Ever found yourself sprinting towards your office, weaving through the crowded streets, because you’re on the brink of being late yet again? Or maybe you’re that friend who always arrives at a party just as everyone else is thinking about leaving. If this sounds all too familiar, trust me, you’re not alone. But before you resign yourself to the fate of forever being the late one, let’s take a moment to dissect this pesky habit and, more importantly, how we can turn the tide in our favor.
Anyone can be late a handful of times, but consistently being the person who’s always five minutes (or more) late? That, my friends, is an art. A frustrating and inconvenient art, or perhaps a side effect of your personality traits, as scientists have found. So, what exactly causes some of us to perpetually miss trains, show up at a wedding post-bride’s entrance, and regularly annoy our friends? And why is it such a Herculean task to rectify this behavior?
Justin Kruger, a social psychologist at New York University’s School of Business, sheds some light on this dilemma. “There are all sorts of disincentives and punishments for being late, and the paradox is we’re late even when those punishments and consequences exist,” he explains. This perpetual tardiness can often be traced back to what is known as the planning fallacy. Essentially, we are terrible judges of how long a task will take, underestimating the time needed by a whopping 40 percent on average.
Another contributing factor is our penchant for multitasking. A study by Jeff Conte from San Diego State University revealed that subway operators in New York City who preferred multitasking were more often late to their job. This is because multitasking hampers metacognition, or our awareness of what we’re doing. Furthermore, Conte discovered a personality distinction that plays into our punctuality (or lack thereof). Type A individuals, characterized by their high-strung, achievement-oriented nature, are more often punctual, whereas laid-back Type B individuals tend to be later. Intriguingly, these two types even perceive the passage of time differently. For Type A individuals, a minute passed in 58 seconds, whereas for Type B individuals, it felt like a leisurely 77 seconds.
So, with this understanding, how do we combat our chronic lateness? Breaking down activities into detailed steps can help people more accurately estimate how long something will take, according to research. Additionally, mentally visualizing a task before starting it can lead to a more realistic assessment of its duration. Latecomers should also embrace the reality that they can’t be in two places at once and plan fewer things, spaced further apart.
Acceptance is key when it comes to dealing with your personality type. If you’re a Type B person, acknowledging that you need to overcompensate for your natural tendencies might just be the first step towards improvement. This doesn’t mean you have to change who you are, but rather, adapt your approach to time management in a way that respects both your time and that of others.
The real-life accounts of Elise Volkmann and Christina Garrett offer a glimmer of hope for the chronically late. Volkmann, who operated on “Elise Standard Time,” made the simple yet effective change of leaving at least 30 minutes earlier than necessary and discovered the joys of not being in a rush. Garrett, a mother of five, had her wake-up call after being pulled over by the police multiple times in one week for speeding due to her tardiness. The reminder that she had “precious cargo” in her minivan was enough to prompt a change.
These stories underline an important truth: overcoming chronic lateness is possible. It requires a conscious decision to prioritize punctuality, coupled with practical strategies tailored to address the root causes of one’s tardiness. Whether it’s adopting a more realistic approach to time estimation, minimizing multitasking, or simply giving yourself a buffer by planning to arrive earlier, the goal is achievable.
Chronic lateness is not just a harmless quirk; it can have real consequences on our professional and personal lives. But by understanding the underlying reasons for this behavior and actively working to counteract them, we can shift from being perpetually late to elegantly early. It’s time to take control of our punctuality and, in doing so, show respect not only for our own time but for others’ as well. Start today, and who knows? You might just find that being early brings its own set of rewards.
Related posts:
Scientists Have Found Out Why You’re Chronically Late
Late for everything? Here are 7 tips to help you break the habit.
Super Late: How we treat time says a lot about how much we respect other people’s time
