Always running late, how to get out of the habit?

Question

No matter how much time I leave to get ready or for my journey I always seem to be always late, it drives me & others mad, how can I get out of it?

Answer 1

evidently it dont bother you that much or you would have changed your "habit " by now  it is inconsiderate and self-centered and to do it as a habit  is just too much  show respect to others  dont take this character defect lightly  this has happened to me by my granddaughter and also another friend  i confronted them and told them this disrespect i will not tolerate and their behavior changed immediately  why should it drive you mad  your friends that wait for you got first rights on the mad business

Answer 2

You aren't focused.  You need to be focused to do anything right in life. You get diverted easily and don't think about others timeframes and schedules.  You are like a bumper car that whatever it bumps into you do instead of staying on target.  And you don't plan ahead.  Being on time takes planning and focus is part of that planning.  It's not a matter of leaving the appropriate time, it's about making the most of the time you have to get to the place you are supposed to be.  Pre-planning is part of the process.  You have to do some things a day in advance in order to make something work on time or hours in advance.  It's a dance.  Much like creating a dinner party.  Everything has to be planned and initiated in order for it to happen at the appropriate time.  The rest is whether you care to be on time.  Some people just don't care and will let others wait for them endlessly wondering if they will ever show.  If you know you have limited time to get somewhere, plan ahead and make sure everything is ready for you to get there on time.  Don't take a phone call you can't get out of, have your clothes prepared ahead of time, know the traffic issues, whatever.  When most of us can do it so can you.  I am never late for anything and am preplanned as I can be to make sure I am not.  It works fine.

Answer 3

make your clock faster... then you would think it was later then it actually was and would leave earlier therefor getting there on time!

Answer 4

Don't ditz around when getting ready.  Make sure you have everything ready well in advance.  Be organized.  Remember that tardiness is rude and it is hardly ever tolerated except in cases of unforeseen emergencies.  Allow yourself plenty of time.  If you're supposed to leave at, say, 10am then be ready to walk out the door at 9.30.  It just takes a little forethought to overcome this habit.

Answer 5

Try setting your clocks ahead 5-20 minutes. If you don't think about it, you'll think it's time to leave when it's actually too early. Maybe then you'll arrive on time. It worked for me, at least. You just have to try and not think about how you set your clock ahead.

Answer 6

I used to have this problem as well, and this is what worked for me.  Make sure you leave extra early for wherever you have to be.  For example, if you have to be at work at 8:00 and it normally only takes you a half hour to get there, leave at 7:00 just to be safe.  Get into the mindset of "I have to leave at 7:00, or I will definitely be late."  You never know when something is going to hold you up - construction on the roads, a last-minute phone call, etc. - and it's better to be a half hour early than a few minutes late.  The same goes for waking up; if it normally takes you an hour to get ready for work, give yourself an hour and a half just to be safe.

Answer 7

Have you ever had something super important that you had to be on time, no exceptions?  (Like making an flight on time, taking a licensing exam for your profession, a really important job interview, etc.)  

You could try focusing on other less appointments you have as these rare, no exception, must be there on time things.  

Make sure to give yourself plenty of time, but also be strict with yourself that you have to be out of the door by a certain time, no matter what.  I have a tendency to underestimate how much time things take, but when I take a strict approach, I make sure the most important things (like being dressed) are done and the less important (putting on makeup), are done if I gave myself enough time or didn't lallygag.  Also as others have recommended, set your clock ahead by 5-20 mins.  BUT...just don't get used to it and assume you have 5-20 mins. more and always take it.

Answer 8

Make a FIRM point of ALWAYS making a schedule/plan, packing anything you can ahead of time, and always leave with more time than you need to get there...

(ex: If it normally takes 20 minutes to get somewhere, leave 30 minutes ahead of time - 5 minutes normally, leave 7-10 minutes early, 1.5 hours, leave 1.75-2 hours early)

Do it ALWAYS. Make it a habit that you don't even have to think about anymore. Always consider you schedule, and use an alarm (on watch? cell phone? etc.) if you need to keep track of when you need to leave.

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OK - I had to add this after reading a bunch of the other answers...

Setting your clock ahead is a BAD strategy, because it will not always be effective. What if you are leaving from a friend or relatives house? There clocks will more than likely be right, and you will be assuming you have 5-20 minutes more than you really do. Also, it simply gets you dependent upon the fact that you have more time. You will eventually slip back into the bad habit of not giving yourself enough time to get ready and travel. Do yourself a favor and change your lifestyle, not your clocks :-)

Answer 9

Have an accurate watch and set it ahead 10 minutes. Also keep lots of clocks around. Make a schedule and realize how long it takes you to get to where you are going and add in travel time. Its really rude to punish the people who are on time and waiting and they will soon stop inviting you to things. I know because I no longer invite people who are chronically late. I simply eliminated them from my list

Answer 10

Sometimes I set one of my clocks ahead by fifteen minutes, so when I look at that clock it fools me into getting ready earlier. It really does work even though you know that the clock is set to an earlier time, don't ask me why! Also sometimes I will set two alarm clocks, one "get ready get set" one and one that goes off at the time I need to leave. When the "get ready get set" one goes off, I will dress and do whatever else I need to get ready, then sit and watch TV until the second alarm goes off, at which time I know I must leave immediately or else risk being late. Hope this helps you!