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Playing Catch Up and Making Time

Written by: Don Doman

Article Overview: I have a friend who is always late. If he’s to pick me up, he’s late. If I’m to pick him up, he’s late. My son is the same way. I don’t know if this is a sign of passive/aggressive behavior or not, but it means when I deal with my friend and my son, I have to adjust my time. I tell them that events are earlier than they really are. I tell them I’ll pick them up earlier than I need to. I play their game. I hate it, but I know what I have to do to make time.

Playing Catch Up and Making Time

I have a friend who is always late. If he’s to pick me up, he’s late. If I’m to pick him up, he’s late. My son is the same way. I don’t know if this is a sign of passive/aggressive behavior or not, but it means when I deal with my friend and my son, I have to adjust my time. I tell them that events are earlier than they really are. I tell them I’ll pick them up earlier than I need to. I play their game. I hate it, but I know what I have to do to make time.

I like to arrive for appointments before the allotted time. If I am to meet with a client at 10:00, I arrive at 9:45. If a deadline is June 10, I deliver June 9. By arriving early it tells the client that I am ready to do business. If I have to wait, I write notes to myself or read the newspaper. When I beat a deadline, it takes the pressure off me, so I feel good. The client has less stress, as well.

Here are a few things I do to help me make time or catch up with time to keep me on-schedule:

I always double-check my journal before I head off to an appointment, to make sure the date and the time are correct. It’s a big time waster to attend a meeting on the wrong day.

I set my watch ahead about fifteen minutes and the clock in my car ahead about forty-five minutes. This creates a little doubt in my mind, so it’s easier for me just to believe that I could be late. This drives other people in my car crazy, but they need to be where I’m going as well, so too bad.

When the phone rings as I’m leaving the office, I answer the call to make sure that it is not an appointment canceling. If the call will take longer than a few seconds, I’ll ask to call them back on my cell phone, momentarily.

I always carry my “To Do” list. I can go over my list if I have to wait for a meeting. I cross off and add all day. If I find myself with a few minutes to spare, and note that I am near a store that sells something I need to purchase, I try to get that done. This saves time later that I would waste driving to the store.

I never ever accept an invitation without a stipulation, “I’ll have to check with the office . . . my wife . . . my appointment book.” This allows you time to consider the invitation and see if it will fit within your schedule. Although I usually have my journal with me, I know that some items aren’t listed . . . yet.

I have a little kitchen timer. I can set it, knowing when I have to turn off the computer and head out to a meeting. The little “ding” might be annoying, but it keeps me on time.

I make a reasonable guess at the length of time a meeting or event will take and then add some buffer time. This keeps me from being late for a second meeting.

I schedule “possible” meetings. These are meetings with clients and friends they don’t know about. If I find that I have finished a meeting early and I am near a client’s office I can pop in to say, “Hi.” If I can’t make a “possible” meeting, I’m the only one that knows. And the only one disappointed.

I’m not early all of the time, and sometimes I am late, but the odds are that if you’re trying hard to be somewhere “on time” you will make it. Being on time is not something that just happens. It takes planning . . . and time.

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