The importance of punctuality

I read an article recently that claimed that people who are late are more successful, and live longer. Don’t believe it. Chronic lateness is stressful, unacceptable in business, and can be detrimental to your success – and even your job.
Most people don’t want to be late. They don’t do it intentionally. And they are more times than not embarrassed, frustrated and stressed – and probably have their longevity threatened, not lengthened, by chronic lateness. People are late for different reasons, including poor time management skills, disorganization, and even due to health problems such as depression, OCD or mild cognitive impairment. And poor time management, organizing skills, and procrastination and poor self-control – all could be a result of, or exacerbated by, weak executive functioning.
Executive functioning refers to those brain based self-regulating skills that we use every day to get things done. They take about twenty years to fully develop, and if weak, can play havoc with our ability to plan ahead, resist distractions, and arrive at our destination on time. At work it becomes most evident in missed deadlines or arriving late at meetings or forgetting appointments.
Lateness in most cases can be overcome with time management training; but different people require more time and effort in applying the recommendations than others. But even weak executive skills can be strengthened through effort. Strengthening these various brain-based skills is covered in detail in my eBook, Strengthening your brain’s executive skills, published by Bookboon.com. But in general you should get adequate sleep, avoid stress, eat properly, and exercise both your body and your brain. This is essential since your brain, which is only 2% of the body weight, consumes up to 25% of the energy nutrients distributed by the blood.
Most of the reasons for being late have little to do with weak executive skills, and can be remedied by common sense, etiquette and the application of sound time management and organizing principles.

1. Make up your mind that you will be punctual from now on. In many cases lateness is caused by a lack of commitment to arrive on time. Have the right mindset.
2. Record commitments in your planner, and also record the time you must leave the house or office in order to arrive on time. Plan to arrive 5 to 10 minutes early.
3. Always allow more time to travel to the meeting or other commitment than you think it will take. This is the same as scheduling more time for a task than you think it will take. It will allow for interruption by people you meet on the way, traffic congestion, parking, and so on.
4. To determine the time needed in item 3, visualize the trip in your mind, adding time for each segment, such as taking the elevator, walking to your car, driving to the other office building, finding the right room, and so on. Then add your safety factor.
5. Don’t be trapped by the one last thing If you’re ready to leave and it’s still early, leave anyway. Utilize the time at the other end rather than trying to finish one more task before you leave.
6. If you have a morning meeting or other commitment, get everything you will need for the event ready the night before. Always plan ahead.
7. If you use an iPhone or other electronic device, set the alarm for the time you have to stop what you are doing and leave for your meeting.
8. If something unplanned and unavoidable happens and you think you might be late, make a quick courtesy call so others won’t waste time waiting for you. When you arrive, apologize briefly but skip the excuses.

Punctuality is not just good etiquette, it’s essential. In business, it shows you are professional, respect other people’s time, manage your time well, and are on top of your job. It also lowers your stress level and provides a feeling of being in control. On the other hand, chronically late people are usually not high on the list for promotion.
In your personal life, it shows respect for your friends and acquaintances, an eagerness to participate, and a reputation for being dependable and trustworthy.
Arriving on time has its rewards.