I am going to put this out there before I get too far into this post, I am not always on time for everything! Although I certainly try to make a habit of arriving on time for the things we have committed too. Large families are notoriously late to everything and so we try hard to be on time.

What is Punctuality?

Punctuality means to be on time for the events or activities you have committed too. You arrive promptly and are prepared to participate when it is scheduled to begin.

I will never forget when we went to see my grandparents in Texas. We had eight kiddos at the time and had planned a day full of activities with the family. They told us to be ready at 9:30 that morning and I wanted to be sure we would be so I told everyone in my family to be ready to load into the van at 9:15.

We were ready and gathered in the living room waiting to load when they sheepishly told me they had planned for us to be ready fifteen minutes earlier than we needed to be. This meant we had 30 minutes to waste.

We all had a good laugh! I totally understood why they did that because it is hard to be on time especially when you have a lot of kids. A lot of things can happen to derail your plans.

Why Is Being on Time Important?

My punctuality affects those around me and so if I am late it may derail the plans or they may have to be adjusted in order to fit everything in. When I am late it gives the whole experience a different feeling because stress and being rushed are influencing it.

Your Reputation

Your reputation is other people’s opinions and thoughts about you and it can take a bit of a hit when you are late. When we make a habit of being tardy, they tend to discount the value of our presence and ultimately our participation in the event.

You Actually Care

When we are on time we are telling the people we are with that we actually care about whatever we are doing. We are also saying we care about them too. Their time is valuable and we must try to be respectful of that.

You Are Dependable

When we are on time, it tells others we are dependable and up for the job. Their confidence in us is increased because we are ready and waiting to participate or lead the task.

You Value Others

When we are on time we are saying to others that we value them and the work they have done to make whatever function possible. They are a valuable friend or resource that we do not want to waste.

Benefits of Being on Time

Sets a Good Example

I think trying to be on time sets a good example for those around us but most of all for our children. They are watching every move we make and they are absorbing what is acceptable for them in their own futures. I want my children to realize that being on time demonstrates responsibility which can affect their future work ethic.

Develops Good Character

It creates good character traits because it demonstrates responsibility and respect for those around you. It is a good habit to get used to doing and influences other people’s perceptions of what kind of person you are.

Less Stress

I don’t know about you all, but when I am running late I become a crazy mom! It really stresses me out and I end up not being a very nice person. Usually, I schedule activities for my kids to have fun or for them to learn things. Either way, it’s my goal to make a memory.

What do you think happens to that memory when I am stressed and snapping before we even get there? Yep, you guessed it, it’s not a good one. It sets the tone for the event that I want to be fun but we all have to overcome it and try to have a good time.

This is my number one reason for trying to be on time where ever we go. I shouldn’t act like that and I need to make arrangements ahead of time to make sure I don’t.

Tips for Being Punctual

So let me share with you some of my tips for making it on time for the activities we have planned.

Give Yourself Enough Time

Giving yourself enough time is a biggie! My biggest mistake is that as my alarm goes off in the morning I convince myself that we don’t need that much time to get ready. We do! My general rule of thumb is that we must get up and get going about two hours before we need to leave.

So if we need to be loading the van at 8:30 am then we need to be getting up and moving around by 6:30 am. Now, this doesn’t necessarily mean that the kiddos need to be up at this time. I have found if I get up, get things moving, it’s a big jumpstart to our day.

Then Add a Cushion

So one of the things I do is add a cushion of time to our departure time. If we need to be somewhere at 10:15 am and it takes 45 minutes, then I will adjust our departure time to 9:15 am. This gives us a fifteen-minute window for all the things that will go wrong. There are nine of us, something is not going to work right. It’s a sure thing!

By departure time, I mean that is the time we start loading into the van so our tires hit the road at the time we need them too.

Communicate Your Departure Time

I tell everyone what time we will be leaving so they can plan accordingly and be ready to go.

Be Prepared

Being prepared ahead of time is something that I am trying to be better at. I try to have the following things ready to go before the time we have to be leaving:

• Showers
• Clothes
• Shoes
• Food Plan

Showers

We have our regular shower days built into our everyday routine (see our post Schedule vs. Routine) and so I just try to make sure everyone is keeping up to date with those. Trying to get showers for everyone before we leave is not going to happen. Not only does it tie up the bathroom preventing others from getting in, we have some people who really enjoy long showers.

Clothes

Planning what we are going to wear and making sure we have all the components to make the outfit work is necessary. So I have started organizing everyone’s clothing choices, then throwing them in the dryer so they are ready and waiting for everyone. This way if I have to recalculate then I am not as stressed.

Shoes

Shoes can be a huge stressor because inevitably someone has put their shoes in a weird place that we have no idea where they are. Finding their shoes and putting them in a central location waiting to be put on can be a lifesaver!

Food Plan

We pack a lunch when we going out and about because it is a necessity for our budget. Unfortunately, we don’t have the room in our refrigerator to pack them ahead of time so we must plan for time to prepare them.

Make a List

One of the things I find to be the most helpful is to make a list on our kitchen’s dry erase board.

If you don’t have one of these hanging in a place in your home where everyone can see it, I highly recommend you get one. It is a great way to communicate and leaves notes for others in the family. We got out magnetic whiteboards from Amazon, we have 4 of them set up in a square pattern on our kitchen/dining area wall.

Ok, so back to the getting ready list… I make a list of all the things my children need to do before we have to leave. It looks something like this: (see image above in ‘Communicate Your Departure Time’)

• Eat breakfast
• Do your chores
• Get dressed, do your hair, and brush your teeth
• Get your coat and shoes and put them by the front door
• Pack your lunch with a sandwich and fruit
• Clean up the kitchen
• Clean up any other mess
• Ask Mom if she needs help with anything
• Play on your electronics

I do offer some incentives like playing on their electronics so they are motivated to get things done.

Have Consequences for Dawdlers

That brings us to the next issue and that’s the dawdlers. First, let me tell you what a dawdler is. They are the people that have two-speed settings… Slow and slower. It never fails that they use these particular settings on the days we have to be somewhere. We all have those kiddos and so I do have to give them a consequence if they don’t speed things up.

In the past, I have been known to leave the child home with my husband if they weren’t ready to go. If I can do this, the problem is usually cured immediately and then we don’t have to worry about it. If this is not possible, then they lose something they enjoy.

Be Realistic About What you Commit Too

I am very careful about what I commit my family’s time too. If I add too many activities then we are constantly on the run and then we are more likely to be late. If we are facing burn out then we don’t want to go anywhere and it is harder to get everyone motivated to move.

What should I do if I’m going to be late?

As hard as I try, it is a guarantee that we will be late sometimes. In fact, I just had this happen this week. A friend of ours was having a birthday party and we were late because I messed up. I had one arrival time stuck in my head but then I remembered I had committed to being there fifteen minutes earlier.

It happens and as much as I try to make sure it doesn’t, sometimes it can’t be avoided. Life happens and I’m learning to do my very best to be on time. However, when I’m not, I’m learning to give myself grace.

Communicate

If I know I am going to be late, then I am getting in contact with the person in charge or who I have the appointment with. Just a simple text or phone call to say “I’m sorry, I messed up but we are on our way” saves them from wondering if we are coming at all.

Reschedule

Sometimes it’s just best to reschedule the activity or appointment. I hate to do that because if I am committed to something then I want to get it done. However, it is not fair to continue to make others wait if I am going to be too late.

I hope these tips and tricks help you! And the next time you see me running late, remind me to read my own post!