the authorities to dismiss.
People who are accustomed to conflicts with others since childhood also suffer from this lack of punctuality. They simply do not want to live up to their expectations out of principle.
Inability to refuse
The inability to say “no” to others is often the reason for the lateness of insecure people. Even if a person realizes that he will not be in time, he still cannot refuse and spends his personal time helping others.
Complexes
Sometimes it’s all about the need to get the emotional response of others. Or punishment – if a person is constantly tormented by a feeling of guilt towards someone. Or pity – when he lacks attention and care. Unconsciously, a person expects to be pitied. Therefore, it comes at the wrong time, hiding behind far-fetched problems.
Boredom
Someone just needs an adrenaline rush. And he wants to get into an extreme situation. Being late is not too risky, but still a delicate option for the nerves.
Unwillingness to control your life
Passive individuals like to relieve themselves of responsibility and blame the circumstances. They don’t even try to get organized. In fact, they don’t care whether they make it or not. Indeed, in case of delay, you can always say that he could not do anything.
Lifestyle
When you are used to doing everything late, it is very difficult to rebuild. You can sincerely want to be in time, but it is still bad to calculate the time, forget something, take longer than necessary. Sometimes it lasts for years. Unwillingness to go to lessons leads to non-punctuality at school age, then the same thing happens at the university. And for work, even a loved one, a person is late already out of habit.
How to develop punctuality
Lack of self-discipline, self-confidence and a desire to take responsibility are the most common reasons for being late. They can be so strong that even the fear of severe punishment will not force a person to overpower himself. Inattentive people who are constantly distracted and unable to concentrate are easily late.
But all this is quite possible to cope with. First, you need to identify the root cause. If the lack of competent time management is to blame for lack of punctuality, this is one thing. It is completely different when you force yourself to go to an unloved job or to see people who are unpleasant to you every day. Of course, you can try different options. But the most effective is still a change in activity or environment.
A psychologist will help get rid of complexes and fears. Such internal problems affect not only punctuality, but also life in general. Therefore, the sooner you start working on them, the better.
Well, if you need to become more organized and learn about time management, use these tips:
1. RECORD YOUR ACTIONS record your activities
During the day, write down everything you did and how long it took. At the end, read the list and analyze how you are spending this valuable resource. If you are late, something is taking longer than necessary. Perhaps you pay too much attention to social media or TV. Or slowly getting ready. Think about how you can save an hour or two.
2. COMPOSITION OF THE SCHEDULE
After completing the previous point, it will become easier to plan the day so that everything can be done in time. Think how much time you need for the main things, and work out a regime. Do not try to squeeze many plans in one day. You won’t be in time anyway. Let it be your main job, one important job and a little hobby. Also, remember to schedule full meals, a rest break, and at least 8 hours of sleep.
3. PREPARE IN ADVANCE
If you usually get ready in a hurry, get into the habit of preparing everything in advance. In the morning – in the evening, in the evening – in the morning. Put aside the clothes you will wear, pack your bag, choose the best route to your destination. Before an important task, think over at least a couple of options for its implementation. In case something goes wrong. And always plan ahead. It will relieve you of stress.
4. MAKE PRIORITIES
Don’t mess with your schedule unless absolutely necessary. It is very important to learn to say no, including to yourself. Always think what is more important to you: to satisfy a fleeting desire or to keep moving towards the goal? Help one person or not let several people down? Finish the work at last or postpone it again?
An unscheduled meeting with friends, helping a neighbor or a new episode of the series can wait until the evening or the weekend. Likewise in the office – do not perform their duties for others, if this does not affect the effectiveness of your work right now.
5. REMEMBER THE CONSEQUENCES
Always remind yourself of the consequences of non-punctuality. Yes, people around will not attach much importance to a couple of delays. But if you don’t improve, you will lose their respect and trust, you can lose your job. Therefore, do not allow yourself indulgences even in small things. You can think of some kind of punishment for breaking the schedule. A day without social media, for example.
6. PRAISE YOURSELF
Be sure to celebrate all successes. When you manage to calculate the time, arrive on time and finish the planned tasks, do not forget to praise yourself and celebrate this small victory, for example, with something tasty. After all, the carrot-and-stick method is always more effective than solid penalties.
If you follow these recommendations, you will quickly get used to being organized and simply won’t be able to be late.
