Punctuality Counts
For years, I could be counted on to be late. Got a lunch meeting at 11:30 am? Dustin will be there at 11:40. Got a class at 9:00am? Dustin will be there at 9:20. Is there a meeting at 6:00 pm? Dustin’s there by 6:30. Work hours are 8:30 am to 5 pm? I’m in by 9:00.
People joked about it. It was my “thing” — I was on “Dustin time”. It was all very funny — until I realized that the same people that joked about it showed, time and again, that they didn’t trust me to get things done — that, indeed, they saw me as an incompetent person who couldn’t even get it together enough to be on time.
Being punctual matters, at least in today’s Western societies. Being on time, every time, conveys far more than just a good sense of timing. It tells people that you’re on top of things, that you’re organized, that you can be counted on, that you value them, and, ultimately, that you value yourself.
Punctuality shows mastery
Being on time consistently shows everyone around you that you are the master of your life. It demonstrates foresight — the ability to predict possible hang-ups — and adaptability — the ability to change your plans to accommodate those hang-ups.
On the other hand, being late all the time shows that you are a victim of the winds of fate, that you’re incapable of anticipating possible problems and either dealing with them or altering your course to avoid them. It sends the message that you’re harassed by time, not in control of it.
Punctuality shows competence
Someone who shows, over and over, that they are the master of their time is someone who will be taken seriously in areas far removed from time management. That foresight and adaptability that gets you where you need to be, when you need to be there, tells the people around you that you can handle whatever is thrown at you.
Conversely, people assume that if the chronically late person can’t even consider the possibility of a little extra traffic, s/he won’t be able to consider other obstacles that might stand in the way of getting a project or task done.
Punctuality shows integrity
Punctuality is also a trust issue. When you make an appointment, you are making a commitment to be where you said you’d be when you said you’d be there. The only way you build up other people’s trust in you is by consistently meeting your commitments — and that starts with being punctual. The person who is always on time is someone others can trust to be as good as their word.
In contrast, the person who is perpetually late is, plain and simple, someone who lies to you repeatedly. You said you’d be here at 9 o’clock, but you’re not here; if your word isn’t good enough about something as trivial as showing up on time, how can your word be any good about anything more important?
Punctuality shows you value people
People are busy — too busy to be waiting on you while their other work goes unfinished. Being punctual shows, clearly and truly, that you value their time and, by extension, that you value them as a person. It says, “Let’s make this time we’ve arranged as productive as possible so we can both get on with all our other important stuff.”
Compare that with the attitude of the chronically late person who, when confronted, says, “But I’m always on time for the things that are important.” The message this sends is that, when I’m late, it’s because I really don’t feel that whatever I’m late for is all that important — if it were a date with a cute woman or man I met at the Starbucks, I’d have been on time; if it were a Moby concert, I’d have been on time; but since it’s just a meeting about the status of the big project I’m working on, I feel I can be late.
There’s another kind of always-late person: the person who makes a “big entrance”, using their lack of punctuality to show their status. Let’s face it — showing off your importance by having other people sit and wait on you clearly says “you’re not important to me.” And everyone knows the solution — don’t show up, or wait until the moment’s just right, and stab that high-and-mighty loser in the back. If you like to make the grand entrance, don’t worry — someday soon you’ll make a grand entrance to an empty room.
Punctuality shows you value yourself
Finally, being on time shows you value your time — and yourself. First of all, being repeatedly late is a self-destructive behavior — why else would you risk not landing the big client, losing your job, or insulting those around you? And everyone knows that most self-destructive behavior follows from low self-esteem. Even if it’s not true, that’s the perception you’re allowing others.
Second of all, punctuality shows that your time is too valuable to waste stuck in traffic, on the phone dealing with trivial matters, or otherwise occupied in anything other than the business at hand. Being late demonstrates, plainly and clearly, that you’re interruptible, that your work is never as high a priority as whatever trivial thing comes along, and that you’re unwilling to set priorities in your own life. If that’s the case, why should anyone else care about your time? Why shouldn’t they interrupt you whenever they feel like it, dump meaningless busy-work on you, or dismiss you entirely?
It took me a while to figure all this out (late to the party, as usual) but once I did, I made a concerted effort to be on time — or, usually, early — for every appointment. With few exceptions, I am on time, too — and every exception is an opportunity for me to learn how better to manage the same circumstances next time.
If you’re perpetually late, it’s time to stop — right now, not 10 minutes from now. Consider the message you’re sending to those around you, and consider the message you’d like to be sending, and act immediately to match those two up.
WRITER'S BIOGRAPHY
Dustin Wax
Dustin M. Wax is the project manager at Stepcase Lifehack. He is also the creator of The Writer's Technology Companion, a site devoted to the tools of the writing trade. When he's not writing, he teaches anthropology and gender studies in Las Vegas, NV. He is the author of Don't Be Stupid: A Guide to Learning, Studying, and Succeeding at College.
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Comments
Yvette says on May 14th, 2008 at 12:22 pm
wow. heh.
as a perpetually late person myself, this article sure made me realize how little i value my job, myself, and others opinions of me.
something to work on for sure as i enter my mid 30s and try to focus on my future.
Vered - MomGrind says on May 14th, 2008 at 12:36 pm
Well, I’m the opposite. After years of always pressuring myself to get to places on time, I am finding out that being a little late once in a while is not the end of the world.
But I am generally trying to let go of my over-acieveness (is that a word?), relax a little and put less pressure on myself to be “perfect” in all areas of my life.
I do agree that being perpetually late, especially in a business setting, IS a problem.
Provi says on May 14th, 2008 at 2:41 pm
Very good article, with much truth to it. I have to say, with the job I have, it really is hard to get motivated to even care to be on time. I work in a restuarant and honestly, most days I don’t care at all for the whole thing. It doesn’t feel to me like it’s making a difference, serving in a resturant.
But everything you said is true. It’ll make me think nonetheless. It’s the motivation part that can kill you.
Dustin Wax says on May 14th, 2008 at 4:50 pm
Provi: Of course, that’s a problem. I suppose eacah of us has to decide for themselves whether the things they are doing are worth the effort they take, but to me, lack of motivation is a warning sign. Sometimes it means that I’m facing challenges I hadn’t anticipated and need to rethink strategy, but often it means I’m victom of inertia, churning my wheels to keep moving in something I really don’t care about. In the later case, it’s time to rethink what I’m doing.
But it seems like you already know that.
Elle says on May 14th, 2008 at 5:44 pm
Great post!
I have a parent who has their own personal sense of timing, and at first I mirrored this behavior. Then I realized that people who are punctual think that people who are always late are rude. It’s that simple - punctual people think, “I made it here on time because I made the effort to do so. Why couldn’t you do the same for me?”
Since realizing this, I’ve been trying to do whatever I can to prove to my punctual friends and family members that I respect their feelings enough to make the effort to be on time.
I found the recommended steps to becoming more punctual in this article to be helpful:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06.....mp;emc=rss
B Smith @ Wealth and Wisdom says on May 14th, 2008 at 6:18 pm
I can see it from both sides. I hate it when people show up late. It shows a lack of respect and that my time is not important.
I can also attest to the damage showing up late can do. I lost a project because my technical expert was consistently late. If we can’t bid on time and show up to meetings, how will we deliver the final product on schedule? There goes that commission check!
Thursday Bram says on May 14th, 2008 at 10:20 pm
I’ve worked with a client who is late to every meeting and needs reminding of every step they must make before we can start work. That sort of consistent tardiness tells me exactly how my work is valued — at best, I’m a service provider and far less important than the client’s own time. But Heaven forbid I’m ever late on a deadline!
harmzie says on May 14th, 2008 at 10:45 pm
Excellent post. Very succinct. It’s like you value the time I have to read this!
This is something I’ve been working on since it dawned on me how my being late was a reflection (even if unintended) on how I value *others’* time. I’m not quite 100% (or even 90), but when I’m late, it’s almost *always* because I’ve crammed too much in before (one more phone call, email, errand). I try to think: “If this were a flight departure time, would I be messing with this extra task???” Works sometimes…
fathersez says on May 14th, 2008 at 11:54 pm
I agree. Being punctual shows respect to the other party and yourself.
I worked in Ghana for 3 years, where they had a concept of GMT being Ghana Mean Time.
Functions would start 2- 3 hours late since the guest of honour inevitably was late. It was a real mockery. Sometime in 2002 or so, they had a program to improve their punctuality and if I am not mistaken the guest of honour arived 3 hours late for the launch!
Shamelle @ Enhance Life says on May 15th, 2008 at 12:05 am
I know what you mean. One of my university professors really was tough on us about punctuality. His lectures used to start at 9 AM and he expected everyone to be there at 8.59:59
Dustin Wax says on May 15th, 2008 at 1:15 am
Fathersez: Of course, it pays to be sensitive to local cultural norms. I was careful to restrict these comments to Western societies, because I know there are quite a few places where being punctual might not only be useless but be seen as rude, even.
Yvette says on May 15th, 2008 at 9:17 am
i made it to work on time today.
Farfield says on May 15th, 2008 at 10:40 am
Ok, this post is written for me!
It’s one of the things I really have to work on but I don’t pay attention to so much, but from now on I will try harder. The problem is most of the time an inaccurate estimation of the time I need to do something (most of the time do something before I go somewhere).
Thanks for the kick in the butt!
Anonomya says on May 15th, 2008 at 11:26 am
“…there are quite a few places where being punctual might not only be useless but be seen as rude, even.”
Where? Apparently I need to move!
For me the cause is definitely trying to cram too much into one day. It starts in the morning - checking a few emails that lead to articles I want to read, sales to check out, things to add to the to-do list, etc… Then it follows me around for the rest of the day, where I play catch up until finally I go to bed too late, then wake up late the next day due to lack of sleep, and start the cycle all over. Some of us are perfectly aware of it but not able to do anything about it with too many demands on our time.
lapka says on May 15th, 2008 at 12:11 pm
It’s all true. But the question remains: how to quit being late? Is realising what is bad about not coming on time enough to stop it? Even though I perfectly realise what the drawbacks of coming late are, I still do it more than often. Any hints how you’ve overcome it?
Dustin Wax says on May 15th, 2008 at 12:58 pm
Anonyma: I feel you, I really do. One of the reasons I wrote this post is to suggest that being late a lot might be a good sign of imbalance throughout our lives. As you say, there’s a snowball effect — first, being late at the beginning of the day tends to ripple to the rest of your commitments, but also, you waste a little bit more time with every lateness, so things take longer to get done, which makes you busier, which makes it harder and harder to be on time. In the end, I think we have to ask ourselves: Is it better to be 80% at everything or 100% at 80% of what I’m doing now?
Lapka: I think part of it is an attitude adjustment, yes. If you *know* people are likely to see you as dishonest and incompetent if you show up late, you’ll work harder at being on time. But I’m sure there are some practical tricks, too — maybe some of our readers can talk about how they manage to be punctual, and meanwhile I’ll think about it for a future post. Farfield already hit on one factor: estimating how much time you need to do things. There are practical answers to “how long will this take?”
Cy says on May 15th, 2008 at 1:00 pm
I’ve always blamed my tardiness on obsession of sleep and hatred for mornings. But after reading this article, I think its little do with that. Even if I’m 20 minutes late for a 9am meeting repeatedly I’m still 20 minutes late for a 9:20am meeting. It amounts to little foresight or commitment (and terrible time management). Thanks for the insight, Dustin! I will be making a change now. Ideas right are 1) setting my alarm back 30 minutes 2) allowing more commute time 3) more realistic scheduling of time 4) setting reminders with my phone.
eoh says on May 15th, 2008 at 3:54 pm
I totally disagree
When you;re always on time you show you have mastered the art of the show. Looks good, but what’s inside. Meeting from 10:00 till 12:00?? meeting is from 10:00 till 12:00. And if we have done what we should’ve done…make use of the time to waste it on some other details we should care about (yeah right)
If ou let your life being run by numbers (which time is) you have fled into structures. Read all the articles on lifehack on how to destroy creativity with structures.
Planning ahead is a waist of time. Planning every time for a traffic jam? All journies would take forever. Cutting of a promissing phonecall to be sure to be on time for yet another meeting??
At some days spending half an hour more in bed makes you more productive then getting out of bed all frustrated..and stay that way all day.
If people cant handle me being late…no problem. They should judge me on what i achieve (productivity!) not on how well i am organised. And that’s my style: Allright, he breaks all structures, never is on time, never shines his boots, but damn he does a good job.
mitzi says on May 15th, 2008 at 5:30 pm
I like harmzie’s post on thinking of your appointment time as a flight departure time.
I also have made it a point not to trust anyone’s estimate of how long it takes to get somewhere. If a friend, or even Google Maps, tells me it’s a 10 minute trip, I’ll double that to 20.
Yo says on May 16th, 2008 at 6:01 am
eoh, being late simply shows a lack of respect to the other person. I used to meet every week with a friend to go somewhere and he was always late. I wonder why I had to wait 15 min under the pouring rain. I no longer meet him.
I don’t understand why it is so difficult to be punctual. For instance, if I have to be somewhere at 9 and I know how long it takes to get there (let’s say 20 min), I leave my place 25 min earlier. Is it that difficult?
eoh says on May 16th, 2008 at 12:21 pm
@Yo
If you no longer meet him… it probably wasn’t a fruitfull friendship anyway. The time thing gave you an excuse for yourself to terminate the friendship.
JC says on May 18th, 2008 at 1:35 am
I had a teacher who was like that - and as the years went by, I think it got worse. Sometimes he was late getting to the studio, sometimes he would get there on time, but stall and not start class until 10 - 15 minutes late.
He knew that he was never punctual (a couple of times, I would ask if we could start class already) but he just didn’t really care.
And working in a university, professors + staff are never on time. Meetings perennially start 5 minutes late, to the point that most of the time, I don’t even bother to leave my office until the meeting’s start time. And I hate being late and value punctuality very much. But why should I bother to get to the meeting on time and waste 10 minutes for everyone to get there?
Luciano Passuello says on May 19th, 2008 at 4:54 pm
“The trouble with being punctual is that nobody’s there to appreciate it.”
-Franklin P. Jones
Great article!
:die says on May 23rd, 2008 at 4:21 am
I’m working with Executives in the Middle-East. People here have that strange attitude of being late. I can’t agree with ‘AOH’ that I have to accept my clients coming late. I’m charging them the time when I have to wait. Most of my clients then change their habits. But let me share with you this story:
When I was traveling Greece, I figure out that they have such a distorted view of time. ‘Afternoon’ start at 6pm and the ‘Evening’ at 10pm. This means people go to sleep at 7am, go to work at 11am and leave office at 2pm. One student I have spoken to once told me that their Math Prof is coming betweeen late to not at all. Of five time Math a week, the teacher is present two times. That student was lucky enough to be bright and could handle the subject on it’s own. But other students just failed all the way along.
No, I don’t afgree it’s trivial when you are late. The implications can be devastating. For myself, I have got used to to be 5min earlier at the place of the meeting - every time. This gives me time to set my mind to what is coming next. But it gives me also this little moment to take this so much beneficial break to recover, regenerate, what ever …
Thanks for the article.
Michael Miles says on May 25th, 2008 at 6:45 am
I always used to be the first one to arrive. But I find that people are always late, so now I tend to be less concerned about time keeping. Why should I knock myself out to be on time? I’ll only end up sitting alone. If it’s an interview or something then it’s another matter …
Peter says on May 26th, 2008 at 1:23 am
I say just follow the pack - you won’t gain much by being alone on site (like the previous poster said). Lateness is relative as you won’t necessarily stand out if you arrive earlier (you’ll risk alienating yourself from your group though) but you’ll definitely attract [unwanted] attention if you show up late. There’s a reason for the existence of the term “fashionably late”, it doesn’t have to limit itself to non-job related gatherings, neither.