Time Management

Punctuality is honoring someone else's time.

I saw this comment several years ago and took it to heart.   I too use to be one of those people who couldn't seem to get myself together and out the door on time.  (well to be honest, sometimes I still am.)   I wasn't terribly late, usually 5 - 10 minutes.   And I always told myself it was because I was a busy mom of three, worked full time, traffic is horrible, blah, blah, blah.    And  I arrived just a tad discombublated and frazzeled.   Not the professional image I wanted to give.    Then I read that people who are perpetually late not only have organization issues, which we all know has been my challenge over the years, but they are also arrogent and have no regard for other people's time.    The question was, if you are meeting three other people for dinner and they are on time, what makes you  think you are so important that you can't be on time too? 

Hmmm, that was a bit of a slap.   I never considered myself so important that it was my right to make other people wait for me, I was just always behind.  My friends knew it but never said anything (to my face).   So that was my new goal to work on.  Be on time.   Not only on time but be the first one there.  Boy that was hard at first.   I tried to trick myself into leaving early, that didn't work well.   Finally, I just got it together.  I figured out how to get things done the night before which allowed me to have less morning stress and thus be able to walk out the door on time.   I didn't have to check my bag three times from the front door to the car to be sure I had everything.   Then run back to the house.

Once I learned to trust myself that I got everything together the night before I just grabbed my bag and left.   I keep knitting in the truck so if I'm way early, I have something to occupy my time while I wait.   That makes me less crazy and resentful when I'm waiting for the others, be it friends or the doctor appointment I was early for.  

Funny thing was once I changed my mindset, the relaxed happier me started poking her head out.