Being on time is sexy. Being chronically late, not so much. When people consistently show up five to ten minutes early they are typically people you can count on. These are people you don’t need to micromanage. These are people you don’t have to worry if they are going to do what they said they would do. These are the people you can and want to accomplish things with.
On the other hand people who consistently show up late can typically be people who sometimes don’t show up at all. When you ask them to do something you are not sure if it will get done. These are people you have to micromanage because they often don’t follow through. They don’t follow through because they don’t know how to prioritize their commitments over the other activities in their life.
Now there are people who show up on time but never really show up, as well as people who show up late but when they show up they are all in. That being said both of these people with just a little shift in priorities and purpose could up their game and become even more awesome!
If you want to up your game by being on time here are a few excuses to avoid at all cost: I slept through my alarm; I forgot to set an alarm; my phone died so my alarm didn’t go off. I stayed up until 3am hanging out with friends (which is the main reason for sleeping through the alarm); I forgot what day it was. Excuses try to make sense of why we didn’t do something we should have done.
If we take responsibility for our commitments then we make it a priority to remember when and where to show up and we plan out or think through what needs to be done by a certain time to guarantee that we show up on time.
No one likes showing up late. Running late creates stress and anxiety. You rush around fearing a reprove. But if you change your time table you create an environment of peace. When you shoot to show up ten minutes early and you are five minutes late, you are still five minutes early (did you catch that?). When you are early there is no reason to rush. But if you shoot to show up right on time and your five minutes late, then your five minutes late.
Being on time shows your level of responsibility to your commitments. It also shows that you know how to prioritize your commitments over your comfort. Being on time shows your awareness of the value of other people’s time. Adjust your time table and create an environment of peace. Sometimes the easiest way to stand out is to show up on time.