I don’t run late unless other people, or circumstances out of my control make me late. If an event starts at 8pm, I will be there politely by 8.10pm – and I may have driven around the block a couple times or stopped to window shop.
If it’s a dinner booking, I’m there on time or even earlier, having a drink in the bar. I would never be late for a movie, hairdressing appointment or a plane.
People who are consistently defined by being late annoy me. After years of waiting for the same people to arrive, I am now totally intolerant about the people Dr Karl Kruszelnicki calls the “chronically late” on a story on ABC Online.
He cites the work of a US psychologist Dr Linda Sapadin who has come up with the types of personalities most prone to being “chronically late” and a suggestion how to override your tendency. And these are:
The Perfectionist:The struggle to get everything done to such high and perfect standards can be more important than being punctual, so getting moving can be a real struggle.
Try this: Set realistic goals and accept that mistakes are not only human but a normal part of life.
The Crisis-Maker: This person is always saying “want something done then ask a busy person”. An attraction to the adrenaline-rush of running and rushing means they often exceed the time they have set aside for a last-minute task.
Try this: Reward yourself for getting started earlier so you don’t cut it so fine. And try not to rely on last-minute adrenalin rush to get you across the line.
The Defier: These tardy folk rebel against external deadlines like they are a conspiracy pushed by the weak and the stupid. They believe that truly good work is going to exceed the expectations set by others who don’t know what they’re talking about.
Try this: Stop fighting so hard and try to accept the deadline and work with it not against it.
The Dreamer: These lot are just lovely optimists and deep down hope for the best. They believe the traffic will be fine, there’ll be a park out the front and everything will work in your favour.
Try this: Channel a little bit of pessimism and allow for unavoidable and very likely delays.
And it’s not only the chronically late who need to change – apparently, according to Diana DeLonzor, author of Never Be Late Again, people like me who are annoyed by this always-tardy subculture might need to accept some hard truths.
“I’ve interviewed hundreds of people and the vast majority of late people really dislike being late,” she told Everup, “They try to be on time, but this is something that has plagued them throughout their lives. Telling a chronic late person to be on time is like telling a dieter, ‘Don’t eat so much.’”
She believes one in five people are chronically late, and almost of them feel ashamed about their tendency.
Dr Karl adds his own wisdom to all this: “It’s never too late …”
