On punctuality 1

I have noticed that there are essentially three types of people when it comes to punctuality.

1. Those who think it is important to be punctual and will make known their displeasure when others are not.
2. Those who don't really give a hoot and show up pretty much when they can.
3. Those who wish to be punctual, and get stressed over this but do not seem to manage very well.

This third group, often, is not being callous. They do however miscalculate rather often. I have come to the conclusion, after listening to a number of excuses that these people generally underestimate or ignore completely, the time required to do the small things that have large variability in terms of time required.

If they need to get to a meeting at 10 am, for example, they plan to leave their home at T minus average travel time. And on a certain day, they have promised to run an errand on their way to work. They seem to think that the incremental time required to take the detour, to park their vehicle, finish the work, walk back to their vehicle and then get to the meeting will be zero. At least they do not appear to account for it when they leave home. Then there is the extra time taken by bad traffic that day. The fact that travel time on any given day can be vastly different from the average seems to catch them off guard rather often. The time required to find parking at the destination is non zero too.

I have come to the conclusion that there is only one way to be consistently punctual. It is not theoretically possible to plan to arrive at time T and to make it every time. I have found that life far more peaceful if I can buffer my travel time and reach the client office a few minutes before time and wait at reception for a few minutes before the scheduled meeting.

The only way to be punctual is to plan on arriving ahead of time.