A bystander watched as a young commuter put on a last minute spurt but still missed the train. “If you’d run just a bit faster, you’d have caught it,” the observer sympathized.
“No,” the young man gasped. “It wasn’t a case of running faster, but starting sooner!”
People who don’t allow themselves extra time to get to work inflict needless pressure on themselves. And they increase their risk for an accident. Any interruption throws them off schedule and makes them late.
Yet many people expose themselves to this tension every day. To get a few extra minutes of sleep, they start the day with a nerve-jangling race against the clock. What a way to live—and they inflict it on themselves!
One way to break this stressful habit is to arrange to be deliberately early. If you’ve always been a clock-racer, do yourself the favor of trying to be intentionally early for one week.
Get up 10 minutes early and see if it doesn’t give you a feeling of comfort and relaxation. Enjoy the luxurious, unrushed feeling. Enjoy the knowledge that if something unexpected happens, you can still get to work on time.
Watch other peoples’ reactions this week. They will appreciate the fact that you’re early. Tardiness is no joke in business. Lost time disrupts schedules and costs money. Frequently tardy people are a headache that their co-workers, friends, and family would gladly do without.
So be early for a change. The few extra minutes it takes is a small price to pay for the luxury of taking your time, the freedom from pressure, and the satisfaction that comes from being highly regarded by the people you work for.