There’s a person in my life who is constantly late to everything. I love her to death but everytime I receive a “Srry running late lol” text, I contemplate getting my bags and leaving (I actually did once but that’s another story). Truth is, there’s a difference between running late and not being responsible enough to get somewhere on time.
Say you’re on the bus, headed to the mall where you promised you’d meet your friends at 4 PM and that bus has to stop because there’s a car accident. If, in that situation, you were to arrive at 4:30 and say to your friends “Sorry, I was running late”, then they would be more understanding. However, if you arrived late because you left too late, then no, you weren’t running late. You decided to leave your house at the latest time possible. You mismanaged your time and were rude to the people who wait up on you.
It’s one thing to keep your best friends waiting at the campus café. They’ll probably take out their phones and scroll through Instagram while they wait for you. However, this bad habit will not stand with everyone in your life. For example, one of the best ways to kill your chances of getting employed is to arrive to your interview late. Unless you have a good reason, you might as well be walking in with “You cannot count on me, boss” on your forehead.
Your intentions are not the most important thing because at the end of the day, being the person who’s constantly “running late” changes how people see you. You’re the friend people don’t call when they need something, the student that doesn’t get a recommendation from their professor because you couldn’t arrive at an exam on time, and you’re the employee who gets fired for frequent tardiness. You do not want to be this person.
Here’s what you can do instead: aim for early. If you find yourself constantly running late or miscalculating your travel time, plan to arrive 30 minutes earlier. Yes, it will be a little annoying when you have to wait half an hour for your friends to arrive or the event to start but it’s better than you sending another “I’m running late” text. Plus, in case you get lost or have to suffer through TTC delays, you’ve got some time to spare.
While this may seem like a rant about a little pet peeve, it’s bigger than that. Time management is one of the most important skills you can have in university and being able to meet people on time is something everyone should do. After all, in the words of Shakespeare himself: “Better three hours too soon than a minute too late.”
Image Source(s): http://img-aws.ehowcdn.com/600x600p/photos.demandstudios.com/getty/article/56/156/86503543.jpg