Can You Cure Chronic Lateness?

The amount of energy it takes to rush into things and trying to reach frantically on time, and then to repent afterwards, can be harnessed and channelled into working towards being punctual.

Being accountable towards one’s tardiness, when the consequences like the loss of a job, or a major client, can spur a person into breaking the internal denial about their lateness being something tolerable by others.

While a person can be coaxed into being on time using heavy penalties, a more powerful incentive is the positive aspects of being on (or before) time.

Example: Rushing into a meeting which already started and where everyone else is looking at you, would feel embarrassing, especially if it is a pattern. Being on time can fix that embarrassment.

Many chronically late people fall in one or more of these four personalities:

• The Perfectionist: The person who is late because everything has to be done perfectly and has to be flawless in every aspect.
• The Crisis Maker: One who seeks the adrenaline rush of a time constraint.
• The Defier: One who rebels against the existing social norms and demands, defying the authorities who try to impose orders.
• The Dreamer: Someone who lives in a dream world, assuming that time works for them in a different way.

• Certain specific places in the daily schedule have to be targeted, once they are identified as pain points (getting up late, for example). Once can set multiple alarms/reminders during the day to ‘wake up’ from the current task and rush towards the upcoming appointment.
• It helps to start slow with a small assignment and complete it several times to get conscious of your new actions.
• While being compassionate towards oneself is crucial, it helps to visualize oneself as a can-do person who can stick to the new routine and strengthen the commitment to the self.
• Working on one’s time management is just like changing one’s diet: If one starts to eat better, junk food isn’t that appealing anymore.