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sweater (less expensive option) // shorts // women’s watch: G-Shock
Having great time management has always been something that I’ve really prided myself on. To me, being on time means having good etiquette, being considerate to others, being respectful of their time and not taking it for granted. Growing up (literally from pre-k to highschool), we had to drive 45 minutes from our home so that I could go to private school and lets just say that there were major consequences for being late in the mornings. While I still personally think our attendance ladies took their jobs way too seriously, in their defense, it did work and it made me never want to be late!
Plus, I absolutely hated that feeling of walking into the classroom after the bell had already rung and having the whole class stare you down, all while the teacher gives you side eye. It was true and treacherous feeling lol!!
Needless to say, I really made it a special point at an early age to always be on time and I have never been that friend of the group who is notoriously “always late”. I’ve always preferred to be at least 15-30 mins early and like I said above, took pride in it!! That’s until now…. where at the lovely age of 27, I have somehow turned into that “always late” & tardy friend.
When and how this happened, I’m not entirely sure…. but it’s a habit I have picked up this past year or so and I’m ready to nip it in the bud.
Before I continue, I want to take a moment to let you know that this post was brought to you in partnership with G-Shock and their G-MS Collection of Women’s Watches!
This collection was created for the active yet, sophisticated girl on the go. It has an effortlessly chic design, all while having super cool features like being 100M water resistant, having Tough Solar technology (which is what charges the battery!), LED lighting and more!
My watch with the rose gold lining is pictured throughout this post!
Click Here to check it out and to learn more about G-Shock!
TIPS TO HELP YOU STOP BEING LATE & START BEING ON TIME
Pin Point and Recognize WHY You’re Notoriously Late
The first and most important step – recognizing you have a problem lol. For example, I was able to narrow mine down to a few different things. (1) Living in a central location where everything is only “5 minutes away” (2) Underestimating how long something might take me (3) Not factoring in traffic or travel hiccups (4) Procrastination (5) Failing to find a good “stopping time” when working (6) Being a people pleaser and committing to times I know wont work.
Set All of Your Clocks 5-10 Minutes Ahead
From my watches, to the clocks in our bedroom, kitchen and car, I’ve recently set all clocks 10 minutes ahead. Just make sure they are all set to the same time. If the clocks in your house are off, then it can create confusion and time illusions. Then the reason you want to set all of your clocks ahead (even though you’re aware) is because it creates a brief emotional response that will causes you to assume you’re running late, get you moving quicker and out the door faster!
Figure Out How Long Certain Tasks Really Take
From figuring out just how long it might take to finish a certain work task, to how long it might take you to finish doing your makeup – accurately figuring out how longs these tasks actually take is key!
Plan To Be Early – Not On Time.
Aka – stop underestimating how much time you might need to get somewhere and start overestimating. For example: right now, if my maps tell me that it will take 15 minutes to get somewhere, in my head I’ll go, “Oh I’ll be able to make that in 10!“…. which is the opposite of what you want to do and is probably the key reason as to why I’m usually late lol. The thing is though, you never know what’s going to happen. Instead, I should be saying, “Ok – I should probably add an extra 15 minutes onto that time…. just in case”! The thing is, you never know if there could be a last minute accident or road closure that could potentially really hold you up! Another example would be forgetting your phone and having to turn around to go get it. All around it’s a better plan to just go ahead and give yourself a good 15-30 minutes of leeway, just to be safe!
Learn That Certain Things Can Wait
When trying to head out the door, I’m notorious for trying to vacuum right before leaving or doing some other random cleaning task. Most of these are tasks that could 100% wait but for some reason convince myself that I have to do it before I leave…. when I don’t….. and there for making me late.
So before heading out the door, prioritize the things that you know can wait and the things that can’t. Then for the things that can’t, thats fine (!!) just be sure to factor it all into your timing
Don’t Commit to Times You Know You Can’t Make
Be Upfront and Honest When Making Plans.One thing that you all might not know about me is that I’m notoriously a people pleaser. If someone says “Lets get dinner at 6:30!” and I know that’s a really hard time for me to make that day, instead of asking to push the time back, I’ll agree and just try to “make it work” because I’d feel too guilty to ask for a later time. Which at the end of the day isn’t any better because then I’m making that person wait, which is even worse than just asking for a different time!
What are some of your Time Management tips?!
xo,
Lauren
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