Learn • Anywhere
Rumie logo

What's the last excuse you gave for being late?

CareerBuilder survey found the main reasons people miss work are:

Traffic - 51% Byte Author Uploaded ImageOversleeping / Too tired - 54%

Byte Author Uploaded Image

Bad Weather - 28%

Byte Author Uploaded ImageForgetting Something - 13%

Byte Author Uploaded Image

Other common excuses were: having an appointment, a sick child, a school delay, car trouble, mass transit delays, a family emergency or illness, house problems, or waiting for a service person for repairs.

If you have used some of the excuses above or have different ones adding buffer time can help.

Skills You Will Need:

a) Time estimating

  • Before you do a task, guess how long it will take.

  • See if your estimate was close. Many people will consistently be on average too high or low.

  • Practice this with things like doing chores, work, hobbies, or cooking.

  • Over time, you will improve this skill.

Byte Author Uploaded Image

Byte Author Uploaded Image

b) Planning ahead or forethought

  • Break large tasks into smaller steps to identify possible problems.

  • Taking a few minutes before you start can save you hours of frustration later.

  • Consider the following before starting a project or doing a task:

    • What is my goal?

    • What materials do I need?

    • How long will this take?

    • Do I need assistance?

    • Where could things go wrong?

    • Should I do a little research first?

c) Comfort with trial and error

  • Adding buffer time sounds like it will be easy but like many daily habits, it will take months of practice before it comes naturally to you.

  • Build your own systems to add buffer time.

    Example: when taking transit, always leave 15 min early per every hour of transit time.

  • It is common to add too little or too much buffer time at first. Over time, you'll find the sweet spot.

Byte Author Uploaded Image

Quiz

Doing your dishes takes 20 min most days and 30 min sometimes. Including buffer time: How much time should you reserve for doing dishes?

Practice

Tim is late for work often.

He lives 15 minutes from work.

Tim's Thinking:

  • I live so close to work, I will leave home at 8:45 am

  • I am only 5 minutes late sometimes

  • I usually sleep in until the last minute

  • Being late does not matter that much

Pablo is always on time

He lives 40 minutes from work.

Pablo's Thinking:

  • In case of traffic, I will leave at 8 am

  • Most days I arrive to work at 8:50 am

  • My commute is not stressful because I listen to music and audiobooks

  • I want a good review and to be reliable

Quiz

How much buffer time should Tim add to his schedule?

Did you know?

You can get feedback on your resume from Rumie community members in our Discord Server. Come by, we'll help you get the job!

Take Action

Byte Author Uploaded Image

  • Decide being on time matters

  • Identify common reasons you are late

  • Estimate how long tasks will take

  • Add buffer time to the estimate

  • Adjust as needed

  • Find hobbies you can do if you are early to an event:

    • Listen to Music

    • Read a Book

    • Play a Game

    • Meditate

  • Try it yourself!

License:

This Byte has been authored by

KD

Kassie Dwarika

Director of Content Programs | Debate Coach

English

🍪 We use technical and analytics cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. more info