Being on time describes the ability to do something or arrive somewhere at the proper or agreed time. To be on time, you have to arrive at the agreed place either some few minutes or exactly at the appointed time. You should not be late by even two minutes. People use your ability to be
on time (to be punctual) to gauge your respect for others. People who are punctual do not take it lightly when others come very late and do not bother to apologize. The situation is even worse when the person arriving late is junior to them.
Consequences of always arriving late can be huge and damaging to your image. While it may
appear small to you, it actually has a huge and long-lasting negative effect both on your personality and career. Luckily, learning to consistently be on time or even early provides an outstanding way to outshine your rivals.
Importance of being on time
- Strengthens your time; being on time ensures you start a meeting on the right footing and eliminates unnecessary stress.
- Creates rapport; when you arrive at meeting early members feel relaxed and are more willing to sacrifice anything than if they already sacrificed their time waiting for you.
- Reduce stress; studies show that poor time management creates anxiety that adds to your stress levels.
- Accomplish a lot; arriving on time means the meeting will start and end at the right time so you can work on other matters.
- Shows respect; punctuality shows others that you respect and value them and do not take their time for granted.
- Enable you to follow your schedule; being on time eliminates the need to catch up or cancel meetings because of lateness.
- Reduce mistakes; rushing because you are late increases chance of forgetting items, getting confused and making errors.
- Give you free time; punctuality translates to timely completion of tasks and catching the right flight leaving you with adequate leisure time.
- Saves you money; returning items or picking them in time is the best way of ensuring you do not pay penalties and fines.
- Shows your reliability; showing up for an appointment in time shows that you are dependable and trustworthy.
- Positive reputation; your bosses and peers will always believe in you to avail yourself and meet the deadline.
- Set example; if people look up to you, being on time is the best way of leading by example. Your children and seniors will follow suit.
- Ensures you get the train/plane; if you are used to arriving somewhere late you may fail to
arrive at the airport at the correct time thereby missing your plane. - Increases your efficiency; punctuality increases your efficiency which in turn enables you to
leave your workstation at the right time. - Shows accountability; being on time shows you take responsibility for everything in your control; nothing can surpass and force you to arrive late.
- Shows you are organized; being on time requires that you appreciate timelines, and do everything necessary to follow.
- Minimize distractions; being on time gives you time to prepare and start a presentation clear headed.
- Increases your appeal; by making others feel valued being on time make your audience more receptive to your sales tone.
- Shows professionalism; having node everything to arrive in time gives you the confidence to maintain a calm, controlled and neat posture.
- Improve reputation for everyone; one punctual person that arrives in time enhances the reputation of other members of the organization.
Conclusion
Being on time requires some effort. Plan accordingly and acknowledge the importance of being punctual. If you really appreciate the efforts everyone has put to get to the place in time, you will put whatever effort it takes to also arrive in time or even early. Do not allow something you can control ruin your reputation and career growth.
By: Jonikim
EdgeArticles 