My last post, Learn to Estimate Time Accurately, detailed the first critical step in the quest to overcome tardiness and never be late again. However, accurately estimating time is only valuable when you plan ahead. If you know how long it takes to get from your bed to your desk, but you fail to have your clothes ready, check the weather, ensure there’s enough gas in the car, or make the kids’ lunch, you will be late. The old adage is true, “if you fail to plan, you plan to fail”.

Using our example of getting to work on time, planning ahead means starting the day before. Check the fuel gauge before you get home the night before so you can either get gas then, or allow time to stop in the morning. Choose your clothes, prepare your lunch, and have your children’s things ready to go before you go to sleep. Check the weather the night before, and when you wake, check it again along with the traffic report. You know that rain will always make your commute longer, plan for it. By planning ahead, you remove potential obstacles that will slow you down or distract you. You’ll also be in a better position to handle the unknowns when they arise – they will arise.

Although I continue to focus on getting to work on time, the same principle can be used regardless of the situation. In fact, thorough planning is more important for one-time events such as major presentations, sales meetings, banquets, or vacations. Take time to plan out all aspects of these events and write your plan down. Then, ask others to review your plan for holes or errors. This may seem like overkill, but trust me, the people who are punctual, and who always seem to be in control, don’t just “wing it”.

As you begin to plan ahead, keep in mind that you’ll need to leave room for error. There will always be that unexpected obstacle, a mishap, or any number of things out of your control. While you can’t plan for everything, you should leave enough buffer to absorb some amount of delay. Your buffer should be commensurate to your total schedule. If your start to finish time is 30 minutes, giving yourself an extra 5-10 min should be sufficient. On the other hand, if your start to finish time is 3 hours, perhaps you should give yourself an extra 30 minutes for unexpected circumstances.

Like anything we do repetitively, the more you plan, the easier it will become and the less effort it will take. Before long it will be second nature and you’ll be amazed at how punctual you are, how much more time you have, and how much more you’re in control.

Once you can estimate time accurately and you learn to plan ahead, all that’s left is to execute. Check back for the final step and conclusion.

Coming Up: Part 3 – Execute