There is a category of people who are late all the time and live in a constant hurry. To work, to a friendly meeting, to a hairdresser, to a train, to a theater - they cannot come anywhere on time, everywhere they manage at the very last moment (or do not have time at all). How to stop being late? How to become a punctual person? In psychology, there are many valuable recommendations on this subject.
Types of late
How to stop being late? First decide what type of late you are:
- Deadliners. This type is characterized by haste at the last moment. Such people are constantly distracted by something and do not think at all about fulfilling the main tasks, until a few minutes remain before the X-hour. Haste mobilizes them completely and makes them act efficiently. You could even say that they enjoy the hustle and bustle.
- Manufacturers They like to perform many tasks in a short period of time. They are late not because they are scattered, but because they overestimate their capabilities. Manufacturers try to do everything at once, but in the end they do not have time to do anything.
- Scattered professors. These are people who are constantly distracted from the main task. Losing a sense of time, they are late all the time. This category also includes forgetful people who have to return for an umbrella, for keys or to turn off the iron.
- Rationalizers. They are constantly late, but never admit their guilt in this. They can always find a convincing justification for the situation. Moreover, they convince not only those around them that they are right. They themselves sincerely believe that they could not influence the situation.
- Spoils. These are people who lack self-control skills. They are rather frivolous about punctuality and do not see anything reprehensible in this.
- Rebels. Deliberately late to demonstrate their independence and "otherness." Being late can also be a way to attract attention. As a rule, women abuse it.
How to understand that you are not a punctual person
Realizing the problem is the first thing to do if you are interested in how to stop being late and start living on schedule. So, you should sound the alarm if you are characterized by such signs:
- You always blame late circumstances. In fact, force majeure situations, which can serve as a convincing excuse, are extremely rare. It's all about your unwillingness or lack of interest. Think, if you were in a hurry for a million dollars, could something stop you or delay you?
- You are selfish. In most cases, non-punctuality causes discomfort to other people. If you are constantly late, it means that you do not care that someone is losing valuable time because of you. But do you forgive non-punctuality to others?
- You are overly optimistic. Hoping for a successful combination of circumstances, you always leave the house at the last moment. You do not want to allow the thought that something may go wrong.
- You are not planning. For a punctual person, each planned business has its own deadline accurate to the minute. Non-punctual people act "according to circumstances."
- You are focused on the ultimate goal. You clearly know that you need to get from point "A" to point "B". But you absolutely do not pay attention to intermediate tasks. Meanwhile, they also need detailed planning and timing.
- You never look at the watch. A punctual person wants to keep time under control.
Learn to feel the time
The first and most important way to stop being late is to learn to feel the time. Often delays are caused by false temporary stereotypes. For example, once, thanks to a successful combination of circumstances, you got to work in 20 minutes. You begin to think that this is a standard indicator, and now you will always fit into this time period. Or maybe you just do not know how to count the time for a particular action? Coaches claim that this skill can be mastered in two weeks:
- Get a small convenient notebook that you will always be comfortable carrying.
- In the evening, describe in detail the plan of action for tomorrow. It should be as detailed as possible and include even such routine moments as water treatments, breakfast, a snack and so on.
- Next to each item, indicate the time for which you plan to cope with a specific case. Write without thinking twice. It’s important that the indicators are consistent with your objective views.
- Keep timekeeping throughout the day. Opposite each action, write down the real time spent on its implementation.
- In the evening, compare the starting and reporting indicators, determine the error. Given the discrepancy, make a new daily routine for tomorrow.
- Within 14 days, make notes and adjust them. During this time, you will learn how to correctly calculate the time it takes to complete a standard set of actions.
Make a temporary reserve
The surefire way to stop being late is to make a temporary supply. For example, you know for sure that under favorable conditions, the journey to work takes 30 minutes. But this does not mean that luck will always accompany you. And if force majeure arises? If you get stuck in traffic, remember that you forgot documents at home, meet an old friend on the way, and so on? You will definitely get out of the planned schedule and be late. To always arrive at your destination on time, get out at least 15 minutes early. Ideally, you should consider all possible obstacles and force majeure circumstances for each specific route that you take regularly.
Fill the wait with meaning
How to stop being late? The psychology of some people is such that they do not like to wait. Indeed, what to do with yourself if you arrive at the appointed place ahead of time? Try to think about your "leisure" in advance. So, if you get to your destination 15-20 minutes earlier, you can do the following:
- adjust your hair and make-up, make sure that you look neat;
- have a snack with a chocolate bar or drink coffee in a buffet;
- read an e-book;
- listen to a couple of your favorite tracks;
- chat with a friend over the phone;
- make a daily routine for tomorrow or a to-do list for the next week;
- look through a feed on a social network or read news resources;
- learn five to ten new foreign words;
- repeat the text of the report;
- and much more interesting and useful.
Get it right
How to stop being late for work? You need to learn how to pack. What does your morning start with? Surely, as soon as you wake up, you begin to view the news feed on the Internet, go to social networks, turn on the TV or read a newspaper. STOP! First you have to wash, get dressed and have breakfast. If at the time of “readiness” you understand that you have another 10-15 minutes before the release, you can be a little distracted as a reward for efficiency.
Learn to get enough sleep
Oddly enough, one of the most effective methods to stop being late is to get enough sleep. A sleepy person becomes lethargic and slow. He can manage to be late, even if he leaves the house with an impressive temporary reserve. To be alert, energetic and punctual, follow these guidelines:
- Do not stay up late. Try to go to bed before midnight.
- Do not watch action films or talk shows at night, do not listen to loud music - do not do anything that can cause strong emotions (both positive and negative). They do not contribute to falling asleep.
- Drink valerian. With regular use, a safe penny can help normalize sleep.
- Read before bedtime. This activity is great lulling.
Cook your sleigh in the evening
How to always arrive on time, or how to stop being late? Tardies are often asked by this question. But the answer is known to everyone from the school bench - to prepare for a new day in the evening. If you collected a portfolio in advance as a child, what prevents you from doing something similar now? In the evening you need to do the following:
- make a plan for the next day;
- prepare clothes;
- fold the bag and check several times for everything you need;
- think over the breakfast menu.
If you are preparing for a new day in the evening, you can safely set the alarm half an hour later, because you already have time.
Get support
Well, if you know a way to stop being late once and for all, and you can independently pull yourself together. But if you do not have enough willpower, you will have to enlist the support of loved ones. But this is not support in its usual sense, but rather a kick. Ask your family and friends to behave with you as strictly and unfriendly as you deviate from the schedule or be distracted by extraneous matters. You will be surprised, but it really works.
Put yourself in the shoes of others
An easy way to stop being late is to put yourself in the place of another person. Imagine that you made an appointment for someone, arrived at the appointed place in advance, and look forward to it. And the person is still gone - 5, 10, 15, 30 minutes ... Fantasy well on what you think about him while you wait? Are you glad to see the late when he still deigns to come? Do you want to deal with such an irresponsible and non-punctual person? Hardly ... But this terrible person is you! How? You are still frivolous about being late.
Soberly assess your capabilities
How to stop being late and manage your time? Learn to soberly assess your capabilities. Perhaps the reason for the constant rush lies not in your non-punctuality, but in the fact that you take on too much. You want to do everything at once, but in the end you don’t have time. It may be worth shifting some of your responsibilities to households so that you have at least a little more time to perform the required operations. Perhaps you should not try to do everything in one day - for sure there are things that can be postponed for several days.
Negative motivation
In matters of lateness and punctuality, negative motivation works much more effectively than positive. What happens if you come to work on time? Yes, nothing special - a normal working day. But for constant tardiness you can get a severe reprimand or even get fired. What happens if you arrive at the station on time? Just get on the train and go. And if you are late, you will lose the money spent on tickets, and will break the trip. What happens if you arrive at the meeting on time? Just talk to the person. But if you are late, you run the risk of quarreling and earning a bad reputation.
A few more punctual man habits
Effective methods in psychology, how to stop being late, are based on the formation of good habits. Bringing them to automatism, you will always be punctual and timely. Here are the most important and useful habits:
- Get up strictly on the alarm clock. No translations for 5, 10 or 15 minutes - exactly the same thing you will do throughout the day, putting off important matters. If you are objectively aware that you can lie in bed for some time, it is better to set the alarm clock to "later" in the evening. If not, then put the alarm away from the bed - then you definitely will not be up to sleep.
- Start two alarms. One of them - on the rise, and the second - at the time when you must leave the house.
- Do all the important things in the morning. Before lunch, a person is quite energetic. And in the afternoon, fatigue begins to accumulate.
- Plan in writing. Write down everything you have to do, with an indication of the time frame. What is written on paper, consciousness perceives as something binding.
Related Literature
If you are tired of being dysfunctional and want to learn how to stop being late for work, for a train, for a date, you should definitely read a couple of books on time management. The following publications are most popular:
- "Time Drive: How to manage to live and work" - G. Arkhangelsky.
- "Tight Time Management: Take Control of Your Life" - D. Kennedy.
- "Tomato Time Management: How to Concentrate on One Case for At least 25 Minutes" - S. Neteberg.
- "Willpower: How to Develop and Strengthen" - C. McGonigal.
- “Work less, do more. Personal effectiveness program” - C. Gleason.