THE ON-TIME SYNDROME

I believe that a lot of people in today’s modern world suffer from “The On-Time Syndrome” which creates unnecessary stress in their life. This is not a scientific term – so save the Google search. It’s my own little phrase and I think people can develop the syndrome at a young age. Individuals who get overly anxious about always being on time might have the On-Time Syndrome. Concerned that you, a friend or family member might have it? Read on….

As Americans we live in a culture that values being “On Time”. And the consequences of not being on time can be huge.

If you’re a student, there is this annoying bell that broadcasts to the whole school that you are late to class. And schools have these systems to show you that being late is not a good thing – demerits, detentions, strikes (or maybe your school has another snazzy name for their discipline system).

And the consequences don’t end as we enter adulthood. There are whole sections of Employee Handbooks dedicated to “Attendance Policies”. If an employee is continually late it could “result in disciplinary action up to and including termination of employment”.

But maybe you move up the corporate ladder and don’t have to worry about these policies because you are in charge. So being late is no problem because you’re the Big Boss? Right…Wrong! Try showing up late to a meeting with a potential client who is going to invest big dollars in your company…..the client will probably move on to another company that values their time.

And the importance of being on time does not end in the school and business world. Think about how many flowers are sold in the world every day to guys who need to apologize to their girlfriend or wife for being late….

Now think about how you FEEL when you are running late and worrying about the consequences. Your pulse quickens, your mind races, you start to sweat, the muscles in your neck tense. This is STRESS. And frequent or prolonged stress has tons of negative consequences (http://tinyurl.com/62llj6).

If you get overly anxious about always being on time, I’m sorry to inform you of this… but you might have the On-Time Syndrome!

So how do you overcome this syndrome and enjoy less stress?

• If you are running late and there is nothing you can do about it, take a deep breath and ask yourself if you or the others involved will remember your tardiness 6 months or a year from now. Once you realize that the long-term effects are not huge, you can chill and not get so stress out. If the long-term effects are huge, know that you have the ability to get through the consequences and your life will be ok.

• Have confidence in your abilities to win over the annoyed individual(s) who are waiting for you with your charm and people skills.

• Don’t be an optimist when estimating how much travel time you will need or how much you can fit in. Take a look at your schedule each day and decide which events you can’t be late to – and then leave plenty of time to get to those events. Then take a mental note of the events where people won’t even notice if you are late (you can leave less of a buffer for these events).

• If you’re conscientious about always being on time and it is stressing you out, be late once and while if it will not hinder your success or relationships. If you have the reputation of always being on time, maybe you need to lower both your expectations and the expectations of others. You can actually change your Rep and be more like some of your Type B friends (who everyone loves even if they are late once and a while).

We live in a competitive world where there is not enough time in the day to get everything done that we need to (let alone what we want to) – which can result in us running late. But as stated above we also live in a country where being on time is important in our school, social and business environments. And some of us are more inclined to be conscientious about being on time than others. These 3 factors create a collision course for the On-Time Syndrome and the stress is not worth it. So I encourage you to find a balance between being punctual and not stressing out by following the advice above.

If you are a teenager or college student and want to avoid ever coming down with the On-Time Syndrome, I encourage you to connect with a LIFE REVOLUTION Coach. He or she can assist you with developing some time management strategies that can help you naturally be on time, more of the time.

Clark Souers
LIFE REVOLUTION | President
www.LifeRevolution.com

Copyright © 2010 LIFE REVOLUTION - All Rights Reserved

Journaling…..OR…… Cross Your Fingers with the Email/Text Message

When was the last time you pulled out your Journal to vent over a difficult relationship? If you’re like me, it’s been a long time. Or if you are a teenager or college student, you might not be aware that they make these cute little books where you can use a pen or a pencil to jot down what’s going on inside your head - no keyboard or keypad involved!

So I had a recent situation that made me think of the good old Journal. I felt like someone had wronged me and I couldn’t stop thinking about it. And every time I thought about it I just got angrier and angrier. So I felt like I had to do something to release the tension and move on.

Want to know my not so brilliant solution? I composed a long email to the individual who wronged me. It actually felt really good getting my thoughts out of my head. And I had a long list of reasons why it was so awful of him to treat me the way he did. And it felt even better to click SEND on the email. Wow – the tension was gone, I had vented and now I could move on and stop thinking about the situation.

UNTIL…..The email response. I guess this individual didn’t like everything that was a part of my brain dump. So he sent me a “nice” little response. And now I’m back to square one – thinking about how he wronged me, how he just doesn’t get how he wronged me and I’m getting angrier and angrier AGAIN!

Let’s turn back the clock (don’t you sometimes wish you could actually do this?) What if I had pulled out my Journal with the cool picture of the mountains on it? I jot down all that stuff that was going on in my head while sitting by the fire place with a nice cup of hot chocolate. I feel the release – I can move on with my life. And I read through my Journal entry and then set-up a time to meet with the guy who wronged me. I have a good grasp of my feelings and can share these in a way that doesn’t create defensiveness from him. We have a healthy conversation and our relationship actually strengthens.

Quite the difference!

So before you blast off that email or text message, think about dusting off that Journal. The results could be much better.

Clark Souers
LIFE REVOLUTION | President
www.LifeRevolution.com

Copyright © 2009 LIFE REVOLUTION - All Rights Reserved