--- title: 9 Habits of People Who Are Always on Time description: If you’re in a constant struggle with the clock, these solutions will help you master your schedule canonical: https://time.com/3664228/being-on-time-habits/ author: Real Simple article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-01-12T19:42:46.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T04:42:43.046Z og:title: 9 Habits of People Who Are Always on Time og:description: If you’re in a constant struggle with the clock, these solutions will help you master your schedule og:url: https://time.com/3664228/being-on-time-habits/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2e92603bf96591c7/6987797c35ba6fc65cc06726/looking-watch.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3120 og:image:height: 1755 og:image:alt: looking-watch og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: 9 Habits of People Who Are Always on Time twitter:description: If you’re in a constant struggle with the clock, these solutions will help you master your schedule twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2e92603bf96591c7/6987797c35ba6fc65cc06726/looking-watch.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 9 Habits of People Who Are Always on Time > Sponsored content. 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It is a free newsletter available at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-worth-2026q3/newsletters?i=9fd2d826-3f69-47d1-8242-3b73f5eef27f&cr=time-nl-worth-2026q3-v1) by [Real Simple](https://time.com/author/real-simple/) ## Real Simple Jan 12, 2015 7:42 PM UTC  57/365 04-03-2013 TIME 57/365 04-03-2013 TIME Getty Images by [Real Simple](https://time.com/author/real-simple/) ## Real Simple Jan 12, 2015 7:42 PM UTC Some people get their daily dose of cardio by running into every meeting saying, “Sorry I’m late!” While it might seem like chronic lateness is just plain rude, time management can be harder than it looks—and often, lateness is rooted in something psychological, like a fear of downtime. Luckily, there are simple habits you can tweak and others you can adopt entirely to turn you into _that_ person—the one who shows up early and finishes projects with time to spare. Here, nine habits of those mystifying people who are always punctual. **When it’s time to get up, they get up.** Waking up is the first item of the day you can procrastinate. Whether you hit the snooze button and fall back asleep, or accidentally turn your alarm off and wake up 30 minutes later in a panic, getting out of bed is an easy thing to delay. [Diane Gottsman](http://dianegottsman.com/), an etiquette expert and owner of The Protocol School of Texas, suggests an easy fix: Put your alarm out of reach. Physically moving out of bed to turn your alarm off is a surefire way to get out of bed—and not crawl back in. **They plan breakfast at dinner.** Everyone is rushed in the morning, says Gottsman—it’s the busiest time of day. Hyper-organized, punctual people tend to have their mornings laid out before they go to bed the night before. Their shoes and keys are by the door, their lunches are packed, and the coffee pot is set to start brewing. Some even lay out their outfits the night before—“first day of school”-style. A map for your morning routine eliminates the five minutes you spend searching for your keys, and sends you out the door right on time. **They end tasks on time.** Often, people who are late simply get caught up in moving from one activity to the next, says [Julie Morgenstern](http://juliemorgenstern.com/), author of _Time Management from the Inside Out_. People who are time-conscious, on the other hand, map out their tasks in advance, and understand how long they should spend on each project before moving on. By answering the question: “How long will this take?” ahead of time, you’ll find it easier to wrap things up. “If you can see what success looks like for each item, it helps you stop working,” Morgenstern says. **They recognize patterns, and correct them.** If you’re always running back inside to grab your phone charger, keep an extra at work or in the car. If you’re constantly on the hunt for your sunglasses, train yourself to leave them by the door every day. “Timely people know what they need to do to stay punctual,” says Gottsman. “Know your idiosyncrasies.” **They embrace downtime.** Part of the psychology of lateness is typically a fear of waiting or being left with nothing to do, says Morgenstern. People who are perpetually behind are often subconsciously trying to make sure that they are always moving—the idea of sitting in a doctor’s lobby makes them anxious. Morgenstern suggests using this time to catch up on simple tasks, like networking emails or that book you’ve been dying to read. By having items permanently on your “to-do” list, you’ll always feel like you’re accomplishing _something_. **They’re immune to “Just One More Thing” syndrome.** You’ll rarely hear a time-conscious person say they need to squeeze in “one more thing” before they leave. That impulse can lead you off track, and suddenly it’s not just one more email—it’s an entire 15 minutes worth of emails. “Train yourself to recognize that impulse when it happens,” Morgenstern says. “Resist the impulse to do one more thing and just leave.” **They schedule built-in overflow time.** If you glanced at the calendar of _that_ woman in the office—the one who’s always on time and whose hair is somehow immune to humidity—you’d probably see large gaps in her day, and space between meetings. This overflow time is essential for handling anything unexpected that might arise and throw off your schedule. Morgenstern suggests setting aside a chunk in the morning and one in the afternoon to catch up on to-do lists and handle spontaneous crises. **They’ve mastered the skill of calculation.** Timely people are _serious_ planners. They map out their days, often down to the minute—including elevator time, walking time, and even the traffic and weather, meaning they are rarely delayed. If you’ve yet to become this precise, Morgenstern has a fix: Time yourself completing routine tasks three days in a row. Find out how long it takes you to get from bed to out the door, and then from the door of your office building to your desk, with a stop at the coffee machine on the way. Soon, you’ll become a time master, too. **They know when they do their best work.** “People who schedule well are very aware of their energy cycles,” Morgenstern says. “They know what is the ideal time for different kinds of activities.” If you do your best thinking in the morning, save that time for your hardest work. By scheduling your day to maximize performance, you eliminate burning out or getting sucked into the Internet while your brain recovers from a slew of meetings. _This_ [_article_](http://www.realsimple.com/work-life/life-strategies/time-management/how-to-be-on-time) _originally appeared on_ [_RealSimple.com_](http://www.realsimple.com)_._ _More from Real Simple:_ * [Time Management Techniques for the Modern Woman](http://www.realsimple.com/work-life/life-strategies/time-management/time-management-techniques?xid=time-rs-010815) * [10 Ways to Cope With Anxiety](http://www.realsimple.com/health/mind-mood/emotional-health/ten-ways-to-cope-with-anxiety?xid=time-rs-010815) * [What Change to Your Routine Has Saved You the Most Time?](http://www.realsimple.com/work-life/life-strategies/time-management/routine-change?xid=time-rs-010815) _Read next:_ [_3 Morning Routines That Will Improve Your Day_](http://time.com/3712563/morning-routines-improve-day/?iid=time%5Freadnext) ### 5 Horrible Habits You Need to Stop Right Now  Do Not Email First Thing in the Morning or Last Thing at Night “The former scrambles your priorities and all your plans for the day and the latter just gives you insomnia,” says Ferriss, who insists “email can wait until 10am” or after you check off at least one substantive to-do list item. Chris Pecoraro—Getty Images  Do Not Agree to Meetings or Calls With No Clear Agenda or End Time “If the desired outcome is defined clearly… and there’s an agenda listing topics–questions to cover–no meeting or call should last more than 30 minutes,” claims Ferriss, so “request them in advance so you can ‘best prepare and make good use of our time together.'” Sam Edwards—Getty Images/Caiaimage  Do Not Check Email Constantly Batch it and check it only periodically at set times (Ferriss goes for twice a day). Your inbox is analogous to a cocaine pellet dispenser, says Ferriss. Don’t be an addict. Tools like strategic use of the auto responder and Boomerang can help. Jetta Productions—Getty Images  Do Not Carry a Digital Leash 24/7 At least one day a week leave you smartphone somewhere where you can’t get easy access to it. If you’re gasping, you’re probably the type of person that most needs to do kick this particular habit. by nacoki ( MEDIA ARC )—Getty Images/Flickr RF  Do Not Let People Ramble Sounds harsh, but it’s necessary, Ferriss believes. “Small talk takes up big time,” he says, so when people start to tell you about their weekends, cut them off politely with something like “I’m in the middle of something, but what’s up?” But be aware, not everyone agrees with this one (and certainly not in every situation), and you may want to pay particularly close attention to norms around chit chat when traveling internationally. 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