Being on time results from your whole attitude towards time. It requires a bit of an attitude adjustment. A lot of the time, people show up late because the event isn’t all that important to them. So don’t schedule events that aren’t important; use that time for things that are important to you.
Here are some other ways to make yourself more punctual:
Don’t check your email or voicemail right before you leave. That “last quick check” will almost always take more time than you think.
Plan for trouble. Always add 25 percent to your time estimate to get anywhere or do any task.
Set up the night before. Lay out your clothes, put your wallet in your pants pockets or purse, load up your bag with whatever material you’ll need, put your lunch together, and so on.
Set your clocks ahead a few minutes each -- by different amounts. You might have a look at the Procrastinator’s Clock which is some random amount of time ahead, up to 15 minutes.
Learn to better estimate how much time things take. Use a time tracker app like RescueTime to learn how long typical tasks take you to complete.
Schedule events 10 minutes early. Put your 1:00 appointment into your schedule at 12:50.
Set reminders. Use your calendar program’s built-in reminder function, or use a service like Sandy to send you text reminders at set intervals before each appointment
Schedule events for “off-peak” times. Learn the times that traffic or other factors might make you late, and avoid scheduling during those times.
Fill your gas tank when it reaches 1/4 tank. Don’t let an empty gas tank make you late for anything.
Use a countdown timer. Grab a cheap digital timer, and use it to create a sense of urgency.
Sources:
* Lifehack.org May 16, 2008
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