Are you a bad timekeeper? You are? Then that means you generally come late, whether it’s to work, to a meeting, or to meet a pal. That’s really rude in my book. It means you don’t respect the other’s person time, it means you’re sloppy and it isn’t good for your health.
I have a friend who’s always late – except when he’s meeting me! But I have watched him get ready for meetings and rush around the house with this frantic, frenetic energy that I’m sure he carries with him to the meeting. Another friend has the same habit and from time to time he is asked to do radio interviews. He wastes the first few minutes of every interview because he’s breathless and unfocused.
A good way to change this habit is to take conscious steps to cut back on your schedule. No is the smallest word yet so difficult for many of us to articulate. Sometimes it’s because we arrogantly believe that somehow the world won’t get on without us. It does. Another reason can be that we are not good at delegating and that too can stem from the same basic principal. Then we may also believe that we are the best people for the job. If so then train somebody else up and let them take over.
It’s a good idea to look carefully and critically at every thing in your diary and ask yourself what real purpose does it serve. If you have lots of meetings that serve similar ends then cut back on them.
Cut back on driving to meetings. You may love your car but too many cars nowadays become mobile offices. So try to arrange meetings in your own office and have your colleagues come to you.
Do a rigorous check on those extras that eat up time silently. For example how much time do you really need to spend online? How much of your Social Media input is just for fun? And how many video games do you sneak in?
We need to honour and respect time. People who are often late may lack an awareness of time as a concept that needs to be harnessed to get the most out of life. It’s a serious bit of business.
Bibi Baskin lived in India for fifteen years where the holistic Wellness system, Ayurveda, was a prominent part of her life. She now lives in Cork and gives talks/workshops to corporates and individuals on Motivation, Mindfulness, Meditation and Public Speaking. www.bibibaskin.ie
