3 Micro Habits to Improve Your Punctuality

Introduction

If you struggle with being on time, you know the panicked feeling when you are late. The uncomfortable and often awkward moment when you arrive disheveled and apologetic for being tardy and have to ask for forgiveness makes you lose focus on the important stuff. Being late can give you a bad reputation and cost you respect.

Being late doesn’t mean you don’t care about being on time. Often, it results from being unprepared, overwhelmed, or easily distracted.

Good time management isn’t just for mythical, perfect people who seemingly don’t have real-world problems like screaming, uncooperative children, and dogs that dart out the door. Everyone deals with the same types of issues; some simply develop micro habits that help them avoid being late.

3 Micro Habits to Improve Your Punctuality

If you struggle to be on time, there are plenty of things you can do to reduce the chance of being late. Try any or all of these tips and turn them into micro habits to help achieve punctuality. 

Being aware of your time thief

Everyone has a habit that contributes to poor time management. Everyone has a thief that steals their time. For some, it’s scrolling through social media; for others, it’s underestimating the time it takes to get ready or be somewhere. Identify your time thief or thieves so you can concentrate on making changes. 

Using alarms

Your smartphone does more than host social media and makes calls. You can easily use your alarm to set reminders to help you stay on schedule. Create a micro habit to set prompts that give you 15 minutes or more of warning in case you are easily distracted. Sometimes a simple prompt is all you need to stay on track. It also helps prompt your family to remain attentive when you must leave on time. Reminding children in 15-minute increments before they need to go can help. 

Centralizing your gear

Be sure to centralize things you need, so you don’t waste time hunting for them on the way out the door. Create a micro habit of keeping keys, wallet, phone, and other gear in a specific location so you can grab and go without thinking about where each item is.

Conclusion

Honestly, everyone is going to be late sometimes. If you know you will be late, reaching out and communicating is always best. Calling ahead and letting people know you are going to be late can reduce the impact being tardy has. Offering to reschedule or simply letting them know you’re running late is proper etiquette and can help keep you from giving off the vibe you need to be more respectful of their time.