For some people, “early bird gets the worm” is a life motto. To them, “fashionably” late is not a thing.
These people are “on-timers,” and they have unique habits that make them who they are.
Seeing as showing up late is disrespectful, and can negatively affect your career as well as your relationships, it may be time to take a page out of their book.
Here are 10 habits that make punctual people tick.
They wake up before their alarm rings
People who are always on time unintentionally set a mental alarm along with a physical one.
There’s a scientific explanation for this: the suprachiasmatic nucleus in our brains that oversees the body’s clock can pick up on daily routines. Since on-timers are likely to follow stricter schedules, their body adjusts to their everyday moves.
They think ahead
For example, on-timers will plan outfits ahead of time, which prevents morning meltdowns. They spend less time staring into their closets and more time focusing on other pressing matters, like breakfast.
They give themselves a time buffer
It doesn’t matter how hard they try, on-timers will always arrive either early or on time. That’s because they give themselves a time buffer: if something is 30 minutes away, they don’t leave 30 minutes in advance, but 40, or 45 minutes before they need to be there.
They also prepare for unexpected delays.
They’re considerate of other people’s time
On-timers fundamentally believe that being fashionably late is rude. They value punctuality because they believe that everyone’s time is equally valuable.
They’re organized
They don’t schedule events too close together, they keep their calendar up to date, and they know how long it takes to get to said events.
They don’t procrastinate or need to multitask
On-timers tend to plan ahead, and lead very structured lives. They’re organized and have all of their ducks in a row.
When you have all of your ducks in a row, there’s no need to perform multiple tasks at once, and at the last minute. Multitasking is what happens when you’re running behind.
They’re realistic, and they know the fastest route to any location
Not only do on-timers give themselves a realistic amount of time to get from A to B, or to perform certain tasks, they also know the fastest way to get places. This leads back to planning ahead and being organized — simply looking up where you’re going ahead of time can help you avoid any last-minute surprises.
They appreciate down time
Since on-timers spend a lot of time waiting for other people, either because they’re early or others are late, they don’t mind waiting. They either come prepared for this downtime, or use it effectively.
They return calls, emails, and texts ASAP
You never have to worry about not getting a text, call or email back from on-timers. They follow through on communication and never leave people in the dark for an extended period of time. To them, late responses are almost as bad as being physically late.
They never forget a friend or relative’s birthday
This too goes back to being organized. On-timers are on top of everything, including big days for those who matter to them.
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Mike Iadevaia 