How to Stop Running Late
Always plan to arrive early., Set two alarms., Prepare for the day ahead., Learn to leave time in between tasks and meetings., Trim your schedule., Watch for time traps.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Always plan to arrive early.
When you have to be somewhere, try to arrive 15-30 minutes before you need to.
If you always run late, that means you must be failing to account for something you always do.
Anticipate that by giving yourself extra time to arrive.Keep track of whether or not you actually do arrive early! You might find that leaving "early" gets you to places exactly on time. -
Step 2: Set two alarms.
Set one alarm that lets you know it's time to drop what you're doing, and a second alarm that means you need to walking out the door.
Obey the alarms!As soon as the first alarm goes off, stop what you're doing.
If it's something you'll be coming back to, like a project for work, make a note to remind yourself where you left off.
Grab everything you need, and make sure you know how to get where you're going.
Aim to be out the door and on your way before the second alarm rings.
This will only work if you take the alarms seriously, so make sure you react as soon as you hear them. , Have all of your notes and materials organized well in advance of each event so that all you have to do is grab them and go when it's the actual day.
If mornings are a struggle for you, do as much as you can to ready yourself the night before.Before you go to bed, lay out your clothes and pack your bag for the next day.
Plan your meals so that you aren't dithering about trying to find milk for your cereal in the darkest hour of dawn. , It soon becomes unbearable to lurch between one meeting and another without space in between.
If you overschedule yourself, however, you'll arrive late as soon as you hit a bump.As well as giving you space, this time also acts as a buffer between events which can be "borrowed" from should you be held up in a prior meeting, allowing you to still get to the next one on time.
Calculate transit time between activities, and then add 10-30 minutes for unexpected delays.
If you overschedule out of fear of downtime, give yourself something pleasant or productive to do during waits.
You might bring a novel you like, or use waiting time to catch up on your email. , Is your calendar full of promises that you're rushing about to keep? Start thinking about how you can rearrange existing appointments and put in place a plan to accept fewer appointments in the future.Delegate some of the errands and chores.
It's highly likely that there are other people in your life just as suitable to run some of your errands and do some of your chores, from family members to staff.
Look at each thing on your calendar and ask yourself what end it serves.
If you have multiple commitments that serve similar ends, cut some from each category.
Only do the things that don't take you right out of your way and that are things you're able to do in a timely way.
Over stretching yourself harms your health and your interactions with others. , Look for activities that suck up your day, like going online, playing video games, watching shows, cleaning, or worrying.
Even helping other people can be a time suck.
If you have certain activities that cause you to forget the time, schedule them for moments when they won't make you late for anything.Staying connected all the time may seem efficient and clued in but it can all too easily mean that you're not noticing time passing by.
If checking emails or playing games causes you to be late for meetings or appointments or it's causing you to miss deadlines or other things that need doing in life, it's time to realign your priorities. -
Step 3: Prepare for the day ahead.
-
Step 4: Learn to leave time in between tasks and meetings.
-
Step 5: Trim your schedule.
-
Step 6: Watch for time traps.
Detailed Guide
When you have to be somewhere, try to arrive 15-30 minutes before you need to.
If you always run late, that means you must be failing to account for something you always do.
Anticipate that by giving yourself extra time to arrive.Keep track of whether or not you actually do arrive early! You might find that leaving "early" gets you to places exactly on time.
Set one alarm that lets you know it's time to drop what you're doing, and a second alarm that means you need to walking out the door.
Obey the alarms!As soon as the first alarm goes off, stop what you're doing.
If it's something you'll be coming back to, like a project for work, make a note to remind yourself where you left off.
Grab everything you need, and make sure you know how to get where you're going.
Aim to be out the door and on your way before the second alarm rings.
This will only work if you take the alarms seriously, so make sure you react as soon as you hear them. , Have all of your notes and materials organized well in advance of each event so that all you have to do is grab them and go when it's the actual day.
If mornings are a struggle for you, do as much as you can to ready yourself the night before.Before you go to bed, lay out your clothes and pack your bag for the next day.
Plan your meals so that you aren't dithering about trying to find milk for your cereal in the darkest hour of dawn. , It soon becomes unbearable to lurch between one meeting and another without space in between.
If you overschedule yourself, however, you'll arrive late as soon as you hit a bump.As well as giving you space, this time also acts as a buffer between events which can be "borrowed" from should you be held up in a prior meeting, allowing you to still get to the next one on time.
Calculate transit time between activities, and then add 10-30 minutes for unexpected delays.
If you overschedule out of fear of downtime, give yourself something pleasant or productive to do during waits.
You might bring a novel you like, or use waiting time to catch up on your email. , Is your calendar full of promises that you're rushing about to keep? Start thinking about how you can rearrange existing appointments and put in place a plan to accept fewer appointments in the future.Delegate some of the errands and chores.
It's highly likely that there are other people in your life just as suitable to run some of your errands and do some of your chores, from family members to staff.
Look at each thing on your calendar and ask yourself what end it serves.
If you have multiple commitments that serve similar ends, cut some from each category.
Only do the things that don't take you right out of your way and that are things you're able to do in a timely way.
Over stretching yourself harms your health and your interactions with others. , Look for activities that suck up your day, like going online, playing video games, watching shows, cleaning, or worrying.
Even helping other people can be a time suck.
If you have certain activities that cause you to forget the time, schedule them for moments when they won't make you late for anything.Staying connected all the time may seem efficient and clued in but it can all too easily mean that you're not noticing time passing by.
If checking emails or playing games causes you to be late for meetings or appointments or it's causing you to miss deadlines or other things that need doing in life, it's time to realign your priorities.
About the Author
Stephanie Gonzales
Professional writer focused on creating easy-to-follow creative arts tutorials.
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