TIP 33
ARRIVE 10 MINUTES EARLY
Punctuality is the politeness of kings.
If you already arrive early, good for you; if not, the fastest and simplest way to create a reserve of time in your life is to show up 10 minutes early to every business and personal appointment. It sounds like a waste of time. After all, you could use those 10 minutes to make one more phone call.
In this case, by doing less, you gain more—more time, peace, and awareness. By arriving 10 minutes early, you actually have time to compose your thoughts, take in the environment around you, and relax. As an experiment, try showing up 10 minutes early to all of your appointments for one week.
I recommended this to one client, Dexter, a very busy, successful businessman who was always rushing around, seeing how many things he could get done in a day. Dexter thought that if he could squeeze in one more phone call before an appointment, he was being more effective and efficient. It wasn’t surprising that he usually ran a few minutes late and arrived rushed and a bit harried with a ready excuse on his tongue about traffic or some such thing. When I suggested that he arrive 10 minutes early, Dexter wasn’t too keen on the idea. He felt it would be a waste of his precious time. I persisted and asked him to try it for one week and see what happened. He could always go back to his old ways. He agreed to do it.
To make sure he would arrive early, I asked Dexter to write down in his calendar the time he needed to leave instead of the time he needed to be there. When he looked at his schedule, he would get up and go regardless of the ringing phone and let his assistant handle the calls. This wasn’t easy for Dexter, but he succeeded in arriving 10 minutes early for a lunch appointment to discuss business with a prospective client. The executive he was meeting wasn’t there yet, so the maître d’ showed Dexter to his table, and Dexter had a chance to sit, take in the surroundings, and compose his thoughts. So who has the advantage?
Dexter had to wait only five minutes before his prospective client arrived. That short time gave him a sense of peacefulness and enabled him to relax and focus on the client. The lunch was a success, and Dexter saw the immediate benefits of this simple strategy. He realized that he had been spending his commute worrying about what excuse he would make for arriving late instead of thinking about his objectives for the meeting. A reserve of time gives you an opportunity to slow down, to think about whom you will be talking to, and what you are going to say. It is the sign of a true professional to be calm, cool, and collected—not rushing around like a headless chicken.
If, like Dexter, you are consistently late, you can simply write in your calendar the time you need to leave your home or office in order to be at the event 10 minutes early. If you are not sure of the commute, factor in even more extra time in case you get lost. Some people focus on the time of the event, and that is when they start getting ready to go, which explains why they are always late.
Underpromising is another way to help you show up 10 minutes early. Instead of saying, “I’ll be there in 20 minutes,” say 30 minutes. That way if you get stuck in traffic, your client won’t be waiting around for you. If you don’t get stuck and arrive early, use those 10 minutes to relax and breathe deeply or just sit and do nothing. One client always carries a bunch of blank postcards with her and uses odd moments to keep up with her correspondence.
Of course, different cultures manage time in completely different ways. In Latin American countries you would never show up for a party at the stated time or risk catching the hosts getting ready. You’ll need to make adjustments depending on the customs of the country.