(Almost) Never Be Late again.

If you struggle with being late or are chronically late, this post is for you.

“I’m so sorry I’m late!”

(Again.

I’m tired of apologizing for being late.

I don’t want to be late.

I hate being late.

It’s not as though I INTEND to be late. It just happens. )

I’ve gotten MUCH better, thanks to some handy guidelines I’m using, to help myself.

Here’s my Big 3:

Preload the car. Not when you’re leaving. Like, beforehand. The night before. An hour ahead. While your kids eat breakfast. Think of all the possible things you may need during this trip out of the house. Will your kids need food? Will you need a notepad to take notes? Do you need a water bottle or towel for the gym? Also, do you have an emergency bag or box in your car? Not just the roadside kind, with flares and fix-a-flat, etc. But one will lots of the conveniences of home, so you’re ready for all kinds of emergencies. Baby diaper blowout? You got extra clothes. Toddler potty-training accident? Not so bad when you have a spare outfit tucked in the bag. Food? Always food. When your child is on the way to a birthday party, and realize he never ate lunch? Food, readily available. I generally keep cheese or peanut butter crackers in my console for those “no time to stop” days and for the “I forgot my lunch at home” days. You will never regret loading up your car with wipes and paper towels and band aids and kids tylenol and benadryl. I hope you never have to use it, but if you do, you’re prepared.
Leave earlier than you think you need to. (This sounds self-explanatory and dumb….just listen.) If you’re thinking to yourself that it takes you 20 minutes to get to your meeting, DO NOT LEAVE with twenty minutes till the start of you’re meeting. You haven’t allotted time to park and walk inside and go up the stairs. For years, both of our girls went to gymnastics at a gym across town. Door to door it’s 28 minutes. I’ve timed it over and over and over. It’s like I’m on auto-pilot to the gym, round and round. For years, I would leave 30 minutes before practice. Guess how often we were late??? All the freakin time! I would be driving, hands gripping the steering wheel like it was my lifeline, just mentally willing the traffic to move out of my way. So much stress. Now, we always leave with 45 minutes till practice. And guess what? The ride is so much more enjoyable! I’m not grinding my teeth, and we usually arrive early (which my girls 100% prefer over just sneaking in there at the last possible moment). Build in a cushion. Set yourself up to arrive early. You will appreciate it!
Leave the “Can-waits” for later. Let me explain. I am always trying to eke out the little slivers of time to throw in a load of laundry or run the vacuum or get meat out of the freezer for dinner. It takes just a minute, right? It “Can Wait,” but I want to sneak in a little extra to get me ahead later. But it always bites me! All the minutes add up to 10 minutes, and all of a sudden, I’ve lost my cushion to get where I’m going! I’m looking crazy, thinking I had ten minutes before I have to leave, and NOW I HAVE TO BE OUT THE DOOR RIGHT THIS SECOND AND WHY DO MY KIDS HAVE NO SHOES ON?!? I’m telling you, change the question from “Can I get this done?” to “Is it WORTH IT to try to cram this in before I leave?” If you answer NO, it’s not worth it, then just leave and do the “Can-waits” later. You will be less stressed, I promise.

If you change the way you leave the house- by adding a cushion of time, by packing the car ahead of time, and leaving the things that can be done later…..to later? You will find yourself arriving places ON TIME, less stressed, and happier. I know 🙂