Most workers are judged by how dependable they are, and always being on time is a great way to show that you are a dependable worker. Thousands of people are still facing layoffs due to the struggling economy, so it is more important than ever to be at work on time every day. Here are some tips to help you be on time.
Contents
- 1. Go to Bed Earlier
- 2. Take a Different Route
- 3. Set Your Alarm for an Earlier Time
- 4. Do Prep Work the Night Before
- 5. Set Your Clocks Ahead
- About the author: This article was written on behalf of the alarm clock people at the Online Alarm Clock website. Since early 2006, Online Clock has been busy waking up the world via its popular Online Alarm Clock web service. It’s easy and free to use, so give their web-based alarm clock a test drive today!
1. Go to Bed Earlier
Going to bed early enough to get at least eight hours of sleep before your alarm goes off in the morning is very important. Even if you’re in the middle of a video game or your favorite movie is on late-night TV, make sure that you get to bed on time most nights so that your body will feel rested in the morning. Your unemployed friends may try to get you to go out with them on a work night, but resisting this urge will help you keep your job.
2. Take a Different Route
You have probably taken the same route to work so often that you can almost drive it in your sleep, but resist the urge to use your commute for extra shut eye. Taking a different route can help you avoid traffic. You may even find a new favorite coffee shop on the way. It is a good idea to leave 20 minutes earlier than your normal time if you’re taking a route you have never tried before because the traffic could be worse and you may get lost.
3. Set Your Alarm for an Earlier Time
Setting your alarm to give you the exact amount of time you need to get ready for work is great for the mornings that everything goes smoothly, but can cause you to be late on days that you spill coffee in your lap and the baby spits up all over your favorite shirt. The extra 10 or 15 minutes you give yourself by setting your alarm early usually makes the difference in whether you are on time or late for work on mornings that don’t go as planned.
If you usually press the snooze button more than once and still end up being late, try setting another alarm to go off about two minutes after the first one. Place this alarm across the room so that you will have to get out of bed to turn it off.
4. Do Prep Work the Night Before
Just as prep work is completed in a restaurant kitchen so that your meal gets to the table faster, doing prep work the night before makes for a much easier morning. Making your lunch, setting out clothes to wear and gathering everything you need in one spot can make your morning hassle free. It is also a good idea to set out jewelry and shoes that coordinate with your outfit so that you won’t have to spend time in the morning trying to figure out what to wear.
Some people even pour cereal into bowls the night before so they only have to pour the milk into the bowls in the morning. You can also take a shower the night before to cut down on the time it takes you to get ready in the morning. Just make sure to brush your hair well and tie it back or wear a sleep cap so that you don’t end up with an awful case of bedhead in the morning. It is also a good idea to make sure there is plenty of gas in your car so that you won’t have to stop for fuel on your way to work.
5. Set Your Clocks Ahead
If you are having trouble getting to work on time even on morning that everything goes as planned, it may be time to set every clock in your house ahead by five or ten minutes. This extra time is especially useful on days where you have to sit in traffic due to road construction or an accident. Avoid telling your kids that the clocks are set ahead so that they will leave for the bus stop early. They will probably never miss the bus again and you won’t have to drive them to school and end up being late.
Setting your clocks ahead gives you a cushion of time that you will probably forget about after a couple of days. Another upside is that you will probably never miss the first few minutes of your favorite TV show, even if your clock shows that you sat down two or three minutes late.