Tips to Help You Be More Punctual

The only way of catching a train I have ever discovered is to miss the train before. ~ G. K. Chesterson

If you have trouble with being punctual, try these tips to help get places on time.

Keep All of Your Appointments in a Master Calendar

1. Write down all of your appointments, activities, parties, lunches, etc. in one place on one master calendar. This can be either a desk top, wall, PC or online calendar. They each have their advantages and disadvantages. Use whatever works best for you. The important thing is to not have multiple calendars that can get out of sync. Google has free online calendar software that allows friends and family members to see each other's schedules. If you have children it helps to have one master family organizer calendar kept posted on the wall where everyone can see their own schedule and the schedules of all of the other family members. Visit www.google.com/calendar for more information.

Don't write your appointments on little scraps of paper taped to your PC monitor, refrigerator or bathroom mirror. If you have your appointments reminders all over the house then sooner or later you are going to end up having a scrap of paper on the bathroom mirror to remind you of a doctor's appointment at the same time the scrap of paper on your PC reminds you of a lunch appointment with your old friend Susie. So keep everything you need to do on one master calendar in order to prevent overlaps and schedule conflicts.

Put Travel Times in Your Calendar

2. On your calendar, don't just write down the time of your appointments, but the time you need to leave the house for your appointments. Plan on arriving 10 - 15 minutes early to allow for delays. Take a book to read, a nail file, crossowrd puzzle, or head phones and an MP3 player with music or books on it for something to do if you arrive early.

If you are going some place new, the night before look at a map and estimate how long it will take to get there and add a little pad time for getting lost along the way. You can also print out directions from an online site like Yahoo Maps or Mapquest to help figure out the best route and shortest driving times.

Take a Tip from the Boy Scouts and Be Prepared

3. Each day check your calendar to see what is going on the next day, or better yet the next week, and prepare any items you need well in advance of each event or appointment. I don't have a GPS system so I always keep maps of the local area in my car. That way if I get stuck in traffic, get lost or need to take a detour I can still find my way to my destination.

Lay out the items you need for activities the night before. If you have young children still in diapers, keep their diaper bags packed and ready to go at all times with wipes, fresh diapers, clean clothes and snacks. School age children should lay out their clothes, homework, shoes, jacket, etc. the night before school to save time in the morning. It helps to have a checklist or chart for children (and adults, too) with a list of these tasks so kids can check them off the night before as they are completed. Working adults can layout clothes, work papers, etc. the night before work. Brown bag lunches can be made the night before and kept in the refrigerator.

Continued at Punctuality Tips - Part II