20 March 2007
The Power of Punctuality
I’ve always been the type of guy that’s very time-sensitive. I always want to be early, or at least “on time” (which, in my head means 10 minutes early). I’ve noticed that while it’s very possible to stress out about being on time (ask my wife about that…), there certainly are some real benefits to be gained by taking the extra effort to be early.
I’ve split the benefits into three categories, but keep in mind - all of these have a financial aspect to them. As you’ll see below, the Health ones relate to keeping you out of accidents, anger management classes, and stress therapy. The Career ones offer the prospect of greater future income in the form of a promotion, which is certainly worthy of consideration.
Financial
- Whoah There, Slow Down Cowboy. -When I’m in a hurry, I drive faster. This is bad for fuel efficiency as well as increasing my chances of getting pulled over… which leads us to our next benefit…
- Less Tickets! - Disregarding a Stop Sign, Disregarding a Traffic Signal, Reckless Endangerment, etc, etc. When you are rushing something, you tend to get sloppy. This applies to driving as well.
- But I Like Fast Food! -When you have time to spare, your options for eating open up. Besides actually having a moment to enjoy and digest what you eat, it gives you options as far as speed of service and nutritional value go.
Health
- Road Ragerific - It is far less frustrating to get cut off when you don’t have to be somewhere 8 minutes ago. There is very little to be gained by screaming at your fellow drivers or saluting them in the style of choice. Unless you like an elevated blood pressue.
- But I like to run into things! - You tend to be healthier if you stay out of auto accidents, especially bad ones. Not that trying to be punctual can prevent all sorts of crashes, but it certainly helps (see comment about sloppiness above).
- The Joys of Traffic - Nothing’s worse than being late and finding yourself in the carnage of a horrible traffic jam. Having a buffer of time allows you to endure the gridlock with much less stress.
- Serenity now! - Depending on the event you’re attending (be it work, a meeting, or lunch), having a few minutes of uninterrupted alone-time can be invaluable, if just to collect your thoughts.
Career
- “Wow, Johnson really has his act together.” - The value in being viewed as a person who’s always prepared and on-time cannot be overstated in the business world, both as it relates to clients and other co-workers.
- Priority #1 - Whether its a first impression with a new boss or a conflict-laden discussion with a hostile supplier, being early/on-time starts a meeting off on the right foot, no matter what the other circumstances are.
The bottom line is: in a time-sensitive culture, it’s just plain good manners to be punctual. The art and science of how you actually become an early/on-time person… well that’s a topic for another post.
Being early/punctual will save you money, make you live longer, and advance your career. Perhaps thats a rosy view of the topic from a time-oriented person, I’ll let you guys and gals be the judge. Please, share any comments you have about being on time, being way too early, being late, or anything else you’d like to say.
this post should *definitely* be on lifehacker man. excellent post - probably one of my favorites so far on CMJ.