Punctuality In Business

vs. tardiness

Showing respect for others by doing the right thing at the right time

To practice Punctuality, I will:

think of the impact my tardiness has on others
prepare for unexpected delays
do my work ahead of time
plan a daily schedule and stick to it
not fall into the trap of “just one more”

“The Next Right Thing”

If you read our definition of Punctuality, “Doing the right thing at the right time,” you probably would not associate it with Punctuality. Our explanation of the definition tells us that being late didn’t start when you couldn’t find your backpack or car keys, but rather when you put your keys on your desk instead of the hook by the door because you were thinking about the 17 things you needed to get done as soon as you got home. Doing the right thing can refer to doing the moral something, but more often, it refers to doing the right thing at that moment. Knowing what the next right thing is takes strategy.

Time management classes teach us the difference between what is important and what is critical. Critical tasks are squeakier wheels and often get more attention than important tasks. But what if we looked at our to-do list and assigned each activity to the personal, department, or company goal they help us achieve? Perhaps the next right thing is related to your most important goal.

Mark Twain famously said that if you first eat a live frog in the morning, you can go through the rest of the day knowing the worst is behind you. Your frog is your worst task, and you should do it first thing in the morning. In his book Eat That Frog, Brian Tracey has taught us about eating frogs. He explains that the worst does not mean the hardest but the one that is the most important that will have the most significant impact. Perhaps the next right thing is eating a frog.

What if you make your first frog of the morning your worst task, the one with which you are least comfortable? Getting a checkmark for that activity first thing can provide a surge of energy so that many checkmarks for other important tasks follow. Over time, the worst task may not seem that bad as you begin to stretch your skills and comfort zone thereby accomplishing more things at the right time. Perhaps the next right thing is the worst thing on your list.

What is your next Right Thing?