If you aren’t an individual who often runs late, chances are you at least know one or two. Some people just aren’t good at it. Being on time isn’t in their wheel house.
If you’re a methodical time delinquent, you might be experiencing a slightly elevated heart rate right now. But don’t fret, because this post isn’t a hate fest.
Views on tardiness vary greatly. Some people harshly judge the unpunctuals. Views range from basic, up the scale to pure lazy nonchalant attitude. Others will argue with criticism that it’s more of an arrogant, egotistical, self-centered mind-set.
What is it? Is it pathetic and inexcusable? Or is it just a built-in no urgency gene?
What’s your stance? Speaking of stance, remember these cute leggings from Bombshell Sportsnwear… it’s time to drag them out or buy some more!
Are we too quick to label? Have we become so loud that individuals start to believe the labels we sow? Do they just give in and succumb to their dawdling title?
Can’t slackers help themselves??
Here is what we know…
TIME is a precious and valuable commodity.
What we do with it and how we spend it can speak volumes about our life.
We can’t make more or get it back therefore every minute counts.
Time is money!?!?
We will go out of our way to FIND / MAKE TIME for the things that we are most passionate about.
My view. ↓
Late once…or twice it’s a simple mistake and all is forgiven. Late often with or without an excuse is sheer flippant behavior. Habitually late with our without an excuse is just who they are, therefore I accept it and move on.
I operate a private training studio/ gym offering personal and group training sessions. I do my dead level best to keep classes running on schedule. I do this, NOT because I’m a stickler of time, but because I’m careful with my client’s time. In a group of 6 women, it’s inevitable that two out of the four will no doubt be 5-10 minutes late. For the four that are always on time, if not a few minutes early, it’s only fair that I start the session on time.
The late folks….couldn’t make it on time, much less early, if their children’s lives depended on it. I don’t harass or interrogate them to high heaven. Heck no, I greet them with the same smile that the early birds get. Of course…I have moments of wanting to fix it/them. Most of the women/mom’s/girls/ladies offer up a unfluffy apology which is truly unnecessary.
Because as fellow mom, wife, business owner, volunteer, committee member, driver, client, I get it. I’m in their camp too. Most of us are all trying to master a daily balancing act and being late to a workout isn’t the end of the world. So I blow it off. But it’s an interesting subject no??
Is time management a habit or a learned skill? Does it really matter? Why you contemplate the answer here is a three exercise combo to ponder on! Werk it!
Back in the day I had a successful brilliant boss, Mr. Darwin Deason, who encouraged me to set my clocks, watch, microwave and coffee timer 10 minutes fast. This was a strict part of his rigid HUSTLE mantra that I adopted some 25 years back. This 10 minutes fast theory would ensure I would never be late. What a concept! At first, I didn’t agree with this all too basic philosophy. BUT, as time rolled on, just as Mr. Deason projected, the brain forgets. The mind checks out and eventually doesn’t register that the clocks are 10 minutes fast. Before I knew it, I was operating 10 min ahead of schedule AT ALL TIMES.
The only problem was, I started to believe and was always under the impression that I was surrounded by late lazy losers who couldn’t get it together. Lol.
Now a days, most millennials don’t even bother to wear a watch to keep time if at all. Now a watch is an antique or high-priced piece of jewelry or more for business.
Most folks rely on the mobile phone, Apple Watch or cable box. The problem with this is…you can’t set any of these to cheat 10 minutes fast. Which when I really thought about it seems widely strange. Weird huh. Think about it?! Why can’t I make the time on my phone fast forward? Thank you cable box for doing away with the blinding alarm clock light but unfortunately I can’t manipulate you! 
I think we can all take a que from Mr. Deason. Being prompt has its place as does being fashionably late. However, at the end of the day, being on the ball, still means something. I think people who learn to HUSTLE, day after day, are really just masters at time management.
Here’s some tips on how to skillfully manage your time.
- Make technology your new best friend. The newest ally is the alarm. Set reminders on your phone, tablet or IPad. Make sure that these reminders or appointments are in sync with some type of alert or loud obnoxious alarm. Make the sound different from your ring tone or text tone. Make it something truly annoying to get your attention. What this is creating is essentially a false alarm! Set your gadget 10 minutes ahead of schedule. Create the event for 30 minutes prior to the actual start time. When the reminder blares…don’t blow it off. Stop what you’re doing and move. Just adding a reminder doesn’t make you awesome. What makes the difference is when you ACT on it!
- RESPECT the appointment process. If your child has a standing guitar lesson or you have a very over due hair or a standing personal training appointment respect their time. Put yourself in their shoes. Your tardiness could potentially put them in a bind. Your lack of punctuality could throw off the entire trajectory of their day. Imagine that for every minute late to an appointment you have to pay $20. Would the rules change? You will be surprised at how true and USEFUL this mindful tactic can be. I also think a heads up is polite and useful. If you are going to be more than 3 minutes late, send the person a text so they can make good use of their time until you arrive a blaze with your hair on fire. Siri is wonderful and allows you to speak your text and reminders without a single finger.
- If you’re a planner, organizer and writer downer person like me… change the time of the appointment /party on your personal and family calendar. Use red sharpie so the time glares and pops off the page Schedule it for 15 or 20 minutes earlier. When you get an invitation put it in your phone for an earlier half hour time. This way you actually have a decent chance of being on time. All this actually does is accounts for your travel time. Most people don’t make this a part of the process. If class begins at 10 you leave the house at 10 till 10 !! GET IT!!!
- Take more breaks. If you work your way through the day like a race horse and don’t ever take a break to look up, eat, evaluate your day you will burn out. Set alarms or reminders to physically get up. Move around, walk the stairs to a bathroom on the second floor to get the blood circulating. Call a friend and chit-chat. Grab or make a fresh water with your Pressabottle . But whatever you do, don’t press through your day with out a break.
- Where are my multitaskers? This is the key to life. Stir the spaghetti, nurse a baby and send an email in one fell swoop! Can I get an AMEN! Find opportunities to do more than one thing at time. I make phone calls when I’m walking my dog. I eat lunch and type my blog posts. I wake up 30 minutes before my training sessions to have quite time with Jesus.
- Prioritize. If you really have to get to your son’s baseball game but it interferes with your workout class…find another way. Wake up earlier…reschedule for the next day. Figure it out. Don’t give up. Schedule your personal errands and appointments around a workout not vice versa. Call it quits on one of the four committees and PTO boards. Pick one and move on. Join or create a car pull so every other week you now have a new hour in your day to work, workout, read, shave under your arms!?!
Prompt is empowering. It gives opportunity to prepare and set the scene .
If you aren’t great with keeping appointments my virtual FITness program might be just your speed. Each week you get two workouts emailed directly to your inbox. No drive time required. Each email contains instructional videos and pictures. The program comes with a meal plan packet full of eating and meal prep tips. It’s working and the results are REAL!
Meal Plan & FIT Tips
This packet of information is a real meal ticket to weight loss and healthy living. Contained is detailed info on protein bars, protein shakes, what and what not to eat, tips on how to order healthy at restuant and more!
$35.00
How can we all be friends and not judge the dawdlers? Just because Punctual Pete is always ahead of time doesn’t make Tardy Timmy a bad guy. Timmy just needs to manage his time better that’s all. Because like Ricky Bobby says, “if you aren’t first…you’re last”
What time is it?
Time to sweat!
Love, lift and be FIT!
Angi
