As much as I hate going late for an important event, I sometimes find myself going late. I was to go for my music training at 12 pm on one Saturday. So, I started getting prepared early. I was going about my normal Saturday chores and decided to write a blog post first. This was many months ago.
At about 11 a.m., I started getting ready. I had taken my bath earlier but I wasn’t yet ready to leave. I thought I still had time, only to blink and look at the time again and it was already 11:30.
Long story, short, I got there late once again. That was not the first time, not the tenth time I was getting late for an event I didn’t intend to go late for. However, I realized that I and other fellow latecomers only need to know a few simple hacks to overcome late-coming.
What is Late-coming
I assume we all know what late-coming is, but do we all know how common late-coming is? To recap, late-coming is the persistent act of going late for a scheduled event or appointment.
A group of people believe that late-coming is when one attends a scheduled event only after it has started irrespective of the time stipulated for it. That means even if they go 10 minutes late, they are not late if the occasion has not started.
In actual terms, it is considered late-coming if one perpetually attends events seconds, minutes, or hours after the scheduled time.
Late-coming is such a highly contagious disease as it can spread from one person to another, if unchecked. This is why most administrators and event planners either reward going early for appointments or punish latecomers appropriately.
Late-coming has rampaged the African continent like a chain reaction, such that it is now known as “the African time”. The African time describes that no matter what time was fixed for the event, everyone is still expected to go a bit late because the organizers will also be late. Quite hilarious, but you see how contagious and communicable latecoming can be.
Brief Statistics About Late-coming
A study carried out by Abubakare et al among 60 secondary school students in two different secondary schools in Zaria, Nigeria was able to show the relationship between late-coming and some sociodemographic parameters[1]Analysis on Students’ Late-Coming Factors in Selected Secondary
Schools in Zaria: Implications for Educational Managers, 2015. The following findings were made about late-coming, especially among teenage students.
- Female students go to school later than male students.
- Older and senior students categories had more latecomers than younger and junior students.
- Most students who are latecomers had parents belonging to the low socio-economic class.
- Domestic activities affected late-coming.
This shows that people’s attitude about late-coming is affected by a number of factors including their socio-economic background. Other reasons why some people become perpetual late-comers include the following:
- Lack of adequate planning.
- Forgetfulness.
- The attitude towards late-coming (the concept of African time).
- Unseriousness.
- No set punishments for latecomers.
- Busy schedule.
- Over-sleeping.
- Tiredness, etc
Overall, the most significant reason for late-coming among adults is a lack of proper planning and time management. In the next section, we will see some practical tips on how to overcome late-coming and to stop the habit from this point on.
Simple Hacks to Overcome Late-coming
Here are some of the things I have tried that helped me overcome late-coming.
1. Keep a To-do List
A to-do list helps you keep track of the tasks and events you have ahead of you. It helps you remember and plan appropriately for those tasks as well.
Many people go late for their scheduled appointments because they either forget the task or remember too late. Keeping a to-do list can help you remember what you plan to do in the next few minutes, hours, to days. A to-do list, whether digital or notebook, can come in handy in curbing forgetfulness of your tasks.
2. Use an alarm
A timer can help you know when to start getting ready. Back in the day, we used alarm clocks that were quite big and cumbersome. Today, you can easily set your alarm clock pre-installed into your mobile device.
Alarms can help you overcome late-coming by reminding you when to take action and start making preparations for the event or the scheduled appointment.
3. Look at your time regularly
Time is faster than we think, especially when one is not looking at it. This is why it is important to wear a wristwatch often, at least they are light and affordable ways to avoid being a perpetual late-comer.
Keeping an eye on the watch can also help you know when you are getting late, and to start taking the necessary actions to avoid it. By watching time before your very eyes, you can prevent time from catching up on you unawares.
4. Start preparing early
This is where the major problem lies, and this is the primary reason I am writing this entire article.
Here, you will see a simple secret that can help you never go late for an event against your intention. This will help you to plan your time to avoid going late for your planned appointments.
- Sleep early enough the previous night if you have the event in the morning.
- Determine how much time it would take you to travel from your house to the event.
- Assume the time is say 35 minutes, remove this time from the time of the event.
- Whatever you get, start preparing at least one hour before the time you got after subtracting the transport time (e.g., 8 a.m. minus 3 minutes = 7:25 a.m.; then you start preparing by 6:2 a.m. at least).
Oftentimes, this time will be more than enough to finish all your chores and every basic thing you plan to do.
5. Start leaving early
This continues with the aspect of preparing early. Once you are done with all your important tasks, it is not time to determine when you have to leave your home.
Many people decide to delay their movement to the event or appointment venue because they don’t want to be the only ones who go early. This is why they all fall prey to the African time mentality.
If your time to travel calculated is 35 minutes, you should leave at this time minimum, and not after.
6. Plan for any uncertainties
Generally, in areas where most people go late for events, the few early birds get all the advantages. The roads are less of a rush when you leave early, but even when uncertainties come, you will not be severely affected.
Traffic may be congested. Finding a cab or bus may become hard at the time. This is why you need to plan ahead of any uncertainties and leave even earlier than the time you initially budgeted for the journey to the venue.
Other uncertainties you can anticipate include getting equipped with the necessary accompaniments when you get to the venue and there is nobody there. Go with a book to keep yourself engaged and productive. Attend to your online business page. Keep up with friends and family on social media. Go with your headset to see a movie, or do something else that keeps you busy and productive.
Final words
Careful planning is the most important way to avoid going late for your events and appointments. Keep track of your time, and leave early enough for the event.
Another important challenge to prepare for is having to go too early for an event simply because the organizers or other people fail to meet up with the time.
Whatever the case, having the early-comer mindset can give you a lot of great opportunities you could otherwise never get.
