Being punctual is very difficult for some people. It may seem simple, that it’s just a matter of keeping an eye on your watch and giving yourself enough time to do things. It’s a real pleasure to eat breakfast calmly and still have a minute or two before you have to leave the house, to arrive at work on time without rushing, to make an appointment to go to the movies and to be able to get in line to buy tickets without feeling rushed.
But it’s not that easy for everyone. There are those for whom breakfast is nothing more than a quick swig of coffee and a piece of toast eaten almost in one bite, who always seem to end up running into traffic and making it to work just on time, and whom you better not ask about the first 5 minutes of the movie, because they most likely weren’t there yet.
Are you one of those people who ends up putting on makeup in the mirror in the car at stoplights, or who prays on the way to appointments that the other person will be even later than you?
If so, it’s time to change!
In the end, everyone wants to be on time, because stress is bad for our physical and mental health, because punctuality is a professional obligation, because we don’t like being the butt of the jokes of our friends, and because we don’t like it when they get angry with us because the whole group was held up waiting for us to arrive. So, what can we do?
Here are four reflections that can help us be more punctual.
1Do it for the good of your friends and family
Being punctual to group events helps everyone make better use of their time, makes everyone feel that you respect their time, and lets everyone know that their sacrifices to arrive on time we’re not rendered pointless by your lack of organization.
2Do it for the good of your spouse
Being on time to dates, appointments, or tasks that you’re going to do with your spouse is a good way of showing affection. Being “fashionably late” is entirely out of fashion. Arriving on time is a sign that you thought about the other person and organized your time to be with them as much as possible.
3Do it for the good of your children
There’s no better way to teach than with your own example. If we ask people to be some place at a certain time, we should be the first person to arrive. Look ahead and plan accordingly. In addition, teaching our children punctuality helps them develop many other virtues, such as fortitude, diligence, respect, organization … It won’t make our family as organized as a military training camp, but it will help keep our home from being an absolute chaos.
4Do it for your own good
By trying to be punctual, we will have greater peace and tranquility: we won’t always be stressed because we’re running late. By being punctual, therefore, we reduce all the symptoms of stress, which will make us calmer and more relaxed, and which in general will allow us to begin our activities in a better mood, with less nervousness then if we arrive late.
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