Saturday, December 12, 2015

Be There At...................

It's the time of year when we are all extra busy. That includes a lot of things that start at a certain time. When we all add something with a start time to our calendar, we eventually plan when to leave for it. Early or late is really a matter of mentality.

I'm an early girl. I get to Zach's school a half hour early each day to get one of the few good parking spaces. I spend that time knitting, crocheting, walking, and sometimes volunteering in the library. It's not wasted time for me. I have a travel knitting project and a travel crochet project in my bag. I plan them specifically to be for these times and when I'm just sitting and talking. Zach brings toys for when we're early. We also get to school about 15 minutes before the door opens.

My Dad is the smartest person I know and he has always said "you're better off leaving early because you never know what you'll come across". We very rarely have a road block getting to school. But, most of the time I do find something that delays arrival time along the way. It's just impossible to arrive at the exact start time all that often.

My Mom is one of those people that like to be in the nick of time. She doesn't like waiting. It's lead to some frustration when we make plans with a start time. But today I read this article from Psychology Today. It cleared a lot up.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/thriving101/201411/the-real-reason-some-us-are-chronically-late

I used to feel like when she was late it's because time with me wasn't important to her. But this article makes a good point. Research shows that people who are almost always late aren't trying to be late. They are trying to be on time. Arrive without having to wait more then a few minutes. I know a few people this sounded like!

It all starts with deciding when to leave. Zach's Pulmonologist is about a half hour away. But I have to take three highways to get there. Knowing all the possible road blocks, I leave 45 minutes to an hour early. Most of the time, we do wait once there. But sometimes we don't. He's NEVER late to an appointment. Even when I've missed the hidden exit. That exit has since been better labeled!

How early are we? It varies with each visit. Even if I researched traffic and construction for that time on that day, I wouldn't be able to pinpoint the best time to leave to arrive within five minutes of the appointment. It's better to have something productive to do and be early, then to be late making everyone wait for you. That's in the study.

How early is too early for a party? I might get there early, but I don't knock until at most ten minutes before it starts. Unless it's at my parent's house. Then I go in and help get things ready. I know my Mom tells people to arrive a half hour before eating. Too late is coming after that when the meal is being served without calling first. I think most people party plan like that.

Being early is only a better option if you are being productive with your time. I know a few parents who work from home. They come early for pick up but work from their smartphones in the car until five minutes before the kids get out. That's the best option! But the study did show that if you aren't being productive in that time, it's just as bad as the wasted time between the start of a meeting and your late arrival. Arriving late reduces productivity too.

I hate the sentence "I'm almost ready I just want to check my email real quick first". My mom has a smartphone. To me, why can't she arrive early and check her email before going in? But that's usually what my Mom is doing that makes her either late or too close for my comfort! I think that's what most nick of timers do. Check email. But, she was like that long before email. I don't know what she did in the 80's but it was something!

It's a part of human nature that is interesting to observe for me. I like learning about how people make the decisions they make. I like learning about how habits were formed. It's a conscious decision. A start time is set. You consciously decide what time you are going to leave for that event or appointment. What factors do you take into account when making that decision?

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