How to Stop Running Late

Everybody is late for something at one time of another. Traffic can be excessively congested, cars will have problems and people encounter upsets of many different types. However, for some people running late is not just an occasional occurrence. If chronic tardiness has caused you to face corrective action at work or school, or has put a strain on any of your relationships, it is time to make changes. Learn some new approaches to tackle tardiness once and for all.

Things You'll Need

• Maps
• Schedule, planner or calendar
• Alarm clock

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Instructions

• 1

  Prepare ahead of time as much as possible. If early mornings are a struggle for you, do as much as you can the night before. When you need to be somewhere you are not familiar with, map it out online, print out the map and tuck it in your purse or glove compartment so you don't have to worry about getting lost.

• 2

  Take a long, hard look at your schedule. If your calendar is crammed with appointments, errands and other to-dos, that is going to cause you some major tardiness. Find some wiggle room by eliminating some scheduled tasks that are not either absolutely fun or absolutely necessary.

• 3

  Use a schedule. If you keep track of all of your appointments in one, central location you don't have to worry about forgetting until it dawns on you at the last minute.

• 4

  Set two alarms. Most cell phones come with a built-in alarm clock, so you should have one on you at all times. Set it to go off ten minutes before you have to leave, and again when you unconditionally must leave.

• 5

  Adopt the attitude that it will take ten to fifteen minutes to get to an appointment than it does. This will give you time for those last-minute interruptions, such as finding your keys. Set your alarm clock according to this attitude.

• 6

  Determine why you run late. Do you only run late for meetings that make you nervous, such as doctor appointments or job interviews? Perhaps you are procrastinating. Are you late when you are supposed to get together with your bossy sister or your, well, boss? Maybe you are bucking authority. Once you have concluded why you constantly run late, you can come up with healthier, timelier ways to deal with your issues.