Please help me! I am chronically late!!

Do you resent your supervisor or something, even unconsciously? Do you feel they don't value enough and being late is a way of fighting back? Maybe deep down you don't think being on time is that important.

I used to be that way actually. I'd have to know why you're late. For me it's distractions & an uncanny ability to convince myself that I could cover significant distances in record times. The distractions mostly killed me though. Waking up, turning on the tube & watching news or ESPN... before I knew it 15 minutes pass & I'm suddenly running behind. So don't do anything but get ready for work when you get up in the morning. It also helps to pick an outfit & iron it the night before. Get yourself organized & follow a morning routine that gets you on the road with plenty of time to spare. And don't be afraid to get to work pretty early. If you find that you're ready a half hour before you really need to walk out the door, don't think "well, I can kill at least another 10 minutes before I have to leave," just go.

And, if it's trouble getting up in the morning, just remember to tell yourself that an extra 15 minutes in bed really isn't going to do shit for you as far as rest goes, but it can be enough to make you late & lose you your job.

Subconsciously you realise that the world is just 20 minutes too fast.

Also, maybe . . .

Set your clock(s) ahead 15 minutes.

Get another clock if needed and set an alarm for when you absolutely, positively have to get up and get ready and get out the door.

alleycat said:

Also, maybe . . .

Set your clock(s) ahead 15 minutes.

Get another clock if needed and set an alarm for when you absolutely, positively have to get up and get ready and get out the door.

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I agree with alley. You can train yourself to do this. Every clock in my house is different - the closer you get to the door, the closer it is to 'real' time.

But you have to act as if each is correct.

"I'm the only person I know who could leave the house at 8:00 for an 8:00 class -
and be early."

(can you tell I hate to be late?)

Focus on being early. That way, when you're late, you're still on time.


(just another example of unique's paradoxical thinking) YMMV

adjust the comfort level in your life by arranging your finances and whatever might constitute a safety net so that they are inaccessible to you. then, when you are late and lose your job, you will quickly find out what it's like for millions of working class people who live their lives from paycheck to paycheck.

once you've lost your job, your place to live, are reduced to eating ramen noodles (at first) and out of dumpsters (soon after), take to prostitution until you're stabbed with a corn dog stick or spit out the bottom of the porn industry—you'll find out that some things are simply responsibilities in life that allow you to survive and quit seeing it as some mysterious psychological malady that others should view as an interesting quirk and reward with softball advice on a messageboard.

zorasaura said:

Plus, I'll do pretty much anything. I will bus tables, work reception, stand in the cold.

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Perhaps you have a bigger problem than being late . . .

how much does standing in the cold pay? i think i could be good at that.

No, just get a job that has flex hours and nobody cares when you show up. I had that type of jobs for years: didn't show up until after 10 or 11 and didn't leave until after 9 pm... I know I'm spoiled.

People called me lazy because I came in at 10 instead of 8:30 but they didn't realize I also worked 10 hours a day and got things done twice as fast as everyone else. But I insisted and I even told people: "If you schedule a meeting at 8, you may as well not have me here because I will be useless and cranky and I don't take artificial substances like caffeine to 'perk me up'." Plus I'd like to not deal with rush hour every day, thank you very much.

They did generally get it and nobody was unhappy about my productivity. It helps that I was in an industry that valued individual work habits. Even my clients understood flex hours (meetings can only be scheduled between 10 am and 3 pm and can't last for more than 2 hours). There were some who insisted all the consultants show up before 9 but eventually I convinced them they'd just be wasting their money on me between 9 and 10.

There was a guy at my job a few years ago who wouldn't even show up until noon, but usually he was the last one to leave the office. And yes, he was eventually promoted to VP.

My opinion is that work ethics is not determined by when you punch in and out, but by how much you dedicate yourself to doing a good job and for me, I know my limitations and I don't mind staying late to finish the job, just as long as you don't drag me out of bed at 7 a.m.

If I understand you correctly, you're saying that even if you had a job that started at 10 a.m., you would still be late.

If you really want to change that, do what other posters have suggested: prepare the night before, and plan to arrive early to work - not just "on time."

That will do it. For sure.

Thus ends my softball advice.

ltd.

That said, if your job requires you to be on time (say, you're a jet pilot) and you want to keep that job, others have given you some very good advice. And if you keep losing jobs because of timeliness issue -- yes, you have a problem. Either get a job that doesn't require you being on time, or get on the ball and follow the rules. The choice is really yours.

adrenaline junky. I used to be the same way.

kuatolives said:

adrenaline junky. I used to be the same way.

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So, what do you do now?

maestrowork said:

People called me lazy because I came in at 10 instead of 8:30 but they didn't realize I also worked 10 hours a day and got things done twice as fast as everyone else. But I insisted and I even told people: "If you schedule a meeting at 8, you may as well not have me here because I will be useless and cranky and I don't take artificial substances like caffeine to 'perk me up'." Plus I'd like to not deal with rush hour every day, thank you very much.

They did generally get it and nobody was unhappy about my productivity. It helps that I was in an industry that valued individual work habits. Even my clients understood flex hours (meetings can only be scheduled between 10 am and 4 pm). There were some who insisted all the consultants show up before 9 but eventually I convinced them they'd just be wasting their money on me between 9 and 10.

There was a guy at my job a few years ago who wouldn't even show up until noon, but usually he was the last one to leave the office. And yes, he was eventually promoted to VP.

My opinion is that work ethics is not determined by when you punch in and out, but by how much you dedicate yourself to doing a good job and for me, I know my limitations and I don't mind staying late to finish the job, just as long as you don't drag me out of bed at 7 a.m.

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This is fine if your job doesn't have to dovetail with the jobs of others in the business. If even one person has to wait to accomodate your personal wishes, your increased productivity is negated by the other person's wasted productivity. This is why the vast majority of businesses have standard work hours and expect their employees to honor them.

Zora, I bet your job resume looks fantastic. I'm afraid that "laid back" is just an excuse I see in my work too often--coming from lazy students who have never learned to take personal responsibility for much of anything, and who expect all of the other people in the world to bend to their personal version of what constitutes a reasonable schedule. I hope you find a job as flexible as Ray's. Although you may argue, personal discipline doesn't only apply to the things you want to do. It really applies to the things you have to do as well. Without personal discipline, some things, particularly many types of jobs, will always be out of your reach.

I have the exact same problem. No matter what I do, I can never seem to get anywhere on time. Even when I had a night job, I was still always late. I have somewhat fixed this problem with my current job by just acting as I have to be a work 30 mins before I really do. I consider myself running late if I'm on time. After doing this for almost a year, it's been working pretty good. It also helps that if I get there early enough, I can stand around for a moment and have a coffee and a cigarette. Looking forward to that really helps as well.