Are you always late or prefer to be early?

Early! People who are late really wind me up!

Roald Dahl's short story 'The Way up to Heaven' is a cautionary tale for those who habitually delay leaving...

MissAdventure

It really riles me when people are an hour or so later than arranged.
It's as if my time is less important than theirs.

By that time I would have left. I used to wait around, but my life is just as important as anyone else's, and I don't see why I should waste my time just because others can't be bothered to organise themselves.

The first time I did it I felt quite bad, because a friend was also coming quite along way to meet up. When she texted to say she had stopped off at her daughter's on the way and got delayed I was really angry as she was already 15 minutes late and wouldn't be with me for another 30 minutes. 10 minutes later I texted back saying not to bother, I didn't have the time to wait around and was leaving. It took a while to get our friendship back on an even keel

Always, always early. I think I have wasted a lot of time, waiting for an appointment to begin etc.
But then again I might leave parties, dances, visits early if they become tedious.

I confess I'm often "late" according to my husband.
I'm not late for flights.

I like to be 2 mins early for meetings!

With friends/family we tend to be fairly casual if it's not (say) a booked restaurant meal. We may say "see you around noon" or well meet somewhere casually just messaging when we are on the way.
We have been for lunch at a friend's house today. We went for "1-ish" I was happy with 1.15. My husband really wanted to be thete at 1.

I am NEVER late for the theatre though - how rude is that. I wish theatres did as they used to and not let people in when they are late 🤬

I keep all my clocks/watches fast so that I'm not late for anything. I hate unpunctuality.
I much prefer to be early, even if it means hanging around.

I get annoyed with myself for always being on time! I can't seem to help it. If it looks as if I might be going to be late, suddenly all the traffic lights are at green, and parking spots become vacant like magic. I can't explain it.

I am always early , hate being late for anything!

That sounds like my mother's planning ahead.

Agree a time, then think up a hundred reasons why we should leave at least two hours earlier.

On time if possible but not really early.That’s DP as if he had his way we’d arrive everywhere an hour too early ‘ just in case’ of hold ups. Like what I always say, a bear attack in Golders Green? An armed robbery as we drive through Tottenham? Tho that could happen😄 or maybe a freak weather event like a tornado?

I too like to arrive early - but not too early. I just hate to be late - it's bad manners in my book unless there's a good reason like a late train.

Lways Arrive a few minutes early ...if I'm late it makes me anxious

I try to be on time.
Nearly always manage it. I dont find it that difficult.
Though I live rurally, so not much traffic to contend with, most of the time.
Like Norah I do not like to waste time by being early.
I do thinks like shopping lists if I arrive early somewhere.

From the op
And they always underestimate how long it takes to get somewhere.

I annalysed one couple at one point. That was their problem. They never left any room for error. So of course, when they couldnt find shoes or something, that made them late.
Which I suppose is as much of a case of, they underestimated how long it would take them to actually get themselves out of the door in the first place.

Always early especially if I’m not sure where I’m going , which causes me anxiety before I’ve even started! Hate that many people think it’s no big deal, I just think it’s exceptionally rude!

Always early

Always early, particularly if it’s a new venue and I need to park, work out access to the place or check in first.
It seems to have rubbed off on my children and fortunately MrJ is of the same mind.

Summer not summit, (It wasn't on top of a mountain)

I'm sick of being early for people who are habitually late. My husband's a stickler for being on time, whilst I do try not to be late, I don't want to be over early, that's my other half Then we have to wait even longer for the latecomers, annoyingly one of them is prone to declare 'I'm not sure why we're late' The worst person was one of his business partners, we were hosting a lunch party, "come after 1pm" said I, they came at 4pm! After an hour and a half fellow guest said "lets start" it was a summit buffet so mainly cold. When his Lordship finally turned up he said "oh you've started"

Always try to be early so as to be on time. But my pet hate is medical appointments always seem to run late….I have been sitting waiting for up to an hour after appointment time and it infuriates me. Mostly because you are never warned by reception.

I acknowledge that the vagaries of traffic, public transport etc. can cause delays so I’m usually tolerant of other people’s occasional lateness, but I have little tolerance for people who are late for appointments because of their own self-importance. I once called a solicitor out on his deliberate and repeated lateness for meetings with me and someone I was helping (his office was literally only in the building next door), I asked him to explain why he thought his time was more important than my client’s or mine. I don’t think he’d been spoken to like that since he was an infant, but I detected a condescension towards my client that was not acceptable.

As for me, I’m another who prefers to be early rather than late. The prospect of being late is actually one of the few things that causes me anxiety - and when travelling I am often ridiculously early for trains, planes etc.

I've been on a plane when some of the passengers were really late to board, and the captain made a special announcement, suggesting we all give them a round of applause.

If is a dinner party we try to arrive just on time, even if we get there early we sit round the corner in the car for a while, in order to give hosts the chance to rush round doing last minute tweaks.
But have had to sit around with other guests nursing drink after drink and consuming nibbles waiting for guests to arrive who obvs believe in being fashionably late. So annoying when you see the hosts madly whispering about preventing food from spoiling that was ready on time.

My mum always came to mine an hour earlier than agreed, and we had many a word over it.

I arrive on time or perhaps 5 mins early, but I never much more than that.
However, depends on were I'm going.. Party perhaps 10 mins later than kick off... Evening meal 5 mins early.
My OH drives me potty he like getting to places like Airports far earlier than we should be, needless to say we always have "words".

The thing is the latecomers are not even usually that relaxed about it, I assumed at one point they were late because they are super chilled, not so, my DH and daughter rush about in a frenzy before we leave doing all manner of things they could have done earlier, eventually getting in the car dishevelled and hair at all points on the compass.
Why??