Experiencing the always-late feeling is not actually that bad, but it’s bad enough to somehow erode your confidence enough to make you less successful.
Life has enough negativities, don’t let the sorry feeling of being late make your life contain more negativities, or at least more bad days. An always on time person has a professional outward appearance, makes good impressions and receives more respect from others. Especially when you have an interview or important meeting, being on time would probably a big bonus for your performance and image. That way, you would place yourself at a much closer position to success. Building up the best image of yourself and being prepared for any opportunity may seem hard, but it gets easier if you start by dealing with the small things, particularly, saying no to being late.
You may be a person who always postpones doing things and may have gotten used to being late. Well, it’s time to change that to become a more responsible and successful adult. Maybe you’re a strict person, you believe that no matter what, you will always be prepared and wouldn’t let something as small as being late obstruct your way. But, sometimes life is against you. Say you cried all night yesterday, or couldn’t sleep, and ended up waking up at 11 am because you forgot to set an alarm last night. Despite the occasional hardship, I think the key point here is to train yourself to get used to a healthy timeline.
Let’s start with setting up the alarm. A time to wake up every day. Regardless if it’s Monday or Sunday, you will follow that one time to wake up, such as 8 am. Day by day, just after about one week, you will have a natural habit of waking up at 8 am. This way, late on, even if you’re tired and fall asleep before setting an alarm, you would wake up on time the next morning based on your biological clock.
Next:
Place all of the necessary things that you need when going out in one place. That way it is convenient and always in the place you expect. Things such as keys, phone chargers, your wallet, etc.
Note everything in your phone or your notebook right after your meetings are scheduled, then check it every night to know what you need to do the next day.
You need to have a plan. You need to know yourself, if you don’t already. Create your routine now: how much time do you need to get out of bed, to prepare in the bathroom, to choose clothes, etc. By knowing all of those details, you will know the exact amount of time you need to leave home and get to wherever you need to go. You will never be late or lose control of your time.
Overall, the most important thing is your awareness of the disadvantage of being late, to your career as well as your relationships. If you complete these steps you will have a set routine to keep you in check.