My #1 tip for being on time
Running late has a number of unhappy consequences, and some of them are financial in nature.
For instance, if you are too late to a doctor's appointment, you can face missed appointment fees.
Or if you're late getting your kids to an extra-curricular lesson, you're missing out on time that you've already paid for.
Ditto for things like therapist appointments. You pay for the whole hour whether you're there for all of it or not, so you'll get the most bang for your buck if you arrive on time.
And of course, if you are habitually late to work, that can result in job loss.
Totally not a frugal thing. 😉
Anyway!
There are a lot of ways to help yourself be on time, but here's my (not-earthshaking) trustiest tip:
Always plan to leave at least 10-15 minutes before you NEED to leave.
This is not necessarily so that you'll arrive 10-15 minutes early. Rather, it gives you a target that you can miss by a bit without suffering serious consequences.
Because no matter how well you plan, if you have multiple people that need to get out the door, something will go wrong on a regular basis, and you will regularly miss your target exit time.
Here are a few examples of how this plays out for me.
It takes about 15-20 minutes to get to church, so if I need to be there at 9:30, we plan to leave the house by 9:00.
If we leave at 9:00, great! We'll have a little extra time to set up.
But if someone is running a little slow with their breakfast-eating or someone forgot to brush their teeth until the last minute, it's ok. We can leave a little after 9:00 and still be on time.
It also takes about 15 minutes to get to our martial arts class, so we plan to leave a half hour early.
If we actually do get out of the house on time, then we might have time to pick up holds at the library on the way, and we have plenty of time to get settled in at the gym before class starts.
And if someone's rushing around trying to find their belt at the last minute, that's all right...we've got a little play built into our schedule.
I admit, this is kind of a mind game, but it totally works for us.
Setting a goal that's a little more strict than necessary gives us all something to shoot for, and while it might make more logical sense to leave at 9:15 to make a 15-minute drive to a 9:30 appointment, I know that we wouldn't always hit that 9:15 mark.
And then we would be late!
So, it's better to set an earlier launch time that gives us a bit of a cushion.
And I'd rather "waste" a few minutes by arriving early than waste money by missing appointments or work hours. The reduction in stress alone is totally worth the possibility of having to wait when I arrive early.
Please note: I am not always perfectly on time. Like most people, I run late sometimes. But planning to leave earlier than necessary has been a huge sanity saver for my family and me, and it's helped us be on time more often than not.
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I'd love to hear your #1 tip for getting out of the door on time (and I'm interested to hear if any of you play the same mind game we do here!)
I hate being late, and was raised by two parents who were always 10 minutes early for everything. They taught me that it's rude to be late. What's interesting to me when discussing the various differences in cultural attitudes towards time? I can find several scriptures in the Bible about God being orderly and things happening on time. Since God's thoughts are higher than man's, I use this as my standard. God trumps man's culture, in other words.
You're right about the stress level thing - being on time is mostly a gift to myself! I don't have to have my blood pressure elevated, drive badly and rush in looking harried. I can feel poised and elegant instead. 🙂
I don't think I have a special trick, just that it's important to be to show respect for others and be on time.
I agree with the respect statement! I think it is just simple politeness to show up on time/a little early no matter what the occasion.
I'm always early but I have a good book with me to help while waiting. My husband used to say I could get 6 kids ready and sitting on the couch waiting to leave. My biggest tip is I get up early and start early with tasks. I am truly a morning person.
I am right the opposite. I hate to get up early. Knowing what a bear I am in the mornings, I spend a little extra time each night getting everything prepared as much as I can. Have kids clothes ready to put on down to the socks and shoes, pack lunches the night before and sit the entire lunch box(open) in the fridge so all I have to do is insert the freezer pack, kids get showers the night before and I braid the hair while still damp so it's not tangled in the morning and we stick to simple hairstyles, too. I keep breakfast simple like cereal bars with fruit or oatmeal. I always fill up with gas in the afternoons because having to stop for gas in the morning takes valuable time. It only takes a few minutes of prep the day before to really make things go smooth in the morning.
Great tips! I'm past this kid stage in life but recently began to reimplement it for myself. FlyLady uses this same practice as part of a night routine, laying out clothes the night before and setting items for the next day on a "launch pad". Even though I work at home this has saved me time and made for less stress on those mornings I need a few extra minutes of sleep or someone arrives early to my home.
There's definitely a cultural aspect to this issue; not just within the US but worldwide. For example, in China, you don't come over at 2 pm, you come over during the afternoon. In laid-back countries with horrific traffic - such as Columbia or Indonesia - even a business person might be able to make two meetings in a day. If ze shows up sometime in the morning, everyone is content.
Yes, I agree with you. Folks in the U.S. are much more by-the-minute than lots of other countries around the world. I don't think other societies would ever call us "relaxed." haha
I hate being late and I care for my mother. My mother is chronically late. It makes me so anxious.
This morning I had to take my daughter to an appointment across town. We organised to pick up her friend at our local bus station. This is five minutes drive normally, but because we had to leave in peak hour, I left 20 minutes early. It took me 30 minutes so we were late. It took 6 times longer than I planned. Such is life.
I'm partially ashamed and partially proud to admit that I run our house with military precision, as far as time goes. I also use little, cheap-o digital timers a lot. I send a timer upstairs with my daughter in the mornings, to help her stay focused while she's getting ready for school. If we need to leave in 15 minutes, I set the timer for about 13 minutes and off she goes. It works so well AND, I don't have to be the "bad guy," barking about what time it is and how much time we have left before we need to leave!
~Jenny
http://www.introvertsguidetosobriety.com/sobriety/making-friends-when-youre-a-teetotaler/
I think that this military style time management will come in handy when my daughter is a teenager 🙂
Love this idea! And the timer as "bad guy" is my favorite way to end visits to libraries, parks, movie watching, turn taking with toys etc! You name it!
We definitely aren't military in our precision for all occasions... But when it counts, say on Sunday mornings or for appointments, or catching a plane that requires being at the airport at 4:30am with 3 kids, six years and under (yes, kind of specific because we just did that) early home departures are key!
I get reallllly cranky and flustered when I'm feeling rushed, so my husband knows we need to give ourselves a generous window of time...because if momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy...right? 🙂
We try to minimize the need for rushing as much as possible by doing small things like preparing lunches and outfits the night before, making sure the keys are always in the same spot along with purses or toddler bags. Having a routine surely helps!
My daughter's basket coach use to tell the girls, "If you're early, you're on time and if you're on time, you're late". I so hate being late to anything - I often say I don't "do" late. It makes me a frazzled mess. And as Dr. Laura says, it's the ultimate arrogance to think that you get the luxury of being late while someone waits on you. My #1 tip would be to get all of your stuff ready the night before so that when the day arrives, you're already ready. Put stuff in the car or line it up by the front door. Pack your lunch the night before. Shower and lay your clothes out. Go to bed with a clear and empty mind. Works for me!
Yes to all those things!!!!!
I take this tip to a whole other level - my car clock actually is set to 10 minutes LATER than normal time, so when I am in the car (I have a long commute) I can mentally be 10 minutes early.
I usually think "what must be done before I leave?" I do that first. Then what is next important, and so on. That way if time runs out, the major things are accomplished. This makes leaving in adequate time, more doable.
Keep the diaper bag packed. I repack it when we get home so the most I have to grab on the way out the door is water to mix bottles with. No last minute shoving diapers in or stopping at the store on the way bc something didn't get replaced after being used the last time.
Ditto to all the above! I make every effort to be on time and usually am early. I have a friend who is almost always late to the extent that I plan for her lateness. I work my time backwards. If I have to be somewhere at 10:00 for example, I subtract the 5 minutes to actually be out the door and in my car, how long it will take me to drive plus a few extra minutes for traffic issues and then how long to get from my car to where I need to be. It is so stressful to be late!
I have a friend like this! It is a joke within our circle of friends that we always tell Katie to be there 30 minutes before we actually need her there...she is still sometimes late! 🙂
After having kids, I also started planning to leave 15 minutes earlier. Getting small children out the door and all buckled (and later unbuckled) can eat up a lot of time! I'm much less stressed when we are not running late and it's nice to have a few extra minutes when we get there to let the kids move at "kid speed".
Love this post today! We definitely play the time cushion game. We always plan to leave 15 minutes early. The traffic is always a guessing game so that gives us a little wiggle room. Plus if we arrive early we love to simply relax, listen to music on the radio, read a book, touch up make-up, etc.
One of the things we do that helps us all leave on time in the mornings is we make sure everything is prepared the evening before ~ clothes ready, backpacks ready, lunch pre-made in the fridge and ready to be packed up, papers signed, etc. If we have a big soccer tournament the next day then we prepare all of the soccer gear, chairs, etc. the night before and even pack up the car.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts! Have a blessed day!
Hahaha, I can imagine it's challenging to be on time while wrangling little ones! My punctuality tip isn't really a "tip." I do have anxiety, which makes me leave extremely early for things because I'm terrified of being late. So I concur that leaving much earlier than you think you need to will ensure you're always on time. 🙂 I would also suggest bringing a book or a puzzle in case you're ever super early. I have this happen all the time so I try to bring a book along with me.
I have been too early on many occasions, too, especially when going somewhere new and not being sure of travel time. It sure beats the alternative, harried, hassled arrival, though, doesn't it?
This sounds like a great idea! Do you read your book/puzzle in the car? Do you bring it in with you?
My number-one tip is to be prepared. Make sure the kids all have BOTH shoes located the night before, homework is in the backpack, everyone has socks, etc. but really, as a mother who raised four kids and three of whom were girls with long hair that needed to be ponytailed in the mornings, the main key was starting early enough. Of course this means momma is up early and getting breakfast, etc going, but it's a huge sanity-saver when you get going early. That's all it took for me.
Yes!...the shoes..always the shoes! That can ruin a perfect morning when one is misplaced. Also, ditto the backpack. My kids frequently leave necessary things out, like folders, when they do homework. I have them put everything in the backpack then hang it on a hook near the door. They are not allowed to touch the backpacks again after everything is inside and they are hung. Coats, jackets, gloves, etc. can also be a problem so they always stay on a hanger by the door.
I wish I had a tip to share, but instead I'm a chronically late person. I think the issue is that I always prioritize what I'm doing at that moment. At work, if someone needs something or a meeting runs long, I won't leave when I plan to get to my next appointment. The current issue always feels most important. Then I get to the next thing late and feel terrible.
I know people say it is disrespectful to be late, but it is harder for me to let down the people I'm with than the people waiting. Not sure how to get over this thought process.
I know what you mean, I get wrapped up with what I'm working on that I want to stretch every last minute I can on what's in front of me.
I know exactly what you mean. Whatever I'm doing magically transforms into the top priority, in my own mind. I have a lot of trouble transitioning from one thing to another. It's like this mental inertia that keeps me focused on whatever I'm doing. My husband is NOT like this. He is a champion multitasker and can switch from one thing to another seamlessly. He's also Always. On. Time. lol 🙂
I'm with you! I always shoot for leaving earlier, and there is less stress. No speeding, no rushing around, more relaxing for everybody. I also have everything laid out the night before: gym bag packed, lunch ready to grab in fridge, clothes planned according to weather. Maybe I'm a little bit of a control freak, but it works for me. I was raised to be on time; it's disrespectful to the people you keep waiting if you're tardy.
I struggle with trying to do "just one more thing" before I walk out the door, so setting my clock ahead by just 5 minutes helps me. I know, you might think that "well, you know the clock is early" but for some reason this works for me!!
It works for me, too. Both my bedside clock and the clock I glance at in the morning, are set 5-10 min early (I have resisted learning exactly how much). It's not a perfect system for me but it helps.
The clock in my car is set 5 minutes late. Mind game, for sure, but it helps me put a little extra pep in my step (not on the gas pedal!) and keeps me from stopping to grab a quick coffee, etc.
I also always plan to be somewhere 10 minutes before I need to be there. I, too, was brought up that if I'm arriving at the scheduled time, then I'm late!
Though... I had a friend who I invited to an evening function show up 2 hours late to it. She's a friend that is perpetually late to everything, but THIS was ridiculous. She's into playing mind games with everyone and I have a feeling it was just a way to be "fashionable..." Since she was my +1, I ended up being alone for a good portion of the night, and just felt angry, like my night was ruined. I HATE making people feel that way...so it's a respect thing on this end too.
We have clothes, lunches, backpacks, shoes and coats ready the night before. We have a morning routine and use timers (10 minutes to eat, brush teeth, 10 minutes to dress, etc...)Everything has a place and the single biggest thing we do is wake up on time. Well, I am not as good about that as I should so that is why there is slack (50 minutes for 30 minute morning). When everyone is ready early then there is time to play. I hate being late so I automatically add 10 minutes to anywhere we need to go so red lights, school buses and running behind don't stress me out as much.
What a "timely" post 😉 I have recently set a goal to work on punctuality this year!
I read a lot of comments from people anxious about being late, but I'm the opposite. I'm anxious about being early! I hate the idea of sitting there waiting, wasting time, or inconveniencing someone isn't ready for me to be there yet. (I completely understand that by being late, I may be subjecting another person to this.)
So I've decided the time has come for me to be early. Do you have more tips for what to do with yourself and/or kids if you are running ahead of schedule? I think I'll feel better about "early" if I have plans in place.
Thanks!
My rule is, never leave the house without reading material. Since I'm chronically short of time to read my news magazines, I always have something both informationally dense and physically lightweight to carry with me.
I agree with everyone else who said to bring reading material, and coloring material for the kids.
Or what about a small card game? I Spy?
I'm guessing that what may happen is that if you are chronically late, you'll probably shoot to be early and then end up being right on time. But having a backup plan in place will take away that nagging fear about what you'll do with that extra time if you ARE early.
What a timely post...I was late picking up my coworker this morning because I overslept/tried a new hairstyle that didn't work/didn't pack LO's stuff last night. My tips have already been said above, but I'm not always perfect, you know?
I have a friend who has either ADD or ADHD, and her time management skills are horrible as a result. I feel like she has somewhat of a legitimate reason for consistently being late, but mostly I just keep our plans fluid so I don't get frustrated (i.e. text me when you're on your way to the restaurant and I'll meet you there).
I do think being late everywhere you go is rude, even in the case of my friend, but I don't let it bother me. If she really wanted to be on time, she'd figure out a way to make it happen. But she doesn't, and I love her anyway. There's way worse stuff going on in our world right now.
FTR, I think I was pretty disrespectful of my coworker this morning, and I've made a note not to let it become the norm.
Tardiness used to my issue and one tip I'd share with others is to ALWAYS plan ahead...always!
I was raised to always be early for an event, even if by just a few minutes. As an adult, I value being at places on time/early. As stated above, I too feel that is just respectful. One of the biggest challenges of my life has been being married to someone who is chronically late and sees nothing wrong with it. Let's just say, this has been an issue through the years, and may have resulted in me getting in my own vehicle and leaving him behind.
Having read all the comments, I see three tips, repeated with variations:
1. Prep what you need in advance.
2. Plan to arrive a bit early.
3. Plan it will take you a bit longer to get there, than it should.
My problem on weekday mornings is getting going: getting out of the warm bed, shifting from the transition phase (reading the news, usually) to getting ready. The latter is because it means facing the long drive to work.
To the extent that I have problems the rest of the time, it's wanting to get a bit more done before I head out.
One situation for which I am never late? Travel. Being late for a flight or even a train has huge negative consequences and it's practically impossible to predict how long it will take to get through security. I'd far rather spend an extra half hour (or more) in the airport if necessary, then stress out during the transit and/or miss the connection. Another reason why a love of reading is useful.
We do the very same thing as you. To get to church for 10 am service, we aim to leave at 9:15 even though it's just a 25 minute trip. That gives us enough of a cushion to deal with last minute stuff with our two and four year olds. I also leave a 30 minute cushion when leaving for firstborn's ballet class. That way we aren't stressed out trying to get her changed into her dance shoes when we arrive.
The other thing that helps me tremendously is to get things ready the night before. Setting out outfits for my daughters and myself eliminates a lot of morning stress! If I'm feeling disciplined enough I also prep breakfast and shoes/coats/bags as well. Depends on where we're going and whether or not my husband is coming along.
I've always been a chronically late person (I was raised by a chronically late mother) so it's been a lifelong struggle for me. But I hate the feeling of running late, hurrying, driving too fast, rushing in at the last minute, blood pressure high. Being on time or early is a much better feeling.
Yes to this post and all of the comments! We've been doing this for years too, and my husband has always called it "buffer time." And years ago when our kids were much younger and we had four or five of them under 7 years old to help get out the door, we always made sure our buffer time was long enough to account for mishaps with every kid, just in case. I remember allowing an extra ten minutes for the baby and toddler, five for the preschoolers, and then a few extra minutes for the grade school kids--it helped alleviate the stress of getting everyone out the door on time and ensured that we were rarely ever late.
I totally do the same thing you do....plan to leave a little earlier. It drives my husband and three boys absolutely insane if we are waiting for 10-15 minutes when we arrive at our location, but I'd much rather be early than late! My son's past football coach always told them to be on time to practice and that "if you're five minutes early, you're late." So now I use that line all the time. It works for us too! 🙂
I have also learned to "pad" my time--I have a tendency to try to cram too many things in too short a space of time. When something comes up (and it frequently does), I feel very stressed about maintaining punctuality. Actually, I have learned two things over the years. 1) allow an extra 10-15 minutes more than you think you will need to arrive at your destination and 2) be realistic about what you can accomplish in a given amount of time.
I noticed that everyone is addressing getting kids out the door, etc., and how having extra time built in can make that successful. As a "sandwich generation" parent (I have an 11-year-old, a 13-year-old, and now my 86-year-old mother lives in town and I am responsible for getting her to her appointments), I have learned that the same principle holds true for dealing with my mom as my kids--allow a cushion of time to get to where you need to go! Mom is quite mobile, but she definitely moves more slowly than I do. I need to accommodate this. 🙂
It's that circle of life thing! We start out being slow to get out the door and we end up the same way. 😉
My husband and I both hate being late. All of our clocks are turned about 5 minutes early. Even with 5 kids, we are usually 10 minutes early to everything...it can get annoying to the kids that we are always early, but it has become just a family habit. 😉
What works the very best for me is to think backward from the time I have to leave and account for everything that needs to get done. Then I know what time I need to start getting ready.
The other thing for me is DON'T STOP. If I'm getting ready, don't stop!!! Don't stop to read emails, do dishes, etc. etc. Just don't stop because it's a rabbit hole for me!
Homeschoolers can be (but shouldn't be!) notoriously late. Last week I went to a homeschool activity at a local museum. We got there with time to spare and be in our spots. But the person heading it up looked at who was signed up and then we got to wait for them to show up. It happened the same way last time I went too.
I am a widow and live alone so you would think that being on time would not be a problem for me but sometimes I get involved in facebook or my emails or a TV program. To combat this, I put a time that I need to begin getting ready which leaves me a little extra so I can tear myself away from what I'm doing. Sometimes, I set up a schedule of what I need to do before leaving. If it's early morning when I need to leave, then, of course, I prepare the night before. I really hate being late.
Giving myself extra time doesn't work for me. That sly person inside me says, "It's okay, you gave yourself extra time, remember?" and I find one more tiny task to do before I leave, thus still being late. This is really only a problem for work, which, thank heavens, they don't hold against me. I get to church on time -- and we have a 55 mile drive to church -- doctor's appointments, parties, classes, almost always a little early or right on time, but they are usually happening later in the day than my job's starting time. I am not a morning person.
The other thing that happens to me too often is something like this: I get up earlier than usual to get an early start, have my lunch packed the night before, clothes laid out, all good, then the cat gets sick on the rug, making me late, or the milk tips over at breakfast, covering floor, counter, and table, making me late, or our power goes off and stays off for an hour, making me late. I'm giving real examples here, and could give plenty more.
I also have trouble pulling off of one task to go to another one. That's a bigger problem for me at work than anywhere else, too.
I agree that being late can be very rude, and subtly controlling. I have someone in my circle who is so late to things, it has become legendary, and frankly, we're tired of it. This person routinely shows up 1 to 4 hours late, and one amazing time, 12 hours late to spend a weekend with us. I know I have my own lateness issues, see above, but I have stopped waiting for this person anymore. If we plan to eat at 12, we do so. If we have to leave to get somewhere on time, we leave. I no longer wait around for this person.
My son hates being late so we've developed exactly the same routine here to save him getting anxious. Even with the extra 15 minutes added on he nags about going out even earlier!
Whenever I have to go to an appointment or something, I have three alarms set on my iPhone, so I can turn them on and off and just change the time:
The first is "GET UP" and it is set 15 minutes before the next alarm. This is either get out of bed or stop what I am doing and get up. I usually use this time to take my dog out or mentally get myself in order.
The second alarm is "GET READY" and is set for 30 minutes before I need to leave for my appointment. This means start changing clothes or whatever I need to do to get ready for the appointment. Since I usually don't do much to my person, I often also use this time to put together anything I will need for my appointment, although I often have the majority of it gathered the night before.
The third alarm is "LEAVE" and it is actually set 10 minutes before I have to actually leave and allows enough time to get to my appointment 15 minutes early. I started adding those 10 minutes because it always seems to take me longer to get out of the house than I think it should.
My alarm sound is the rather annoyingly loud Trill on the iPhone. This three alarm system has made it so that I am now consistently on time for things.
I will add that use the iPhone alarm to remind me to do things all day and all week long. For example, I have reminders for all my medications, for stretching each day, for watering the plants twice a week, for feeding the dog twice a day, for reviewing my financial accounts each week, etc.
As someone who is punctual, this subject is quite frustrating!
I had a real problem with someone who would quibble about what "time to leave" was. They would call various actions as "leaving," and they went so far as to claim getting in the shower counted as "leaving on time"! Grr!
I changed the frame of reference from "leaving on time" or "time to leave," but the time we needed to pass the stop sign at the end of the street -- I called it "Stop Sign Time." It was a singular, well-defined entity. Nothing else counted. It was only moderately successful, but it was a definite improvement. At minimum, it eliminated the quibbling over what counted as being on time for leaving or what "leaving" meant.
Former late person, now early person. Hubby changed me; before I never really thought about the other person. Now that I have clients and a schedule, I realize how hard it is when one client is late, which makes their experience short and the next person's late.
Leave 15 minutes early--#1. Be realistic--#2.
As for work, I have run many meetings and have learned to cut conversations short, or say "we can continue to talk about this at the expense of other agenda items". When you respect your time, you also respect other people's time, and you gain the respect of others. We try to end meetings on time.
I know this is hard, but practice has made it easier!
i hate being late so i set up all my clocks 6 minutes and did not tell my husband or boys. lol
My biggest time saver when my kids were little, and we still do this (especially in snowsuit season) is that I get the kids to have a pee before we leave the house, even if they say they don't have pee inside, almost always there is one! Saves us huge time from having to dress-undress-dress cycle, or having to look for a bathroom shortly after leaving the house. All hail the mandatory pee before leaving.
My first boss at age 15 taught me that to be early is to be on time; to be on time is to be late. This was perhaps the biggest difference my husband and I had when we started our relationship, if we needed to be there at 9, I wanted to arrive at 8:45, he wanted to leave the house at 9. He has really improved since then, but he really had no concept of being on time or how, in my opinion, incredibly rude and disrespectful it is to arrive late. Thank goodness we're more closely aligned on this topic now, Sunday mornings were fraught with anxiety on my part.
I should add that we met in college and he nearly failed a good number of his classses because he was ALWAYS tardy.
As a very punctual person married to a person who steps into the shower five minutes before we need to leave, I feel your pain. It's an ongoing problem.
Same here, I feel your pain. I feel late if I am not ten minutes early and my husband always under-estimates how long it takes to get places or complete projects. I have had to remind myself many times of his other wonderful, wonderful qualities, and also remember what I do that drives him nuts. It helps me not turn into a crazed woman when he is slow or late.
What do you "do" regarding a friend who is consistently five minutes late? Is that considered "late"? It is annoying to be on time when she's consistently behind, but enough to make an issue of it? In 95% of ways she is a great friend. I admit one time I was 5 minutes late on purpose (after her arrival time) so she could feel what it feels like to be waiting for someone.
I'm typically on time, but JUST on time and am stressed to make it on time by rushing around. I am going to try harder to be early and use tips here.
One thing that has helped me is setting my clock to be 8 minutes later than it actually is.
I don't think five minutes late is "late". In the same way, I don't see five minutes early as "early". I view agreed upon meeting times as plus or minus five minutes, because Life.
If your friend truly is always five minutes late and you are always on time, it's a great idea for you to know that "Let's meet at 5:00" means "Let's meet at 5:05". That way you won't be frustrated, and you aren't relying on your friend to change (people rarely change unless it's their own idea). Just do what is right for you 🙂
I think if she's a great friend 95% of the time and her worst flaw is being five minutes late, then I'd just make peace with that. 🙂 Five minutes doesn't seem like a big deal to me. 30 minutes, yes. Five minutes? I'd just always bring a book!
I do a lot of the things mentioned here but for scheduled appointments, I always write it down 15 minutes earlier. Example, if it's for 9:30, I write down 9:15 and that's the time I work with. Even then I need to keep an ear on the traffic report because traffic is a nightmare in our area. And always have a book or magazine on hand!
All the clocks in our house are at least 5 minutes fast. It seems silly, but we never remember they are five minutes fast, so it gives us a bit of breathing room. I also like to organize the night before and have things ready to go. This doesn't happen all the time, but it does help.
I've been raised with the idea that being late is inconsiderate and disrespectful, and I tend to agree. So I'm very strict on this for myself and my family. We also always try to give wiggle room (especially in the morning) about the time we "have" to leave. 10 extra minutes seems good enough. And we prepare the night before (lunchs, snowsuits, backpacks, clothes for the day, etc) so we don't lose time in the morning. Also, when I am not exactly sure at what time we should get ready for a specific activity, I "backtrack" the time to figure out when X needs to be done. Example : friends wedding starting at 2h. 30 minutes to get to the church+5 minutes to park+15 minutes early is good = we need to be in the car at 1h10. Need to get the kids ready for car ride (10 minutes) = give them the go at 1h. The kids and I need 1 hour to get ready = start the process at noon. We need 30 minutes to prepare and eat lunch = get that started at 11h30. I need to go pick up a card for the wedding, it will take me 30 minutes to get there and back, so I leave for the store at 11h. Etc, etc, so by the time I'm done figuring all the steps I know at what time I need to get the ball rolling and will add 30-60 minutes for a more relaxed schedule.
I actually can't stand being late and I would always prefer to be early and have time to relax and wait instead of rushing.
Morning appointments are the easiest for my household because we have a strict morning routine and a set music playlist. So we do the same routine every morning and I know if I hear a certain song then I only have a set amount of time left to be out the door. We also pack bags and set out everything the night before.
For things later in the day I leave half an hour early because traffic in the city can be really unpredictable
I was taught, when your early your on time. When your on time your late, and when your late your lost! Good rule of thumb...I am always early...
I hate being late. Since we homeschool, we actually have very few events that we must be on time for, so that is nice in one sense, but it also means my kids don't always have a lot of practice with getting out the door in time!
Right now, especially with the ages my kids are, the best tactic for me is to plan ahead. If we have somewhere to be in the morning, like church, I do as much prep as I can the night before: I'll pack my bag with everything they'll need, I'll set out everybody's clothes on their dressers, I'll line up all the shoes and socks (and, if it's winter, I'll make sure that everybody's hat and gloves/mittens are in their coat pockets), I'll prep the coffee so we just have to hit "on" when we wake up in the morning. 🙂 I often forget to comb my girls' hair until we are just about to leave, so I'll leave the spray and comb on the coffee table so I'll see them and not forget. If we're going somewhere where we need lunch, I'll pack it the night before. We'll sometimes even put the cereal bowls and spoons out on the table, just so there's even one less thing to do.
I also try to shower the night before if I have to be somewhere in the morning, which also helps things run faster.
In general, though, doing as much of the prep as possible the evening before is a huge help in us getting out the door.
That's a great tip for being on time for day to day. I wonder if there are any tips for how to be on time when you have a longer distance to travel. For example, I dread trying to be on time for appointments that are an hour away. With that distance of travel, the traffic plays a much bigger role in whether you get there early or late than on if you leave at the right time.
I've tried the 'leave an extra half hour buffer' and the results have ranged from getting there on time despite heavy traffic to getting there 45 minutes early! That's not as big a deal nowadays with smartphones -- you can keep busy. But in the old days, it was a challenge to entertain yourself when you're that early.
Amazing! I do this too. 15-20 minutes built in to launch time... it works. Hardly ever late.