I figured it out! I know the magical reason as to why people that are habitually late, are well, always late.  Follow me with this one.

Between time X and when the task needs to be done, the late bird works at his/her most efficient output capacity towards the WRONG actions.

Here’s what I mean. I analyzed a friend of mine that never fails to be late.  If you tell her that she needs to be at movie theater in one hour, her thought process plays out like this:

1.    She would internalize the time frame.   Instead of dealing with the time frame in an assertive manner, like it was an obligation that had to be met, she would set it aside as if it was easily dismissible.

2.    Then she would decide on what other things she can accomplish during the time frame given. So instead of solely preparing to go to the movies, she’ll multitask and incorporate projects that are not even remotely related to the task at hand.  So during the one hour time frame, she would probably clean her room, polish her bowling balls, mow her lawn, and maybe even pick up groceries.

It’s during this time frame that she easily becomes the most efficient individual that she could ever aspire being.

Far-fetched reasoning, I know.  It definitely doesn’t fit the bill for everyone that is late, especially lazy fucks.   Perhaps everyone else.

I am definitely no angel when it comes to being on time.  In fact last Sunday I organized a biking event where we were supposed to meet up at 8AM sharp.  It was 7:55AM and I decided to stop by McDonald’s.  I’m terrible!

Here are the 7 things that help me combat tardiness:

1.    Write it down.  I don’t know about you, but when I write things down, I feel that I have upped the ante. I’m essentially holding myself accountable because it’s now in writing. If anything, it speeds up the law of attraction. When you write down the task, you’re one step closer to bringing it to fruition.

2.    Create your own schedule. If you have to be somewhere, do not commit to a specific time, but rather a timeframe. So if your friend wants to meet up for drinks in 30 minutes, then say you’ll be there in 25-45 minutes.  You have not created a lovely cushion for yourself.

3.    Know your priorities.   Arrange them by importance and timeframe it needs to be accomplished by. This is a life skill that everyone needs. The power of “NO” is of the utmost importance here.  If you’re inundated, just say “NO”.

4.    Use a calendar.   Or better yet use a computerized calendar. Technology has gone lengths in the the past several years. Everything is sync-able. Input your deadline into a computer calendar and sync it up to your iPhone, PDA, Crackberry, etc. Once the time is reserved, you’ll immediately know that it’s off limits. When the time comes, it’s the only task you’ll have to focus on.

5.    Have your alarms go off in different places.  I do this all the time.  When I go to bed, I set both my phone alarm and my alarm clock. I don’t keep them together though. One alarm is next to me while the other one is walking distance away. Hit snooze and you lose.

6.    Optimize your life.  People are usually late due to everyday distractions. Learn to optimize your life by segmenting portions of your day for these everyday distractions. Take email for example. Instead of checking it whenever you hear your reminder, check it once around 8 AM and once around 12:30 PM.  Do what Tim Ferriss does and have an auto-reply set up to inform those that email you the details of your change.

7.   Think about the people that you are affecting.  When I’m late I get anxious because I know how I get when I have to wait on someone else, disappointed (sad face) or angry (mad face).  If I feel this way, I’m sure others feel it too.  An old manager once told me that “Whenever you’re late, you lose value.  Your sense of accountability is tarnished, you’re less likely to be depended on, and you halt progression.”  Now why would you be that person that halts progression?  Why?  Why?  Why?

So do you guys have friends like the one in my example?  Maybe it’s you!  Don’t Lie!

Rub Rakha! (Punjabi)

photo credit: Damian_78

Related posts:

1. The Most Effective Ways to Waste Time