6 x never late again

“Around the corner.” “Just looking for a parking spot.” “Go ahead and order a mint tea for me.” All fake messages meant to create the illusion that you are incredibly on time, but which actually all scream ‘I Am Late.’.

I personally think I am very punctual, but when I am on time, it comes with incredibly sweaty armpits. That’s why I’m going to improve my life. And like this. Are you joining me?

The 40% factor

Scientists have wasted a lot of government money on this, but because of that we now know that we humans always think things go 40% faster than they actually do. So if you think you need 30 minutes to get somewhere, you should add 40 percent of 30 minutes = 12 minutes and reserve 42 minutes in your schedule.

Full is full

Make sure you have a charged phone, full bike tires, and definitely a full tank. In a tight schedule, those kinds of things can just make you five minutes late. I’ve often had my phone die on the way, causing my Google Maps to stop working, so I didn’t know where I needed to be and couldn’t tell that I was running late.

Say no

I actually don’t like to decline an invitation, which is why I often end up doing two things half-heartedly and leaving one event early to be very late to the other. Like recently at my daughter’s class farewell picnic, I was making excuses for half an hour to leave, only to rush to a lunch of Anouk Smulders where dessert was already being served. After three bites and two sips, I rushed back to pick up the kids from school. Nobody is happy about that, and certainly not you. Think ahead about what has the most priority and give it all your undivided attention.

Time your makeup time

This morning I realized that I must have blow-dried my hair at least 1883 times in my life and I still don’t know how much time such a session actually takes. That’s handy to know in your schedule. If you’re tight on time in the morning; skip the blow-drying and put your hair in a bun or a tight ponytail. That saves you 15 crucial minutes. Or you read this a bit, that helps too.

And you can of course also do your makeup at the office in the restroom. Your boss will probably be fine with that; they want a nice view too, right? And did you know that women who wear lipstick earn more? That has also been scientifically researched, by the way.

Let that phone ring

You’re around the corner from your appointment and your best friend calls. You pick up, chat just a bit longer than necessary and tadaa, you’re still six minutes late. Moreover, it doesn’t look very nice when you walk into your appointment with a head that’s glued to your left shoulder while on the phone.

Just let it go to voicemail and call back when you’re on your way back.

Get up half an hour earlier

If you start the day with a backlog, it will follow you like a domino effect all day long. So get up half an hour earlier so you start the day with charged devices and a clear overview.

Good luck!