Cyber Week Sale! 50% Off All Access

Adopt This Mindset and Never Be Late Again If you, or someone in your life, chronically shows up after the scheduled time, it's time for a change.

By Gene Marks Edited by Dan Bova

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Jan Vašek | StockSnap.io

My friend Claire is great, but she's never on time.

Whenever we agree to meet and she gives me a time, I always figure she'll be a half hour late. I'm rarely wrong. And there's always an excuse. A meeting ran on too long. Traffic was terrible. Things got out of hand that morning. Claire is that last, harried-looking person who gets on the flight right before the doors close. She's the person whispering apologies as she takes her seat in front of you 10 minutes after the movie started. She's the one rushing into the meeting after everyone's introduced themselves. You know her, right?

Related: Running Late? Google Maps Can Tell You If You'll Miss Closing Time.

It doesn't stop there, does it? Claire is the person who you have to email five times to get a reply. She's the customer that you have to remind to pay her invoice. She's the partner who misses a deadline and the supplier who delivers materials after the due date. You deal with people like Claire all the time. You may like them. But their actions aren't cute or quirky. They're selfish. These are people who essentially don't do what they say they're going to do, and in the process they keep everyone waiting and cause headaches. Is this you?

Are you like Claire? Are you always late or not delivering the goods as promised? Do you find yourself blaming the weather, the kids, the car, your computer, your boss, the economy? There are always reasons. I've heard every one of them from Claire. The good news is that I can help you solve this problem. Just put yourself in Claire's shoes and pretend you're the person who was kept waiting.

When this happens, ask her this question: "Claire, what if I told you that there was a million dollars in cash with me and it's all yours as long as you arrive on time for our meeting tomorrow? Will you arrive on time now?"

Of course the answer is yes. If there was a million dollars waiting for Claire she'd be an hour early. She's plan her journey ahead of time. She'd end the phone conversation to give herself enough time to make that meeting. She'd bring a book or paperwork with her in case she was early.

Related: 7 Steps for Getting the Chronically Late Employee to Be Punctual

Oh, and she'd respond to that email. She'd pay her invoice on time or make that deadline, come hell or high water. She'd do what many of us do who do what we say we're going to do: we leave cushions of time in our schedules, we arrive early and do busy work in advance of an appointment, we answer emails from people we know (even if it's a quick and polite "I'll get back to you shortly"), we consider things such as traffic, weather, our gas tanks, the lines at security and busy parking lots ahead of time. We'll do this every single time if there was a reward of a million bucks in it, right? So why is Claire late?

It's because Claire is choosing to be late. It's completely in her control to be on time and if she had the right motivation (like a million bucks) she would be. But she doesn't. So she isn't.

Do you never want to be late again? You don't have to be. You can just ask yourself, "what if there was a million dollars waiting for me if I make that appointment, that flight, that phone call, that meeting on time?"

If you think of every commitment from this perspective, you'll find yourself making the choice to never be late again, so you never will be. For now, you're choosing otherwise. You're choosing to inconvenience others, delay projects and disrupt peoples' schedules and lives. And that seems like a pretty selfish choice, doesn't it?

Related: What Your Flaky Behavior Is Really Telling People

Gene Marks

Entrepreneur Leadership Network® VIP

President of The Marks Group

Gene Marks is a CPA and owner of The Marks Group PC, a ten-person technology and financial consulting firm located near Philadelphia founded in 1994.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Side Hustle

'I Just Hustled': She Earned More Than $300,000 Wrapping Gifts Last Year — and It All Started With a Side Hustle

When Michelle Hensley lost her husband to cancer, she needed to figure out how to earn an income for her family.

Business Ideas

63 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2024

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.

Business Solutions

Build Professional Websites Without Coding or Paying More Than Once

Create stunning WordPress sites easily with MaxiBlocks — a cost-effective alternative to expensive website builders like Wix and Squarespace.

Growing a Business

This Breakthrough Technology is Poised to Accelerate Your Company's Growth

Discover a breakthrough technology stacked on top of generative AI, now poised to revolutionize businesses across nearly every sector. Unlock unprecedented growth and profitability potential, achieving levels once thought unattainable.

Business News

Google CEO Sundar Pichai Says 'You'll Be Surprised' By How Google Search Changes Next Year

AI has already changed the look of search, but Google's CEO says there are more changes to come.