5 easy tips to get to meetings on time

You’re late everywhere?  you just never seem to arrive to meetings on time? Troubling, isn’t it?

You know punctuality, will keep you on good terms with your colleagues, clients, boss and even friends. Yet we can be perpetually tardy, it’s hard – almost impossible – to be early.

If you’ve built a habit of being late all the time, whether it’s with friends, business associates or clients, then you should know it can be detrimental to these relationships. Of course there are valid reasons why you could be late every now and then but soon these instances could create a bad habit if you don’t change it.

Therefore, doing the best you can to avoid being late should be your ultimate objective. If you’re a perpetually never on time for meetings the following steps would be of help to you;

 1. Keep a diary

Learn to always have a schedule and avoid overcrowding it. This helps you to know what you’re meant to do, at what time and place. With this you can be where you’re meant to be, not on time but early. If you have a calendar on your phone the easiest thing to do is to set a reminder for yourself a day or two before the meeting. If you have Siri (iPhone users) even better he’ll set that meeting right up for you!

2. Get your outfit and things ready beforehand

You don’t want to be in a hurry because that will likely make you forget something. If you have an early appointment, prepare the night before by getting your clothes ready and making sure that things you need, such as car keys and cell phone, are ready to go. Even if you don’t have these things ready the night before have an idea of all the things you need so all you have to do is pull them out in the morning. Visualise your outfit, write down what you need for the meeting.

3. Allow ample time for your movement

Take into consideration the time of the day you will be going for the meeting. If you’re travelling, always add enough time for travel delays and other things that could crop up. In preparing for a meeting it is always wise to get up and start 2 – 3 hours ahead to create enough time for preparation and movement to the location of the meeting.

4. Avoid overextending yourself by scheduling too many appointments around the same time

By doing this, you’re setting yourself up to be late. If you do have more than one meeting at a time, then make sure you schedule enough time in between so that you can travel from one to another without rushing or risking being late.                                   

5. Learn to say NO or another time

You can’t realistically accept every meeting invite you get, not only will you be creating a stressful situation for yourself because you will be forced to follow through on the invite, but you will most likely be late and upset the person you’re meeting. It’s better to decline the invitation and risk disappointing the person, than risking offending them by being late. You can always reschedule for a more convenient time.

I hope these few steps help you arrive at meetings on time.

Written by Alexis Ebri