Are you always late or always early

I rely on lifts (no car, no buses) and am driven crazy by people who are disorganised and late. How do I know if you’re on your way or have forgotten me?
I’m very grateful for my lift, thankyou, but you’ve caused me stress and panic and I’ve been standing out in the cold for ten minutes.

It is much easier to be early when you have lots of time at your disposal. When your day is crammed, you want to do as much as you can with your time, and being early is time wasted when you could be doing something else on your to do list. Sitting waiting is still an anathema to me, but as I’ve got better at planning what I can do while I wait, my timekeeping has definitely improved.

I am always late. My oldest grandson has always had no idea of time and, at 19, still has to be chivvied along. If I'm giving him a lift to catch a train he's quite likely to be having a shower when I arrive. Since we realised it was a symptom of his ADHD I have begun to see that that is my problem too. You'd think that a retired woman with time on her hands would find it easy to get organised, but I am continually amazed by the way time disappears. One minute I'm nice and early, the next half an hour has just vanished. A dentist's appointment hangs over me all day while I obsess about leaving in time.

I’m never late for anything, usually on time but often early.

Early or preferably I have managed to get there pretty much on time but I always leave extra just in case.

I regularly give a lift to a friend. I am always waiting outside her house for her even though she knows what time I am arriving. If someone gives me a lift I am already waiting outside for them- drives me mad!

I know of someone who is always late 🙄 A good few hours late for her brothers wedding……didn’t even turn up for her uncles funeral..although she said she would. I’m an in law from the other side but get to hear about it all. Glad we are not close as I would have strangled her by now to be honest…..

These days I usually manage to arrive just on time but in the past I was frequently late. Not a case of couldn’t be bothered. It was more a case of my intentions were good and to be on time. BUT with a little time to spare I could just fit in to do something. Consequently I would be rushing at the last minute.

I’m always bang on time. I will walk slowly down the street so I can enter the venue at exactly the appointed time. I can’t bear waiting around for others.

I went to a school where being late, even if only by a few minutes, was regarded as being on about the same level as regicide. At the age of 75 I am still obsessive about being on time which, for me, is at least ten or fifteen minutes beforehand.

I am always early, especially when I have a train to catch. It gives me time to cope with platform changes if there are any, and finding my seat.
I would much rather be in my seat and wait, rather than having the stress of being just in time.

When I am meeting friends, I would rather be early and wait for them.

Apparently Elizabeth Taylor was always late and requested that she should be “late for her own funeral”. She arrived 15 minutes late for her private service

I’m always early - a throwback to my time in the military, where being late was not an option. DH was the same. My GS is dreadful though. He has no sense of time and is always late for everthing he thinks he can get away with. I had a friend who was the same. It drives me potty when I have to wait for people.

seasider

Apparently Elizabeth Taylor was always late and requested that she should be “late for her own funeral”. She arrived 15 minutes late for her private service

Yes there is this thing about being ‘fashionably late’ when famous enough to keep everyone waiting and presumably nobody minds because they are doting fans of a Hollywood star or celeb.
Other cultures can also be tardy when it comes to being on time, when we holidayed in Cyprus once we befriended a lovely family and would spend time with them, was quite incredible how late some members of their family and friends would turn up for a meal etc., and nobody ever seemed to mind.
They must have thought we were highly amusing, turning up a few minutes early dressed to the nines, then having to sit for hours waiting for everyone to arrive 😆

Always early. I’ve tried to go later and be on time, but always end up being early.
A friend of mine is always late.
Coming in to Bowls or Bridge when it’s just started makes everyone re adjust. It so rude.

I was born dead on 4 am, so I'm always early!

I'd rather be 1/2 hour early for something than just 1 second late!

Personal life, professional life, either way, I'm early!

On the very rare occasion I'm late, it's because of something out of my control, like the bus breaking down!

We once arrived hours late for an important hospital appointment for my DH. The trains stopped running due some poor soul jumping on the lines. We tried a bus but so many people crammed on board due to there being no trains that we couldn’t get on board, we then heard that the trains would be running again shortly and this showed on the screen on the platform so with we waited with a crowd of hopefuls for nearly an hour on the platform but it didn’t arrive of course. We then got an uber. Luckily one of our DDs had made her own way to the hospital to be with us for the appointment, she did get there early and told the receptionist what had happened so thankfully we did get to see the consultant eventually. But we were so stressed the whole time that we were completely drained by the time we got there.

Casdon

It is much easier to be early when you have lots of time at your disposal. When your day is crammed, you want to do as much as you can with your time, and being early is time wasted when you could be doing something else on your to do list. Sitting waiting is still an anathema to me, but as I’ve got better at planning what I can do while I wait, my timekeeping has definitely improved.

Agreed, but I have made some firm friends while sitting in a waiting room.
I quite often get in a walk too - if I’m 20 minutes early I’ll walk in one direction for ten minutes then turn round and walk back again, usually arriving just a minute or two before the appointed time.

Always a book/kindle and a small crochet project in my bag so time isn’t frittered in watching the world go by!

I’m an ‘early’, so I’ve frequently been at odds with dh when we do really need to be on time, especially if e.g. flying, since he evidently thinks it’s good fun to arrive at the last minute and have to run for the gate with ‘last call’ lights flashing.

Ages ago, but I did once simply refuse to go to the theatre, when he’d come home so late (no genuine excuse after I’d pleaded with him to come in plenty of time) that we’d have had a mad panic to get there in time - probably after the play had started.
I was so mad I left the house and went and did 30 furious lengths of the pool, to work my fury off!
Two expensive theatre tickets wasted, but it did work, in that he didn’t try that particular one again!

I used to be tardy and for some unknown reason, found it difficult to actually leave the house, doing some little job thinking I had more time than I had.
Now however, older and wiser, I leave lots of time (on the whole) and it’s such a relief and much better for my blood pressure.

I meet one particular friend a few times a year. Our homes are separated by a nearly 2-hour drive, so we meet half way. I always get there half-an-hour early, and invariably she is there first. It’s much the same with meeting people locally, we usually pitch up early together. In my youth I must admit I was always rushing, often late. I couldn’t rush now, couldn’t stand the stress.

I really try to be punctual, but if anything I tend to be early.
So then I tend to hover around outside rather than ring the bell, or whatever, too early.
There are some people in my life who are not really punctual.
But I'm just pleased to see them anyway.

Early, always, wherever possible.

My DD was ALWAYS late, DM countered this by always telling him that arrival times etc were one hour earlier than they actually were!

The minister’s wife was giving a talk at our Young Women’s Group years ago. She commented it was amusing that the young women were usually late for their meetings and the older women from the Senior Group were always sitting waiting!
When we’re younger we are flying out the door after helping with homework or putting little ones to bed or folding clothes etc hardly time to comb our hair whereas older people have time in their hands to be super early.
I would rather be 2 hrs early at the airport than a second late! I have a very good friend who used to be the opposite but now she is usually earlier than I am - but I’m never late either!

Always early, sometimes much to my host/hostess’ annoyance because they are probably just getting ready themselves 😂
My daughter is just the opposite, much to my annoyance ….

A lady in my office was always late for work every day. She did stay over her working hours to compensate but just could not get to work for 9am, despite living alone, no pets to worry about.
Any time our office met outside of work, ie. Xmas meal etc, again she would be last to arrive.

She said she didnt even consider getting ready to leave to go anywhere until almost the time she should have been there.

Couldn't see anything wrong in it.