Time-management, how do YOU do it ... ?

[katie1997]

Any advice/tips on time management gratefully appreciated*

How do other people manage to be on time all the time?

Is there a 'secret' to punctuality?

* y-es, buying a watch might be an idea

[DJKillaQueen]

What I find works, is to work out how long you 'think' it'll take you to get somewhere...and then add a third onto it. That works for me.

[Damian H]

Or note how late you typically tend to be for things, then work on the assumption that your appointment is that much earlier. Another possibility is to figure out what your procrastination or delaying strategies are. I mean by this - if you had to teach me how to be consistently late for things how would you do it? WHat would I have to do? Specifically? Write it out as if it is a set of instructions for someone who has to fill in for you for a while. Once you realise what it is you do to allow this to happen - do something different!

[womanofdulwich]

if i know i have to leave at 5pm i start thinking about what i need and where it is 30 mins before- money shoes bag water gym stuff keys glasses cards. partner thinks;-)" we are leaving at 5pm" starts looking for stuff at 4.59pm- I do think having a handbag is really helpful - most things are in there somewhere- as opposed to him saying " now where did i leave my keys......................".

[woofmarkthedog]

Ok

Easy one that.

Buy a helicopter with a rocket launcher on it, if you're on time great, just land & go

If not, fire rockets at the designated rendezvous, they'll never know you were late

Next ?

W**F

[Ladymuck]

I'd like to know too as I'm nearly always late for anything...

(...can't see any of this making any difference Katie 5657.1...how about you just keep bringing a book and I'll keep bringing the knitting... LOL!);-)

[Marmora Man]

It's just training - at 18 I was told that Royal Navy time is 5 mins ahead of all other time. So if I arrived "on the dot" of 5.00pm for a 5.00pm meeting I was, by RN standards, 5 minutes late. It was drummed into me over the first year's training. Thereafter I've never missed a train, plane or boat - but I have spent many hours in waiting rooms, terminals and docks and now never travel without a book or newspaper to while away the waiting time.

Family are now used to this - and have, in the past, got up at some unearthly hours to catch a plane for holidays.

[womanofdulwich]

oh Marmora man - my Dad was in the navy-I am sure you are right- it was drilled in to us.

[woofmarkthedog]

Lordy me, after reading Mams post I started to sweat. It reminded me of my ex-father in law, if he said he wanted to leave at 5 he'd be revving the car up at 4:30. It got worse as time went on & sent everyone doo lally, 5 am became in his mad head became 4:30 & then 4:00 am . Once we left Camberwell to go to HollyHead in Wales, we arrived at the Guest House so early that the landlady had just got up "And you've traveled from where" she asked, scratching her head

Another time we were in convoy with our VW camper & it started to play up & overheat, the old man stopped with us at a Garage about 70km hours outside Calais. We got a mechanic to look it over as we had about 5 hrs before we got the ferry.In all it took about half an hour to fix, though not before the F-in law jumped in his car, scarlet faced "I cant miss that ferry" and sped off, abandoning us. I did laugh though

It's like a disease to some & makes other peoples lives a misery. Funny enough my boys Grandfather is much the same, he clucks about like a red faced rooster " Mustn't be late " no wonder the ol' Scoutmaster has got high blood pressure

If somethings that important you'll get there, otherwise don't sweat the small stuff

W**F

[Mick Mac]

Marmora Man Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

>

> Family are now used to this - and have, in the

> past, got up at some unearthly hours to catch a

> plane for holidays.

You sound like my Mum.

[SeanMacGabhann]

you know that bit at home or before you leave for your meeting and you think "I have plenty of time"?

Stop doing THAT

You don't

[woofmarkthedog]

SeanMacGabhann Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> you know that bit at home or before you leave for

> your meeting and you think "I have plenty of

> time"?

>

> Stop doing THAT

>

> You don't

______________________________________

*Noted*

W

( i didn't have time to write **f, bath is ready NOW )

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

My dear Ma has all the clocks in the house set 15 minutes early. Only trouble is, we all know that!

[dita-on-tees]

i am obsessive about being on time. so i always set off stupidly early for things ( more so if they are important e.g trains, planes, job interviews and dates) means when i get to my destination I have a whole 30 mins to fret about the forthcoming scenario. It may explain why I am a highly strung mentalist. Stay being late, for your own mental health.....

[Mick Mac]

Peter Jones - always late - everyone waits for him.

[katie1997]

Thanks to everyone for your helpful suggestions (tu)

I have learned that:

I am way too optimistic about estimating how long it will take me to get somewhere.

I can't do the maths. (or the math)

Books and knitting only last sooooo long.

My procrastination/delaying strategies would shock most people.

I am consistent in my lateness.

I am typically more than *cough* mins (hours) late for anything.

Sean is right. I don't have plenty of time. Ever.

Bath time was ages ago. I don't have time to write this.

Setting the clocks early gives a false sense of security.

I wish I could be obsessive about being on time.

I am not Peter Jones.

* orders helicopter with extra supply of rocket launchers (x2) *

Edit: I wish I had a Royal Navy education/upbringing (tu)

[charliecharlie]

Know I am going to sound a bit like the dear old John Lewis Partnerships (who are pretty much always on time, but a wee bit on the boring side), but I am pretty good about being on time for other people. In the main, I think this is because I feel like I'm giving off a pretty blatant sign that I don't value their time (or them) by keep them waiting around for me...

Being late makes me feel like I am saying "My time (ie. the wonderful and fabulously busy me) is more important than yours" and so I try not to keep people waiting.

So my tips would be:-

Leave plenty of time

Put the other person first and value them enough not to keep them waiting for you...

(yiks... do I sound smug or what... but might be helpful Katie, so will post it anyway!)

http://www.edenhigh.ca/spirituallife/test/liarorlord/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/whocaresclock.jpg

[????]

CC good for you> I'm hardly ever late as, sorry Katie, it is a sign of bad manners and being a bit inconsiderate and selfish in my book to be late. Sorry but it is not uptightness but just good manners and pretty striaghtforward to be on time for anything in most circumstances. I guess I'm a bit old fashioned on this.

[katie1997]

CC and ???? - thank you, and I do agree with your points about showing consideration, having good manners and being on time for other people.

I think punctuality comes naturally to some and lateness is not ever meant as a deliberate insult. Missing flights and trains is not much fun either.

"Could try harder" (is I guess what my 'timekeeping' report would say) :(

[hibbs]

What CC and ????s said but hey don't beat yourself up... I mean you were actually early yesterday :-)

[HAL9000]

I was invited to an Arabic-speaking, North African country to meet a high-ranking official - he kept me waiting for SEVEN weeks. I gave the official an earful when I finally saw him - he stormed out of the meeting and cancelled my hospitality cover - the trip ended up costing me ?146,000 in early 1980's money. I'd only been married a couple of months - my wife had nearly left me by the time I got back.

I've since learnt to be a bit more tolerant of lateness when dealing with Arab and African VIPs.

[????]

Hal I have access to over ?200 million in governement development money, I need access to an ovesraes account to free these sums for which I will most hansomley reward the account holder. Send me your bank account details etc

[HAL9000]

Hahaha - it wasn't a 419 scam, but I came across a few of the original pre-scam deals in Nigeria - they were real back when every Nigerian civil servant from the president down was hell bent on stealing the country's oil revenues.

Those were the days...

[Ladymuck]

charliecharlie Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

>... but I am pretty good about being on time for other

> people. In the main, I think this is because I

> feel like I'm giving off a pretty blatant sign

> that I don't value their time (or them) by keep

> them waiting around for me...

> Being late makes me feel like I am saying "My time

> (ie. the wonderful and fabulously busy me) is more

> important than yours" and so I try not to keep

> people waiting.

> So my tips would be:-

> Leave plenty of time

> Put the other person first and value them enough

> not to keep them waiting for you...

Also,

???? Wrote:

--------------------------------------------------

> I'm hardly ever late as, sorry Katie, it is a sign of bad

> manners and being a bit inconsiderate and selfish in my

> book to be late. Sorry but it is not uptightness but just

> good manners and pretty striaghtforward to be on time for

> anything in most circumstances.

Oh gosh...I'm ashamed to say that I am nearly always late...I really don't mean to be...and it cetainly is not down to a lack of respect for the person that I am meeting. It's just that I cram too much into a ridiculously small amount of time. I.e. I might actually be on time with (say) a spare 20 minutes. But then, instead of heading to my appointment, I will think "ah..I'll just do this, and that, oh and that"...and so on...until I then become late.

Until both your posts (CC and ????) I honestly hadn't thought about how rude my continual lateness might have appeared to others. Indeed my friends continually rib me about it (as some of you know) and up until now I have always made light of it. I see now that I shouldn't have.

So as from tomorrow I shall try much, much harder. Thanks for this thread katie7628.4.

[Huguenot]

I'm afraid I'm totally with cc and quids. There's only one thing to do to be late, and that's to think that your time is more important than theirs. The rest of it is technicalities.

The 'I don't mean to be' is utterly pointless. It's effectively 'I don't mean to be completely self-centered and think I'm more important than you, but I do, and I'm going to rub your nose in it'.

The 'I honestly' bit just makes it even worse. It means 'I honestly honestly think I'm more important than you'.

'I will try much harder' isn't floating my boat either. Because you're talking about disguising your contempt for other people.

There's no answer to being on time, this threads exists because somebody wants third party justification for being smug and selfish. Somebody wants a 'get out of jail free' card to wave around.

There isn't one, you're just selfish.