Jennifer Bezoza Coaching

Recently, I sprinted several avenues cross town and zigzagged like frogger  to be on time to an appointment. Unfortunately, my entire day had the same pace; it made me think of a line from a poem I’d written about my mother when I was a child: “My mother is always rushing, but never late.” And here I find myself as an adult following suit.  

This post is NOT about becoming my mother though.  It’s about what it means to be on time, and whether it really matters to us (and others) if we are just a “tad” late to meetings, appointments and/or social commitments.  My perspective (of late), is that being late, even just a couple minutes, slowly chips away at us and infuses a “low grade” negative energy.  In addition, the continual stress of rushing to is harmful to our physical body and our ability to operate at our best.  

Given that I continue to work with clients about all elements of time, and how to use time most effectively, I decided to get some answers from a dear friend who is not just on time, but is perpetually early.  Here’s what I gleaned on what it takes to be an early/timely “bird.” 

1.) Make being on time habitual. In other words, it needs to become so routine you don’t think about it. You have to institute patterns of behavior that will have you be on time on a daily basis.
2.)  Build “cushion” into your schedule.  This is the not-so-secret, “secret sauce” to being on time.  We often
plan our schedules, as if we were booking two connecting flights with a 15 minute layover. In other words, we set ourselves up for failure! Schedule and account for the “unforeseeable mishap.”
3.) Respect your friends, family and business associates’ time.  Ultimately, it’s about keeping others in mind. When you feel tempted to finish one more task before you start getting ready, bring to mind how you will feel apologizing to that person when you are 20 minutes late.

• What percentage of the time do you arrive on time for commitments?
• Where do you justify being late and give yourself excuses?
• What would it look like in your life to not just be on time but early?
• How would you “invest” the additional time/energy you get back from not sprinting or stressing?

See Q&A for direct conversation with my early bird friend.