Are you constantly late to everything? Is it hard to get out of bed in the morning? Do you find yourself showing up to events a couple minutes late like, every time? Then this article is for you.
I have struggled with tardiness for a very long time. I won “Most Likely To Be Tardy” in high school. You know you have a problem when your friends and family lie to you to get you to be on time.
Wouldn’t it be nice to make yourself a healthy breakfast every morning and be on time to work or class? Even when I give myself enough time, something else always seems to come up.
There are so many factors and excuses you can create for being late. I can’t find my keys, my hair looks greasy because I ran out of dry shampoo, or the outfit I planned out in my head actually looks awful once I put it on.
I’ll let you in on a couple secrets that have helped me tackle this bad habit, or at least start to. Honestly, I’m hoping this blog post will help hold me accountable. So, here are a couple tips from a fellow procrastinator to help:
Get organized.
Being organized is key to being on time. Getting ready for work in a disaster of a room only piles onto the stress and makes you late! Avoid the stress altogether by preparing ahead of time.
Keep your surroundings neat and tidy. When everything around you is organized, your mind feels less chaotic. If you keep a planner, have your clothes and supplies all laid out beforehand, know how long it takes to get ready, how long it takes to get somewhere, and the time you need to be there (10 minutes early!) you’ll be ready to conquer the day. Remember–on time is late!
Prioritize.
This means saying no to plans every once in a while, even if they sound tempting. You have to learn to prioritize what’s more important.
On my last night in France during my study abroad this summer, I was asked to spend the night on the beach with my friends. I said yes, of course, but it ended up causing me a lot of stress the next day (and major sleep deprivation).
What I should have been doing that night was packing all of my things from the past two months and cleaning my dorm in order to get checked out the next day. Instead, I got hardly any sleep on the beach, got back to my dorm and had to catch a bus to make it to our last class presentation. Long story short, I missed my bus and had to get an Uber so I wouldn’t miss my flight.
All of this could have been avoided had I prioritized my important tasks. If I could go back and redo the situation I would have taken advantage of the “free time” I had two days before! Don’t stress yourself out for no reason.
I love this quote that my dad says, “Do something today that you will thank yourself for tomorrow.”
Lay out your clothes for the next day, the night before. Make a list of to-do’s for the week and cross off tasks early in advance. Your future self will thank you.
Organizing and prioritizing are steps toward being punctual, stress free and no longer the late friend!