Do you find yourself sleeping through more alarms than you set? Stuck in traffic every time you need to be punctual? Running to class so as not to be late? If any of these symptoms sound familiar to you, be warned. You may be struggling from chronic lateness, like me and thousands of others. But have no fear—here are some tips to heal the condition.
Allot time for everything and anything
Learn to allot time. A lot of time. I find that random holds come up every morning—my roommate is taking too long in the bathroom, I couldn’t find a matching scarf, etc. When you’re allotting time for the morning, add an extra ten minutes to make up for anything that could happen.
Convince yourself everything is non-negotiable.
Try to make yourself believe whatever you’re going to do can never be made up—that this is the only time it can occur. It’s easy to be late to something when you feel its priority is not very high. Do the mental gymnastics and persuade yourself that the deadline needs to be met, or else. This will put pressure on you to try harder to meet the deadline.
Plan to be early
Most of the time, I find myself allotting only enough time to be exactly on time. Now that I recognize my tendency for lateness, it’s important to change it. Class at 9:15? Tell yourself to get there at 9:05. This will get you there with time to spare, and nothing can hold you back from timeliness.
Prep ahead of time
How many times have I found myself stuck in front of my closet, unsure of what to wear, with class starting in 10 minutes? Meal prep, outfit prep, all of these things help you get places on time. Take one thing off your plate for the next morning the night before. That way, you have less unexpected delays holding you back.
Set multiple alarms
I make it a point to set at least three alarms every morning. Aside from the rare occasion in which I slept through all of them, I tend to be up and running when I need to be.
And finally, if none of this works, remember that people who are always late tend to be more successful and more creative. So, TBH, who said you have to be on time?