• Aim to get to places 10 to 15 minutes early, rather than on time. Plan to do something concrete while you are waiting, such as deleting junk emails or reading a book.
• Plan and practice exist strategies from conversations or last-minute tasks.

When you're late, you're rushing, your brain is multitasking, trying to pick between what you have time for and what you must do faster.

• Your body might go into a fight-or-flight mode, releasing the stress hormone cortisol. If you do that to yourself repeatedly, it may...

• Some people think that the less conscientious tend to run late, but research doesn't back that up.
• Some think optimistic people might not consider potential delays. Again, little research to confirm this.
• Being time urgent is a characteristic of people with type A personaliti...

Some people have an underlying feeling that their time is more important than everyone else's. Politicians or businesspeople may exert their authority by keeping others waiting.

However, most people don't realise that their delay has this effect on others. They think the struggle to be on t...