being lateBeing late occasionally means that you’re human. However, if you are consistently late for everything, you need to dig deep to find out why.  There is a reason, or reasons why you are not getting to your appointments, work, or other scheduled events on time.

Let’s take some time to explore some common reasons why you may run late.

Common reasons for being late

  • Your schedule

Or lack of a schedule can cause you to be late. If you don’t have a schedule, you’re setting yourself up for much undue stress. You may have one, but maybe you don’t check it frequently to keep in mind the next thing on your schedule. Your schedule may not have built-in travel time, or not enough time between appointments.

You think you can get one more thing done before the next thing on your schedule.  I have to admit that I do. this. all. the. time. You may be ready in plenty of time, so you think you can get a small task done; don’t do this! That small task may require steps you hadn’t thought of to make it take longer.

  • Procrastination

When we procrastinate, it’s typically because we don’t want to perform a task or go to an appointment. It could be for many reasons but what it comes down to is our feelings about said task or appointment. It may not be fun, or maybe we don’t really know how to tackle it.

Whatever the real reason, we need to understand our feelings around this task as mentioned by Timothy Pychyl, a professor who studies procrastination at Carleton University in Ottawa, in this article. He also provides 3 tips to tackle procrastination, that will help in your quest to get things done.

Now that we looked at some common reasons we may run late, let’s look at some tips to help us avoid being late.

Tips to avoid being late

This is a place where you will put frequently used items required to get out the door on time. Conversely, it can be a place to store items when you come in the door that you will need to get out the door on time to avoid being late.

  • Prepare the night before

 Gather everything you need to get ready for your appointments for the next day. Requirements could include, purse, keys, phone, wallet, what you will wear, items required for these appointments, lunch, etc. Place these items in areas where you will have quick and easy access to them. An example could be, putting your purse, keys, backpack in your landing/launching pad.

  •  Schedule everything

 Factor in drive time, work backwards from the appointment time and determine how long it will take you to get ready and get to your destination on time. Create gaps in your schedule to factor in the time it takes to get to your next appointment, meeting or even a task that needs to be done.