Being on Time Essay Example for Free

Being on Time Essay Being on time is very important. It is a sign of respect to the person you are meeting. If you are always late, youre creating a bad reputation for yourself. People feel they cant trust you or rely on you, so it impacts relationships. It also impacts self-esteem. Being late is upsetting to others and stressful for the one who is late. Peoples stress level is very high when theyre late. Theyre racing, worried, and anxious. They spend the first few minutes apologizing. And that’s not the best way to making a good impression. So if you want to be on time you must first figure out why you are always late. The reason can usually be classified as either technical or psychological. For example if youre always late by a different amount of time 5 minutes sometimes, 15, or even 40 minutes other times it is likely that the cause is technical. Its a case of bad planning, of thinking you need less time than you actually do. Another technical difficulty for some people is the inability to say no to additional commitments when theyre short on time. But if you are literally always 10 minutes late, its psychological. Youre arriving exactly when you want. The question is why? For some people, its a resistance thing. They dont want to do what other people expect them to. Another category is the â€Å"crisis-maker†. These are people who cannot get themselves together until they get an adrenaline rush. They need to be under the gun to get them selves moving. There are also people who are late because they worry they won’t have nothing to do while waiting. This problem can be solved easily. Always carry a book or magazine. So you aren’t feeling bored and you don’t have the feeling of â€Å"excess† time when you are waiting. And that’s not the only thing that can help you to deal with lateness. You can also†¦ †¢ Clean out your purse or briefcase each evening so it’s ready to go the next morning. †¢ Know how much money is in your wallet so you won’t run out of cash at an awkward time. †¢ Give up that â€Å"one last thing† before walking out the door. †¢ Think about what you could do with an extra five minutes for every place where you arrive early. †¢ Review your plans for the rest of the day and make note of things that have changed. †¢ Keep a clock in a prominent location so you can check it quickly when you have to leave your activities. †¢ Always keep keys, purse and backpack on hooks and a shelf by the exit door. †¢ Set your clocks 5 to 10 minutes ahead. Although remember that at dinner party its rude to arrive early; you might surprise the host and find him in his bathrobe vacuuming. In Japan, China, Germany and the United States being on time is the rule. In other places, such as Latin America punctuality is rare. Punctuality exhibits respect for the time of others; you do not waste their time while they wait for you. But it makes it difficult for Germans to act spontaneously. You cant really call someone and say, Lets go for a coffee. Many Germans will want that date in their diaries for at least a week. Back in the technological dark ages, you couldnt contact people so easily, so you made an effort to meet them on time. Nowadays if you are running late you simply call the person and delay or cancel the meeting. However that should not become a habit, because you may delay, but time will not. I used to be late all the time. But I’ve got tired of running down the street to catch the bus and bored of explaining to everyone why I’m late again. So I decided to deal with the problem. First step was setting my clocks 5 min ahead and it really works for me. But I realized that everything is in my head. I just have to decide that the meeting or event is just too important for me to be late. I won’t say I’m always on time, but I’m trying. As someone else said: Better late than never, but better never late! [pic].