Delays have adverse effects

CHILDREN’S HOMES

PUNCTUALITY MANY of us attend meetings and business appointments that require us to be present on time.

However, some take being punctual for granted or lightly. This leads to wastage of time for the party who is punctual.

Sometimes, our lack of punctuality may jeopardise the business deal or create a negative perception about us.

In my recent appointments with many different personalities, I realised that it has become a common practice among many to come 20 or 45 minutes late. Probably, this is the Malaysian Standard Time now.

We tend to blame our delays on traffic and the unavailability of parking.

I also realised that I have made these mistakes long ago by not being punctual. I feel the pain when I go through this now as result of someone else’s delay.

The multinational corporate culture has trained me to be punctual over the years. Being punctual means being earlier than the agreed time. I make a point to reach 15 or 20 minutes earlier than the appointed time.

Being punctual gives me a great deal of confidence.

I have cultivated the habit of being punctual today, but the price that I often have to pay is waiting for the other party who arrives late.

Therefore, I fill the time by doing work, such as my personal scheduling and planning, but when the meeting time is delayed, it causes the meeting to finish later than the planned time or to finish within a short span of time.

The delays in coming for meetings and appointments cause a domino effect on time for other planned tasks or the quality of the meeting.

We must give serious attention to being punctual, regardless of the people we are meeting.

We often only prioritise being punctual if we are meeting someone who is in a higher position than us.

Punctuality must be applied to all meetings and appointments to ensure effective time management and productivity.

Life equals to time. Let’s manage the limited time that we have effectively in this life by being punctual.