It seems incredible, but There are people who seem incapable of arriving at places on time despite planning their schedules and constantly keeping their eyes on the clock It is problematic, especially when this delay, which is related to the time at which the trip to the meeting place began, is joined by last-minute unforeseen events, or when there is not much trust with the people waiting.
Arriving late is usually a nuisance for both the person who is waiting and the person who is late, and yet it is very common to leave on time (or even at the time you stayed). How can it be explained that it is so difficult for us to learn from mistakes and leave ahead of time? There are different reasons that can explain the existence of these “chronic tardiness”.
Possible reasons for arriving late (always, everywhere)
There must be some explanation why certain people are very prone to being late everywhere, while others display English punctuality. Could this difference have something to do with some psychological aspect?
1. Being too narcissistic
People with a narcissistic personality are prone to having problems when it comes to putting themselves in other people’s shoes. This implies, among other things, that they will not accept the fact that every time they arrive late they will cause inconvenience to third parties and, in fact, they may find the feeling of being kept waiting pleasant.
In the end, forcing yourself to be late to places is a way of creating the illusion that you are important enough that everyone has to wait to enjoy your company. However, these cases are not very common.
2. Addiction to late-breaking racing
It may be difficult to understand, but the need to find shortcuts or methods to move forward quickly and the release of adrenaline that is associated with being late can be considered something like a sport: being late for a strange kind of pleasure.
And as such, it is possible to cause addiction. So, it is understandable that some people take it as such, albeit unconsciously, and take advantage of the slightest date or meeting as an excuse to live a little adventure against the clock.
3. You don’t want to arrive early
This reason is the most sensible from a cost-benefit logic. There are many reasons why someone may not want to arrive even a minute before the agreed time, and none of these have to be the intention of causing problems for others.
Waiting is unproductive Arriving early can be perceived as a waste of time. It doesn’t feel like it serves a clear purpose. Faced with the prospect of arriving too early and spending a while doing nothing, it is possible that many people delay their departure precisely by doing things that are apparently productive, such as cleaning the house, reading a book or even taking time to rest, something that is could do while waiting. Ironically, this drive toward productivity that leads to chronic lateness would probably not be present if there were not the perception of having to choose between that or spending an unproductive time at the agreed-upon meeting location.
It’s boring Arriving early means spending a time of monotony and discomfort. Waiting for someone means being motionless for a few minutes, with nothing to do and unable to go anywhere else. Just as we know that the other person may get upset if they have to wait too long, the person who tends to leave late knows that they can also be hurt if they have to wait.
Affects self-image For some people, waiting is a small challenge in which we must appear interesting and offer a positive image of ourselves while staying still because others have decided so. You can smoke, look at your smartphone, put on calculated poses… A situation similar to what happens when we ride in an elevator with strangers.
Definitely, For these people, arriving early is not a positive thing, but a possibility that must be avoided. Therefore, they rule out the possibility of leaving a few minutes early (whether due to a conscious or unconscious decision), they only have the option of arriving right at the agreed time or later. And, since the “later” alternative is made up of more moments than the first option, it is the more likely of the two possibilities. Result: late arrivals always.
So now you know: if you think that any of these three reasons explain the majority of cases in which you arrive late, the main thing is to recognize it and fight to stop this from being the case. Just don’t leave it for tomorrow.
