Anyone who knows me knows that I run on the theory that if I’m not five minutes early, I’m late! I totally get that this is not in fact how everyone operates, and I suppose it’s no surprise, given my role as an efficiency coach, that I hold a high value on punctuality and all the delicious ripple effects that come from every person in my life being on time, every time! If only! I don’t need to tell you that punctuality in the professional world is important. There are all sorts of statistics and research on the huge amounts of money businesses lose due to lateness. Think of the store opening late and customers going elsewhere, or the tardy bank deposit resulting in lost interest and/or late fees, or missed deadlines due to not being on time for meetings and missing key pieces of information.
Lateness rarely remains isolated. The domino effect of hitting the snooze button one last time plays itself out all over the working world every single day. Sure, sometimes lateness can’t be helped. How were you to know there was going to be a fender-bender on the 101? I’m not talking about that. I’m saying if you are the person who is known for always holding up the show, you may want to look at how that behavior is affecting your professional and personal lives.
The very influential Gretchen Rubin, best known for her bestseller The Happiness Project, offers some simple tips for overcoming lateness. I’ve embellished a bit and offer you some life hacks for being on time.