How to Be on Time for Meetings
Ever found yourself caught in a warp of perpetual lateness to meetings, be they in-person meetups or virtual rendezvous? Let’s talk about some of the common black holes that swallow our precious time and how to escape their gravitational pull.
Be Respectful of Other People’s Time
I personally believe that being constantly late is really disrespectful to others who have taken the time to prepare for and attend meetings with you. It can also disrupt the flow of the meeting and cause unnecessary delays. Remember, being on time for meetings is also important for your professional reputation as well as showing respect for your colleagues’ time. Really dwell on this, as it’s the key pair of motivators behind helping you be on time.
Own Your Journey to Punctuality
Awareness and preparation are the two keys here. Identify and acknowledge the reasons behind your lateness, and tailor your strategies accordingly. Are you underestimating the time it takes to get to the meeting? Are you trying to squeeze in too many tasks before the meeting? Once you know the reasons, you can take steps to address them. Remember, it's not about perfection; it’s about progress. We’re all human, and slip-ups are inevitable. The key is not to beat yourself up about it but to learn from the experience. Was it poor planning? Technical difficulties? Reflect on what went wrong and strategise to avoid a repeat performance.
Embrace the Power of Pre-Planning
If you often struggle with being on time, take a few minutes before your day kicks off to review your schedule—note that this is good practice anyway, but you’ll want to give it some extra thought if you want to make sure you’re on time. Identify potential clashes, tasks that might overrun, public transport delays, traffic issues if driving somewhere, and make sure you have enough buffer time between any back-to-back meetings. It's like setting up checkpoints in a game—you’re preparing for the unexpected hurdles that might slow you down.
Time, the Slippery Trickster
How many times have you lost track of time when in the middle of something, only to realise you’re (un)fashionably late to your Zoom call? Yep, guilty as charged! To combat this temporal sneakiness, make sure every meeting in your calendar has a reminder on it and that the reminders actually work. You ideally want to see the reminder popping up on your screen and on your phone (and on your smartwatch, if you have one). Also, make sure your reminder is set neither too short nor too far in advance—too short and you might still be late; too far and you might fall into this kind of trap.
Don’t Dismiss Them
OK, so the reminder has popped up. How often do you just dismiss them and get back to what you were doing, assuming you won’t forget? Admit it—we've all had moments of thinking, “I'll make it in time; it's just around the corner,” or “It’ll only take a second to connect to Teams/Zoom.” Guilty again! The solution is simple and goes back to my first point—give them the respect they deserve. The reminder is telling you that other people will soon be waiting on you. Wrap up whatever task you were doing and prepare to join the meeting, or use it as a cue to take a short break.
Virtual Call Chaos: The Unseen Adversary
Sure, your living room might be the backdrop for virtual meetings, but that doesn’t mean you should give it a casual pass. Treat virtual meetings with the same importance and respect as face-to-face ones. One of the big causes of delay are technical difficulties connecting—a problem with Teams/Zoom, a slow laptop, not finding the appointment, Outlook having crashed, whatever. That’s another reason why you should pay attention to the reminder and start preparing. If you need to restart Teams, better to do it 10 minutes before the call rather than 30 seconds…
Fashionably Late? Not When You're Still at Home
Leaving home too late to get to the office for a first-thing-in-the-morning meeting—it happens, right? As someone who has sprinted to the office door more times than I care to admit, I’ve learned the hard way. Prepare the night before. Lay out your outfit, charge your devices, pack your bag, and set your alarm. In the morning, check public transport or traffic conditions so you’re not caught out.
The Early Bird Gets the On-Time Worm
How about just arriving early if you can? It gives you a chance to settle in, mentally prepare, and perhaps even exchange an informal word or two with your colleagues. How many times has the tone for a meeting actually been set by those little conversations that happen before everyone arrives—why not be there to join in? Plus, it's a sure way of avoiding that awkward late entrance, virtual or not.
Be Accountable
Finally, if you are still running late, let the other attendees know as soon as possible. This will allow them to adjust the meeting schedule if necessary or shift agenda items that need your presence.