How to always be on-time

Contributed by Rob Crawford, who writes on effectiveness, happiness, and impact at Crawdaddy Cove.

How can you transform yourself from an “always late” goof to an “always on-time” hero?

1. Expect delays en route. There WILL be an 18-wheeler overturned on the other side of the highway that will cause everyone on your side to slow down and gawk. Give yourself much more time than you need to get there.
2. Aim to arrive five to fifteen minutes early. Bring a book to read, hand-held video game to play, or toenail clippers to use in case you arrive early enough that you have a chunk of valuable time.

3. Give yourself permission to end phone calls, random conversations, or dragging-on meetings that threaten your chances of being on-time for another commitment. Practice saying, “Being on time for my next meeting is more important to me than communicating with you anymore today. Goodbye.” This is not rude. (But being late is rude.)

4. Don’t try to squeeze in one more phone call or one more game of Minesweeper before departing for your meeting — better to leave early and arrive on-time with a relaxed frame of mind. Then, you can play Minesweeper on your Palm Pilot while you wait for all the late people to arrive.
5. Schedule all meetings in your office. Then, you don’t even need a calendar. When people start streaming in, you can assume it’s time for another meeting. You’ll always be the first one there.
6. Never let your gas tank get below 1/4 full. Having to stop for gas could make you late. Running out of gas could make you really, really late.
7. Don’t schedule commitments back-to-back. Give yourself 15-60 minutes between commitments to account for over-extended meetings, and to give yourself time to set-up your fantasy baseball team’s lineup before your next meeting.
8. Don’t join committees. Don’t become a manager. Say “no” to every offer. No meetings and no commitments means you’ll never be late.