Don’t be late [Stuff for Getting Things Done]
I’m making an effort to not be late anymore. Late for meetings. Late for appointments. Late for dinner.
It’s not that I’m habitually late for things. It’s that I hate when other people are late. I find it very irritating when a 9:00 meeting cannot start because we have stragglers coming in at 9:05, or 9:10. It drives me nuts to fill my scheduled "productive time" with unscheduled idle chit-chat when I am waiting for everyone to make it into a meeting room.
I will admit, I am late from time to time. It’s no one’s fault but my own. There is no good reason for me to be late. I control my schedule. I can control how long or short my prior commitments run. It’s time to be as courteous to others time as I expect others be of my time. Perhaps if I lead by example, this will catch on! I’m a big believer in karma.
Here’s my plan:
- If I have back to back meetings (as I do just about every day), I will end them 5 minutes early to give myself time to walk to my next meeting.
- If I bump into someone while I head to my next meeting, I will politely avoid any quick chit-chats.
- If I am hosting an online meeting with a conference call, video conference or WebEx, I will arrive at the meeting place ahead of time and get the technology (the phone, the computer, the overhead) ready prior to the start of the meeting.
- If I have a meeting off-campus, I will block my calendar for "travel time" prior to the meeting, allowing me scheduled time to get there.
- Conversely, if I am returning to the office from an off-site meeting, I will block my calendar for "travel time" after the meeting.
Got any other tips for me? Leave a comment and let me know. …and DON’T BE LATE!
Original post here: Tim Kwiatkowski
Comments: