time-pt-III-2

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1. Set your clock or watch 5-10 minutes early.

I used to do this religiously. A lot of people do. So, I know somebody is going to swear up and down that this works. Here’s a clue:

It doesn’t.

If you don’t respect Time this little game won’t change a thing because it’s actually an excuse to be late in disguise.

You know what happens.

One day you’re running late and you realize that you really have an “extra” ten minutes because your clock or watch is fast. Or maybe you wake up and sucker punch the snooze button; after all, the alarm really went off ten minutes early, didn’t it?

So instead of being twenty minutes late you’re only going to be ten minutes late and ten minutes isn’t that bad, is it?

Garbage.

Note: The thing that really messed me up was the creation of cell phones. Does anybody know how to set a cell phone 10 minutes early?

2. Underestimation and the Idiot Driver Excuse

This is when you know it’s going to take an hour to do something or travel somewhere, but you end up convincing yourself that you can do it in thirty minutes.

Just because it took you thirty minutes during non-rush hour traffic does not mean that’s how long it takes. Of course, this has nothing to do with your disrespect for time. It’s all because of the stupid, idiot driver that was in front of you, right?

Garbage.

3. They don’t start (or leave) on time anyway.

People constantly show up late, meetings rarely start or end on time, and on-time flight departures and arrivals are endangered species.

But none of that is a viable excuse for you to disrespect Time.

You should respect Time even when they don’t respect Time because Time and Opportunity are blood brothers. Mistreat one and the other will make you pay…dearly.

Some of my most profitable business deals and quite a few a good relationships are the result of me being early when everyone else was late.

4. I work better under pressure.

Garbage.

That statement is the master procrastinator’s most powerful—or should I say weakest—excuse. I hear it from people all the time and I love it because then I get to respond with:

“Oh yeah? Well, why don’t you put some pressure on yourself to do what you need to do and get where you need to go in more timely fashion?”

The look on their faces: priceless.

Pressure can be the result of...

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