Don't be late

I'm making an effort to not be late anymore.  Late for meetings.  Late for appointments.  Late for dinner. 

It's not that I'm habitually late for things.  It's that I hate when other people are late.  I find it very irritating when a 9:00 meeting cannot start because we have stragglers coming in at 9:05, or 9:10.  It drives me nuts to fill my scheduled "productive time" with unscheduled idle chit-chat when I am waiting for everyone to make it into a meeting room.

I will admit, I am late from time to time.  It's no one's fault but my own.  There is no good reason for me to be late.  I control my schedule.  I can control how long or short my prior commitments run.  It's time to be as courteous to others time as I expect others be of my time.  Perhaps if I lead by example, this will catch on!  I'm a big believer in karma.

Here's my plan:

• If I have back to back meetings (as I do just about every day), I will end them 5 minutes early to give myself time to walk to my next meeting.
• If I bump into someone while I head to my next meeting, I will politely avoid any quick chit-chats.
• If I am hosting an online meeting with a conference call, video conference or WebEx, I will arrive at the meeting place ahead of time and get the technology (the phone, the computer, the overhead) ready prior to the start of the meeting.
• If I have a meeting off-campus, I will block my calendar for "travel time" prior to the meeting, allowing me scheduled time to get there.
• Conversely, if I am returning to the office from an off-site meeting, I will block my calendar for "travel time" after the meeting.

Got any other tips for me?  Leave a comment and let me know.  ...and DON'T BE LATE!