Comments on: Being late is bad http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2004/03/11/being-late-is-bad/ Advice at the intersection of work and life Sat, 21 Nov 2009 07:14:08 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=abc hourly 1 By: CRM http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2004/03/11/being-late-is-bad/comment-page-1/#comment-213491 CRM Thu, 05 Nov 2009 10:32:50 +0000 http://lolindrath.dyndns.org/lolindrath/wordpress/2004/03/11/being-late-is-bad/#comment-213491 Time management is very important and to help in this area I have always find that some good business management software that incorporates all your contacts and a linked diary with reminders and tasks is a great help. I can't remember everything myself and be as efficient as possible without a good system is near to impossible. Time management is very important and to help in this area I have always find that some good business management software that incorporates all your contacts and a linked diary with reminders and tasks is a great help. I can't remember everything myself and be as efficient as possible without a good system is near to impossible.

]]> By: Rob http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2004/03/11/being-late-is-bad/comment-page-1/#comment-201497 Rob Mon, 21 Sep 2009 18:01:04 +0000 http://lolindrath.dyndns.org/lolindrath/wordpress/2004/03/11/being-late-is-bad/#comment-201497 Well i wish i could agree. I have to say I want more than anything to be on time. My boss decided to take a day and show me how to be on time because I am always late and she is ALWAYS on time. So 8 am I was waiting in her office (i planned on showing up at 7:30 so I ended up getting there my normal 7-10 minutes late but still really early for her) She arrived at exactly 8:07 am profusely apologizing explaining she doesn't know what happened and that it was like she "hit EVERY red light on the way in." I didn't even flinch for this was routine for me. When she went to get everything from her computer she had a problem where she got what we in the office refer to a the "blue screen of death" so her computer would not start causing her to get on the phone with the help desk and further causing our departure from the office to run 30 minutes behind. Luckily, as she said, she ALWAYS "plans for disaster" which is why it was so good she allowed an hour for the commute instead of the 20 minutes it should have taken. So now we had 30 minutes to go the 20 minutes we needed to travel and per usual hit every red light and were stuck behind a bus. I could see her start to panic the way I used to before I just gave into the cause. We arrive at the building at exactly 9:30 the time of the scheduled appointment. She smirked and laughed and said "Ha see that! that's how you get somewhere on time!" I turned and said. "I didnt realize the meeting was in the parking garage inside your car." (obviously I had been on time many more times than I had realized before if this were the case but the gathering of your belongings in the car, the fumbling of your keys to lock the doors, the run from the garage to the building, the neverending hitting of the elevator button, the stopping on every floor before your own, the constant debate of whether its better to stop in the restroom on the way or shit your pants in the meeting, the final pocket guess to find your access card to open your door, would an EYE SCAN BE TOO MUCH TO ASK FOR PEOPLE??? always seems to take about 7- 10 minutes.) With that the look of defeat mixed with anger counter balanced the smugness of mine as she ran into the back seat to gather what she needed. Of course being new to being late the fumble was twice as bad. The dropping of papers was borderline "Three's Company-esque." Then I heard what I had been waiting for. The beep of the locked doors. So I launched a very simple verbal gernade. "Do you have everything?" , "Yes" So I reached back in the car and grabbed her business card holder and didn't say a word. We ran to the elevator. (I give her no more credit for doing it heels than I do myself for doing it in a suit with a tie choking me so I can't breathe) then we hit the parking garage elevator (again and again) then finding the elvator brought us only to the lobby where we had to then sign in with the concierge. This was beginning to be the best day ever! We finally arrived in the office at 9:47! I am sure you can imagine what happened next. THE UNTHINKABLE! The one thing she always criticized me for! EXCUSES, you name it. Traffic, the confusing building, the bus, what a crazy day, she is never late. "well you are here now, that's what matters" he replied cheerfully. "Here is my business card, do you have one?" I didn't want to rub it in, so I just said, "Here are our cards" and handed them over but she knew she had forgotten them but we never spoke of it. The meeting went well and we left at 10:15 which would give us plenty of time to get to our 11:30 appointment which was just down the street. In the downtime we would prospect for new business she said and visit with some current clients that had businesses in the area. Always being the overachiever with 20 minutes to spare she walked into a Current Client to say hello and wouldn't you know, they were having account issues. Trying everything including "I will have to come back I have another engagement right now" she frantically rushed to get out of there. The client responded with. "Well obviously if I were an important client this would not have happened in the first place." So she stayed and worked out the problem making us 7 minutes late for the scheduled appointment. When we walked in and announced to the secretary who we were there to see and who we were, she stepped away and came back with a message. "Mr. (insert name here) will not be seeing you today, he runs a very tight schedule and you are late." "If you could just tell him that we are sorry and that our previous appointment got out late I'm sure he will understand." She returned with the following message "He said, well head to your next meeting and let them know the good news that you are really early because your previous appointment cancelled because you were late." She could not believe how rude he had been it seemed as though she was in shock. Which seemed strange to me coming from the woman who would watch a clock and close a door at 8 am sharp for a meeting placing a sign that read "Hi you are late, please do not disturb this meeting." ( A sign that she would waste more time gathering the materials to make than it would to let someone walk in and sit down.) Even stranger coming from a woman who would schedule a weekly meeting from 8-9 am and would often run it till 9:15 or 9:30 and not see that as being late but seeing an 8:01 or 8:02 arrival missing nothing other than the "how was everyone's weekend chat" as being late. As you can imagine this set a mood for the rest of the day, the wrong order coming at lunch where she could not just eat the food that was delivered to save time due to a food allergy, (what are the chances) to the cliche fender bender which I was there to witness but everyone would just think it was an excuse. We made one appointment on time that day. I didn't say a word. I just hoped that she understood. (it turned out she still doesn't and also refuses to spend time in the field with me, she thinks I'm cursed.) But there are days that work well and the universe is flowing with me and there are days that are filled with red lights and buses. You can argue all you want that if the president invited me to dinner that I would be ontime. But I simply can not guarantee it. I would simply hope that he would understand that my intention was to be on time and that it was not out of disrespect for him or her. That many of the greats were usually late or procrastinators in their day, Thomas Edison being among them. It is not a selfish thing either as many have tried to complain. There have been plenty of things I have been dying to do myself that I have missed out of to the punishment of no one but me. I had tickets to the Academy Awards two years in a row. The first year my flight got cancelled and the new flight did not arrive in time to get me to my arrival and I was not allowed in by 15 minutes. (this was flight booked by the company who was able to get me the tickets, not myself) The following year I booked my flight myself. 2 days in advance. I was in my hotel taking a shower 4 hours in advance of the arrival time across the street when the fire alarm in the hotel went off. We had to evacuate and were not let back into the hotel until after the awards had begun. It was a security measure for the awards. The stories are endless and some I am totally at fault for and some I am not. I've learned to take the good and take the bad, they are the facts of life. For those of you who are still arguing this Argue it with the people mentioned in this blog: http://h-n-t.blogspot.com/2006/09/they-were-late-for-work-on-911.html Well i wish i could agree. I have to say I want more than anything to be on time. My boss decided to take a day and show me how to be on time because I am always late and she is ALWAYS on time. So 8 am I was waiting in her office (i planned on showing up at 7:30 so I ended up getting there my normal 7-10 minutes late but still really early for her) She arrived at exactly 8:07 am profusely apologizing explaining she doesn't know what happened and that it was like she "hit EVERY red light on the way in." I didn't even flinch for this was routine for me. When she went to get everything from her computer she had a problem where she got what we in the office refer to a the "blue screen of death" so her computer would not start causing her to get on the phone with the help desk and further causing our departure from the office to run 30 minutes behind. Luckily, as she said, she ALWAYS "plans for disaster" which is why it was so good she allowed an hour for the commute instead of the 20 minutes it should have taken.

So now we had 30 minutes to go the 20 minutes we needed to travel and per usual hit every red light and were stuck behind a bus. I could see her start to panic the way I used to before I just gave into the cause.

We arrive at the building at exactly 9:30 the time of the scheduled appointment. She smirked and laughed and said "Ha see that! that's how you get somewhere on time!" I turned and said. "I didnt realize the meeting was in the parking garage inside your car." (obviously I had been on time many more times than I had realized before if this were the case but the gathering of your belongings in the car, the fumbling of your keys to lock the doors, the run from the garage to the building, the neverending hitting of the elevator button, the stopping on every floor before your own, the constant debate of whether its better to stop in the restroom on the way or shit your pants in the meeting, the final pocket guess to find your access card to open your door, would an EYE SCAN BE TOO MUCH TO ASK FOR PEOPLE??? always seems to take about 7- 10 minutes.)

With that the look of defeat mixed with anger counter balanced the smugness of mine as she ran into the back seat to gather what she needed. Of course being new to being late the fumble was twice as bad. The dropping of papers was borderline "Three's Company-esque." Then I heard what I had been waiting for. The beep of the locked doors. So I launched a very simple verbal gernade. "Do you have everything?" , "Yes" So I reached back in the car and grabbed her business card holder and didn't say a word.

We ran to the elevator. (I give her no more credit for doing it heels than I do myself for doing it in a suit with a tie choking me so I can't breathe) then we hit the parking garage elevator (again and again) then finding the elvator brought us only to the lobby where we had to then sign in with the concierge. This was beginning to be the best day ever! We finally arrived in the office at 9:47!

I am sure you can imagine what happened next. THE UNTHINKABLE! The one thing she always criticized me for! EXCUSES, you name it. Traffic, the confusing building, the bus, what a crazy day, she is never late. "well you are here now, that's what matters" he replied cheerfully. "Here is my business card, do you have one?"

I didn't want to rub it in, so I just said, "Here are our cards" and handed them over but she knew she had forgotten them but we never spoke of it. The meeting went well and we left at 10:15 which would give us plenty of time to get to our 11:30 appointment which was just down the street. In the downtime we would prospect for new business she said and visit with some current clients that had businesses in the area.

Always being the overachiever with 20 minutes to spare she walked into a Current Client to say hello and wouldn't you know, they were having account issues. Trying everything including "I will have to come back I have another engagement right now" she frantically rushed to get out of there. The client responded with. "Well obviously if I were an important client this would not have happened in the first place." So she stayed and worked out the problem making us 7 minutes late for the scheduled appointment.

When we walked in and announced to the secretary who we were there to see and who we were, she stepped away and came back with a message. "Mr. (insert name here) will not be seeing you today, he runs a very tight schedule and you are late."

"If you could just tell him that we are sorry and that our previous appointment got out late I'm sure he will understand."

She returned with the following message "He said, well head to your next meeting and let them know the good news that you are really early because your previous appointment cancelled because you were late."

She could not believe how rude he had been it seemed as though she was in shock. Which seemed strange to me coming from the woman who would watch a clock and close a door at 8 am sharp for a meeting placing a sign that read "Hi you are late, please do not disturb this meeting." ( A sign that she would waste more time gathering the materials to make than it would to let someone walk in and sit down.) Even stranger coming from a woman who would schedule a weekly meeting from 8-9 am and would often run it till 9:15 or 9:30 and not see that as being late but seeing an 8:01 or 8:02 arrival missing nothing other than the "how was everyone's weekend chat" as being late.

As you can imagine this set a mood for the rest of the day, the wrong order coming at lunch where she could not just eat the food that was delivered to save time due to a food allergy, (what are the chances) to the cliche fender bender which I was there to witness but everyone would just think it was an excuse.

We made one appointment on time that day. I didn't say a word. I just hoped that she understood. (it turned out she still doesn't and also refuses to spend time in the field with me, she thinks I'm cursed.)

But there are days that work well and the universe is flowing with me and there are days that are filled with red lights and buses. You can argue all you want that if the president invited me to dinner that I would be ontime. But I simply can not guarantee it. I would simply hope that he would understand that my intention was to be on time and that it was not out of disrespect for him or her. That many of the greats were usually late or procrastinators in their day, Thomas Edison being among them.

It is not a selfish thing either as many have tried to complain. There have been plenty of things I have been dying to do myself that I have missed out of to the punishment of no one but me. I had tickets to the Academy Awards two years in a row. The first year my flight got cancelled and the new flight did not arrive in time to get me to my arrival and I was not allowed in by 15 minutes. (this was flight booked by the company who was able to get me the tickets, not myself)

The following year I booked my flight myself. 2 days in advance. I was in my hotel taking a shower 4 hours in advance of the arrival time across the street when the fire alarm in the hotel went off. We had to evacuate and were not let back into the hotel until after the awards had begun. It was a security measure for the awards.

The stories are endless and some I am totally at fault for and some I am not. I've learned to take the good and take the bad, they are the facts of life.

For those of you who are still arguing this
Argue it with the people mentioned in this blog:
http://h-n-t.blogspot.com/2006/09/they-were-late-for-work-on-911.html

]]> By: Maria de Jesus http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2004/03/11/being-late-is-bad/comment-page-1/#comment-195448 Maria de Jesus Sun, 30 Aug 2009 15:41:26 +0000 http://lolindrath.dyndns.org/lolindrath/wordpress/2004/03/11/being-late-is-bad/#comment-195448 I really don't believe that when I am late, it is that I am being disrespectful to the other people. I don't do it on purpose at all! I think the reason is the latter, "a time optimist". I do think I can do more the earlier I wake up, I do think I can make it right on time to work by getting in short cuts and cutting it close, I truly think that I can do it all AND a lot of times I DO! I have that type of personality that likes or is used to living on the edge, otherwise I feel dead and boring. Moreover, I might not be on time to work (and it doesn't mean I am 30 minutes late either; i'm talking about 5-15 minutes late, tops!), but I am very reliable when they call me at spur of the moments, and I make high sales because I have this "edgy" personality, and I am a very quick learner at anything that is presented to me. So to make a judgement on someone and say THEY ARE DISRESPECTING PEOPLE BY BEING LATE I think is too general. I really don't believe that when I am late, it is that I am being disrespectful to the other people. I don't do it on purpose at all! I think the reason is the latter, "a time optimist". I do think I can do more the earlier I wake up, I do think I can make it right on time to work by getting in short cuts and cutting it close, I truly think that I can do it all AND a lot of times I DO! I have that type of personality that likes or is used to living on the edge, otherwise I feel dead and boring. Moreover, I might not be on time to work (and it doesn't mean I am 30 minutes late either; i'm talking about 5-15 minutes late, tops!), but I am very reliable when they call me at spur of the moments, and I make high sales because I have this "edgy" personality, and I am a very quick learner at anything that is presented to me.
So to make a judgement on someone and say THEY ARE DISRESPECTING PEOPLE BY BEING LATE I think is too general.

]]> By: Mark Spencer http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2004/03/11/being-late-is-bad/comment-page-1/#comment-188110 Mark Spencer Tue, 23 Jun 2009 15:30:29 +0000 http://lolindrath.dyndns.org/lolindrath/wordpress/2004/03/11/being-late-is-bad/#comment-188110 Nicole, I think the disorder is called 'procrastination'. It's a serious and very common disease, that I am infected with as well :( Nicole, I think the disorder is called 'procrastination'. It's a serious and very common disease, that I am infected with as well :(

]]> By: Nicole http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2004/03/11/being-late-is-bad/comment-page-1/#comment-186186 Nicole Fri, 22 May 2009 14:03:58 +0000 http://lolindrath.dyndns.org/lolindrath/wordpress/2004/03/11/being-late-is-bad/#comment-186186 Thank you for this article. As much as I didn't enjoy hearing the truth, but I do realize it is the truth. I am always late. I have managed to be successful with an MBA and a good job, but lateness has always been a HUGE problem. Who know, perhaps I would be even more successful if I were on time. I am late to things I enjoy doing and late to things I hate doing. It is the most stressful for me, who gets frustrated and annoyed with myself for being late. I really have to make a conscious effort to give myself plenty of time to get somewhere. Could it ever be considered a disorder? Or is that just another excuse?! Thank you for this article. As much as I didn't enjoy hearing the truth, but I do realize it is the truth. I am always late. I have managed to be successful with an MBA and a good job, but lateness has always been a HUGE problem. Who know, perhaps I would be even more successful if I were on time. I am late to things I enjoy doing and late to things I hate doing. It is the most stressful for me, who gets frustrated and annoyed with myself for being late. I really have to make a conscious effort to give myself plenty of time to get somewhere. Could it ever be considered a disorder? Or is that just another excuse?!

]]> By: Всім привіт http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2004/03/11/being-late-is-bad/comment-page-1/#comment-186075 Всім привіт Wed, 20 May 2009 18:42:01 +0000 http://lolindrath.dyndns.org/lolindrath/wordpress/2004/03/11/being-late-is-bad/#comment-186075 [...] Being late is bad // Penelope Trunk [...] [...] Being late is bad // Penelope Trunk [...]

]]> By: Serenity http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2004/03/11/being-late-is-bad/comment-page-1/#comment-183949 Serenity Wed, 15 Apr 2009 16:07:22 +0000 http://lolindrath.dyndns.org/lolindrath/wordpress/2004/03/11/being-late-is-bad/#comment-183949 The best part of this blog I think is the statement "Time Optimist." I have been chronically late for years. It is true, I can show up on time to things I enjoy or is of interest to me. Thanks for the mirror! The best part of this blog I think is the statement "Time Optimist." I have been chronically late for years. It is true, I can show up on time to things I enjoy or is of interest to me. Thanks for the mirror!

]]> By: Maria Killam http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2004/03/11/being-late-is-bad/comment-page-1/#comment-180744 Maria Killam Mon, 09 Feb 2009 04:43:31 +0000 http://lolindrath.dyndns.org/lolindrath/wordpress/2004/03/11/being-late-is-bad/#comment-180744 I just found your blog yesterday and have been reading it for hours, my partner is tired of me looking up and saying 'but can I just read this piece to you' NO YOU CANNOT YOU READ TOO FAST. Darn. I have never read so many amazing, insightful, fabulous, posts in one place. You say stuff that has been in my head but didn't even know how to articulate. Your latest post about artists! So great, your career advice, blogging. I have never signed up to follow anyone on twitter in my life. I am so looking forward to receiving your posts in my inbox! Hope you are feeling better! I just found your blog yesterday and have been reading it for hours, my partner is tired of me looking up and saying 'but can I just read this piece to you' NO YOU CANNOT YOU READ TOO FAST. Darn.

I have never read so many amazing, insightful, fabulous, posts in one place. You say stuff that has been in my head but didn't even know how to articulate. Your latest post about artists! So great, your career advice, blogging. I have never signed up to follow anyone on twitter in my life. I am so looking forward to receiving your posts in my inbox!
Hope you are feeling better!

]]> By: ashamed http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2004/03/11/being-late-is-bad/comment-page-1/#comment-180589 ashamed Thu, 05 Feb 2009 18:52:38 +0000 http://lolindrath.dyndns.org/lolindrath/wordpress/2004/03/11/being-late-is-bad/#comment-180589 oh my god, im so pissed. my boss told my co worker that if im late again then my boss needs to be notified. i guess the worst of it is knowing that my boss is involving other coworkers, and none the less i was informed by the co worker who was not about to rat me out. its horrible.. couldn't stop thinking about it.. had to put that traumatic event out there for everyone to see, thanks for reading. think encouraging thoughts for me. thanks bye oh my god, im so pissed. my boss told my co worker that if im late again then my boss needs to be notified. i guess the worst of it is knowing that my boss is involving other coworkers, and none the less i was informed by the co worker who was not about to rat me out. its horrible.. couldn't stop thinking about it.. had to put that traumatic event out there for everyone to see, thanks for reading. think encouraging thoughts for me. thanks

bye

]]> By: Erika McGowan http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2004/03/11/being-late-is-bad/comment-page-1/#comment-148217 Erika McGowan Sat, 31 May 2008 04:31:06 +0000 http://lolindrath.dyndns.org/lolindrath/wordpress/2004/03/11/being-late-is-bad/#comment-148217 I found this link by googling my own name, and followed it because someone by the name of Erika McGowan already read it! I have a problem with being late despite it being my biggest pet peeve. I was impressed with your article, and I'm going to print it out and hang it in my dorm room. Thanks for writing it. I found this link by googling my own name, and followed it because someone by the name of Erika McGowan already read it!
I have a problem with being late despite it being my biggest pet peeve. I was impressed with your article, and I'm going to print it out and hang it in my dorm room. Thanks for writing it.

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