The Importance of Punctuality
One of my biggest pet peeves personally and professionally is lack of punctuality. Why? Because, frankly, it’s rude. I understand that unforeseen things happen that are out of your control, but if you are habitually late, you are being disrespectful of other peoples’ time.
How does punctuality affect you professionally. Let’s say you work in the service industry, and you have a client on your calendar that is expecting you at their home at 9AM on a Monday. And… you arrive at 10:15AM without a call or a text. Do you think that client is happy? Here’s a little secret, they’re not. Even if they don’t say anything. Most people are pretty busy on a Monday and this client moved their schedule around to accommodate the time you gave them to provide your service. You stole over an hour of their time that they could’ve been at work or accomplishing other tasks. You also pushed their entire schedule for the day back over an hour. What if they took off work for this appointment? You cost them over an hour of paid (or unpaid) time off. Is this being respectful of their time? Absolutely not! Even if you called beforehand to communicate that you’d be late, it’s still an inconvenience for them. I promise you, if you do this more than once, they will be very unlikely to hire you ever again, and they certainly aren’t going to recommend you to others. The same goes for superiors, colleagues, and friends. If they are making time for you in their schedule, you should respect that by being punctual.
Being habitually late can be very damaging to personal and professional relationships. And stressful! If you’re always flying by the seat of your pants to make it to events on time, then you need to step back and reevaluate your priorities. Are you overbooking yourself? Are you being unrealistic with the time requirements for each engagement or project? Are you wasting time on meaningless tasks when that time could better spent optimizing your personal and professional operations? Efficiency is key when it comes to running a business and it positively affects professional relationships. Plus, it reduces stress. A win/win!
How can you better manage your time professionally and personally? I can help with that! Below are a few tips that keep me on time and allow me to proactively address any road bumps along the way.
Use a calendar or scheduling app! My phone calendar is my #1 tool for keeping me on schedule. I use it for everything including when to give my dogs their meds.
Don’t overbook!!! Most clients would rather you arrive on time a couple of days later than have to wait around past their appointment time for you to get to them.
Give yourself a buffer! If you know it takes you 20 minutes to drive to a client’s home/office, give yourself 30 minutes just in case there’s traffic issues. It’s also important to give yourself ample time between appointments just in case one runs long. Trust me, this is vital in running a business.
Don’t allow last-minute requests to derail you. Be realistic with your time and add them to your schedule at a later date.
Make lists! I have lists lying all over my house and in my phone of things I need to accomplish for the week. This keeps me on track plus the feeling of marking them off is euphoric. Nothing makes me feel more accomplished. Sometimes I even write down a new task that I finished just to experience the pleasure of checking it off. Try it, you’ll be amazed at how good it feels.
Set alarms. I have alarms for when I have to leave to take my daughters to school. It keeps me mindful of how I’m spending my time each morning so that I use it wisely.
Last but not least, COMMUNICATE WHEN SOMETHING CAUSES YOU TO BE LATE. I can’t stress this one enough. It’s bad enough to keep people waiting, but a real slap in the face is making them wait without any kind of communication from you. It’s incredibly rude and will damage your professional relationships.
I know this can be a lot for someone who has a tough time scheduling their daily and weekly tasks, but I can guide you along the way. It won’t be everything at once, but baby steps to get you onto a path of efficiency and positive growth. We’ll start slowly with minor changes to manage your time and will seek out better ways to manage your business and communicate with clients effectively and within a timely manner. It all starts with a decision by you to make these positive changes. Are you willing to do it?
