There is no bigger pet peeve of mine than people who are not on time.
If two parties agree to a time to go our for lunch, go to a movie or something else, then both of them should and are expected to show up on the agreed upon date.
Of course there are exceptions to the rule, as there always is. Your car getting a flat tire, unusual traffic, or any other number of variables that prevent you to getting where you need to be on time. That’s inconvenient for everyone but understandable and acceptable because stuff happens.
What bothers me is when it’s out of sheer poor planning and time management that makes a person late, and I end up waiting for them.
That tells me that my time isn’t considered important enough for the other person to put in the effort to meet up on time.
If it’s five or ten minutes, whatever it happens. I’ve been that late arriving to things, as has everyone else.
The cutoff for me before I start getting annoyed and frustrated is 20 minutes. If there is no valid reason to be 20 minutes late to something, then what you’ve indirectly told me is that you don’t respect me enough to show up on time.
If you were late to your job everyday you’d eventually get fired, right? Why treat any other dentist appointment or movie date any differently? It’s just common courtesy.
And don’t think I won’t see that new Insidious movie without you, because I will and I’m not waiting until the late show, because I have other things to do - like sit at home and watch Netflix.
This is a purely personal life rant because I understand in the field of journalism you are almost always working on someone else’s time. The person you are interviewing has to find the time out of their day to speak with you, it’s hardly ever the other way around. So if there’s delays or postponements, then I understand that because that’s how things go sometimes.
I also now understand that in future interviews, if I show up late this column absolutely will be thrown back into my face - but I accept the risk.
If you’re habitually late to things there are a couple of ways to fix that and improve your personal punctuality.
Get ready sooner. A groundbreaking discovery and advice no one has ever told you before, I am sure. Set the alarm sooner, spend 10 less minutes lying in bed when it’s -40C degrees outside wondering how people even venture outside. That’s a tough one, I know.
Allow for “screw up” time when traveling somewhere, especially if you are travelling to a new spot for the first time, or you’re still unsure about where to go.
“Screw up” time allows mistakes to be made and it’s not compacted by the fact that you are running late so you start to get flustered and try to rush and get back on track if you left at a later time.
And full disclosure: I’ve already seen the new Insidious movie and it was awesome. If you are into the franchise or horror movies in general, it’s worth seeing. Just don’t be late.
