Personality Traits For Being Late

Have you ever noticed that it's usually when you're running late to an appointment, meeting, or event that you start thinking about what you should say when you show up. But it's much too late to start avoiding what you consider your most loved bag of phrases. Late people are often thought of as lazy people tardy for social events. Or maybe they are just unable to plan ahead for their day-to-day task. People, that are always on time for important tasks or events, but they are often late for less vital meetings or appointments. It's not something they have complete control over, so they often find themselves apologizing for being late. Most people have a tendency to be a little late, but a level of lateness may indicate a specific personality trait.

The Planner, The Avoidant And The Impulsive

Those who habitually are on time are considered to have a mean of ideal behavior. They are expected to be punctual, so to speak. Those who are habitually late, on the other hand, do not fit the mold of this behavior. Instead of thinking highly of themselves, they tend to be ashamed of their tardiness. They feel it is a weakness of some sort and this causes them to feel quite inferior. Others are not attracted to people, who feel they need to apologize all the time. They also do not gain respect from others.

While there are many types of people, habits, and other social cues, people tend to fall into one of three main groups:

• The planner: The planner, or the high importance person, tends to be on time for everything. They plan things out in their head and do not miss a beat. They are rarely late and always have a backup plan on any occasion. This group tends to do very well in life and tend to be leaders or captains of society.

• The avoidant: The avoidant, on the other hand, tends to be late all the time. They are simply not concerned with making good impressions and will often times show up late to meetings or events. They feel as though it isn't a big deal and don't intend on apologizing. They typically do the bare minimum and don't plan to do anything more in the future.

• The impulsive: The last group is what I call the impulsive. These are the people who are late to the point of it being dangerous. They tend to not plan at all and instead just show up. They do have a backup plan and will often attempt to apologize. However, this is usually more of a way of them feel better about themselves. They tend to have the shortest time horizon, when it comes to planning and are probably in the most trouble, when they are late.

Other personality traits, that may accompany being late are lack of empathy and a short attention span. Being on time, on the other hand, shows signs of higher intelligence and a stronger work ethic. These are the type of people, that are going places in life. Being on time, in some ways, may make you a better person. People who are always on time tend to be more intelligent and better adjusted. They tend to do better in school, have better careers and live longer.

I'm not sure why this is, but being on time is a sign of respect. If you are on time for an appointment or meeting, it shows that you respect the time of your boss or supervisor. Being late shows disrespect. This is why being late is so dangerous. You don't realize how much it shows disrespect to your boss until it's too late. They'll usually take measures to fire or punish you as soon as possible.

Why Are People Late?

Being late has a lot of reasons. The most common ones are:

• ADHD: Always being late for work or school has been identified as an indicator of something called ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder). Many times people don't realize, that they have this and are just labeled as busy. But really, it's just a bad habit. Being late is just not something, that you tend to do. Which would also explain why you always have so much energy when running late for an event. I guess it's nature's way of reaping the consequences.

• Traffic: Another reason people are late is due to traffic. Nearly everyone has some sort of transportation problem and they all stem from the same root: too much traffic. More and more people are moving to the suburbs or leaving the city altogether and building new communities. This just means more cars on the road, which translates to more gridlock. There's just so many people in such a small area, that everyone is bound to get stuck in traffic on occasion. Of course, sometimes this isn't even the driver's fault. Sometimes there are accidents on the road or sometimes the weather or other conditions make it impossible to drive safely.

• Lack of planning ahead: Lack of planning ahead is another common reason people are late. They will say they are going to be somewhere at a certain time, but fail to plan accordingly. If they have something important to do, they will usually show up late without a warning. You'll also miss out on an opportunity that may never come again. If you always plan ahead, you can take advantage of all the opportunities life offers. You may have to change plans a few times, but in the long run you will be glad you did. Of course, there are some people, who just don't give a flying flip about being on time.

Change Your Late Personality Traits

The suggestions here are things you can do on a daily basis to become a person, who is never late.

• Get up earlier: If you need to go to school or work at a certain time, try to go to bed earlier the night before so you have enough sleep.

• Take public transportation: If you need to go to school or work, try taking the bus or train instead of driving your car. This will reduce your chance of getting in traffic. Also, if you use public transportation, you don't have to worry about parking or having broken down car.

• Give yourself a few minutes: If you absolutely have to leave home within a certain time, allow yourself more than that for unforeseen circumstances to arise. (Like having a flat tire in the middle of town or a bus not arriving on time.)

• Avoid stopping for snacks or anything: If you take breaks to eat, drink water, etc. you're only prolonging the inevitable. Just keep going and don't stop.

• Get a cell phone: If you're ever lost or get in trouble, you'll be able to call home or your friends for help.

• Stick to a schedule: Most importantly, stick to a schedule! Don't be late!

Thank you for reading.