Let me tell you something about being punctual. First
of all, the last time I used the phrase “been more punctual”
my friend laughed and he proceeded to muse about how only I
would choose such diction over the more common, “on time.”
Actually the vocabulary upgrade is something that comes just
as naturally as the expectations people have of you to actually
be “on time” as you grow older. At the PR firm I interned at
this summer, a common phrase Account Executives would use to
describe the projects they were giving me was “time sensitive.”
If something was deemed “time sensitive,” you were to drop
whatever else you were working on and get started on that.
Making sure that you are on time is not only an important
priority in the workplace, but also in daily life.
At the start of my freshman year my roommates would have
laughed out loud that I was writing a post on the importance
of punctuality. After my first theology class I had come back
to my dorm dumbfounded because class had started a minute
before it was scheduled to. I had walked in two minutes late,
missing the memo that it was customary for students to arrive
up to ten minutes early. Normally one to plan things down to
the minute, I realized I quickly needed to change my habits.
A few classes later, I understood why it was necessary
to get there early. Most importantly, it makes you more alert.
It helps you get a good seat in the classroom, gives you time
to connect with one another and the teacher, and gives you
time to get yourself settled before class starts. The day of
my first class I had walked in on an already discussing class
was stressed, sweaty (from speed walking across campus), and
frazzled to take out my belongings in under five seconds,
feeling scrutiny coming from all over the room. It is better
for everyone when you are on time, or better yet early. You
actually miss out when you are not!
You can control your own timing. However, you cannot
control that of others. (It’s sad, I know.) Remember my very
first post, “CCG On the Guest List”? Well, the launch I was
covering freelance launched two months ago now. The party was
one month ago and I wrote my piece on it right after. I sent
it to my editor who promised to send it to copy and have it
published online within a week. It has been over a month and
nothing has been posted. Despite the numerous reminders I have
sent, nothing has come of it still. Not only is lateness rude,
but it has also put me in a bad light because I have not been
able to follow-up with the PR firm that invited me to cover
the launch. The lateness has even forced my article to become
irrelevant and outdated (it was a LAUNCH for goodness sake,
it’s old news now!) So one person’s lateness has not only
affected my reputation with this firm, but also the publicist
who was expecting coverage, the photographer who’s missed out
on coverage and the public who has no idea that the studio
has even launched!
If you haven’t gotten it by now, I’ll just state it plainly.
Lateness does not only affect you. It affects everyone around
you in ways you have not even been able to fathom. Maybe if
we all put a little more focus on this we could see ourselves
becoming more organized and efficient in everything we do.