be on time

I’m doing much better with this goal, but not quite at 100% yet.

I’ve been planning ahead more with regard to allowing myself more travel time and getting myself ready to leave earlier. Working on avoiding last minute distractions – this is often where my trouble lies.

More focus and I will get there!

I was on time.

Brought Iggy to his vet appointment and was about 15 minutes EARLY (I know…amazing). Then I got myself together and got to work! Woo-hoo!

When I walked into work, the clock on my desk showed 8:05 this morning. Not 8:00 (and I’m not letting myself off the hook with the “it might be set a few minutes ahead” excuse), but still quite an accomplishment for me. The crazy thing is, I didn’t really rush this morning. I got up at 5:30, took my dog for a mile walk, sat with a cup of coffee, read my lesson, and got ready in plenty of time. Granted, I wanted to get up at 5:00 (so as to fit in even more), but this is a big step in the right direction.

Last week I did get a watch. Not exactly what I had in mind, but it ticks so it serves the purpose and I like it. :) I’m feeling more organized because I feel like I’m starting to get myself in order. Hard to explain, but I feel more in control. I think that might be enough motivation for me to continue with this. I’m starting to see even more of a connection between my goals. This is good!

Sounds funny, doesn’t it? But that’s what I’m doing. It’s not a quick fix, but I believe it will help. I’ve really missed my watch these past (almost exactly) 2 months.

I’ve been making greater strides to leave earlier, get up earlier, go to sleep earlier, and pad in more time than usual in an effort to be on time. I’m doing much better, but I am still far from accomplished on this goal.

I Googled ‘chronic lateness’ and came up with so many links, but here’s a link to one article that I found particularly interesting:
http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/Wallin13.html

I like the quote that showed up on this 43things page, too. Maybe subconsciously that’s what I have in mind… :)
“I am trying to cultivate a lifestyle that does not require my presence.”
- Gary Trudeau

I’m changing from ‘be on time for work’ to simply ‘be on time’. While work is really where I need to focus and I’ve been doing really well in the other areas, I think I should stay more general. There needs to be an equal focus on punctuality. :) Friends, family, work, etc….it’s all equally important that I be on time for each. So, here goes.

By the way, my watch died in the airport last month and I need to replace it still. Note to self: add to to-do list.

8:03 a.m.

:(

This morning I was dropped off at work, so it wasn’t completely in my control. Tomorrow is all on me, so we’ll plan for a better outcome again.

Today the clock on my phone said 8:03 when I got to my desk, so based on this I would consider myself late. However, I was still the first one in the office, so we’re just going to focus on the fact that tomorrow is another day and another chance for me to do a better job with this goal.

In a few days I’ve come a long way with this goal and I can’t be too hard on myself if I plan to succeed. I do believe this is an extremely important goal for me. When I mark this goal as complete, I will truly feel that I’ve slayed a personal dragon.

I arrived at work a few minutes early again today! Yea! I’m 2 for 2 this week. Now that I remember how good it feels I’m feeling more motivated to continue. If I can just keep this up…

One interesting thing I’ve noticed is this goal has been on my list for over a year now and I’ve made very little progress until recently. I know how important it is for me to get to work on time so I’m bucking down and making changes so this happens. If I don’t do something about this, no one is going to do it for me – and nothing will change.

I can’t stand the way I feel when I am late. It’s disrespectful to those around me and – equally important – it’s disrespectful to me. The worst part is, there is no good reason for me to live like this. So it’s going to stop.

The main thing is I need to get up and get moving and allow myself enough time in the morning. Whatever I can get done the night before (making a sandwich, picking out clothes, etc.) needs to be done the night before. The snooze button is not my friend – I don’t even know why the manufacturer builds alarm clocks with this feature. As much as I want to sit and have a cup of coffee in my pajamas in the morning, I need to immediately get up and take my shower to wake myself and begin my morning ritual. I noticed this recently. Must do what works!

Breakfast is important, but can be brought with me if necessary.

This morning I woke up much later than I wanted – around 6:40 (blasted snooze button), but I immediately took my shower and left the house around 7:30. This is a big deal. I walked into work several minutes early today. It felt so good. Now I need only keep this up to make being early a routine. I owe it to myself!

Today I made myself a schedule that I plan to stick with for the rest of the week to allow myself enough time to be ready and out of the house by 7:15 a.m. each morning. That will give me 45 minutes to get to work (it’s usually about 20 minutes away). I am also going to have to hunker down and get myself to bed earlier (another one of my “things”) because I really feel that in order to get up on time and get moving, I need a decent night’s sleep. We’ll see how it goes tomorrow, but right now I’m actually very excited about the morning (that’s a very big deal for me)! And I even fit time into my schedule to walk the dog! :)