"Early" Is the Real "On Time"

Early's on time.

On time is late.

I forget where I first heard that

mantra. You may have heard it, too. Have

you heard it from a coach, or band

director, or maybe even a drill

sergeant? But, wherever it came from, it

hits differently when you realize just

how true it is, and how much it costs

you if you ignore it. Think about the

kid that gets to school 5 minutes late

every single day.

Or the parent who comes into the parking

lot on two wheels, permission slip in

hand, just as the field trip bus is

about to pull out.

Now, that permission slip went home a

month ago. Three emails and two phone

calls forward, and still, you see what

happens. Fast forward 20 years, the same

person's late to work. The excuses sound

familiar. Traffic was heavy, the lights

were all red, parking was tough, the

elevator was slow, someone stopped me in

the hall.

It never ceases. And that report that

was due today? Well, I know I was

supposed to have it, but

and get ready for another excuse.

It's all about respect. Here's what

people don't say out loud. Being late is

a statement. It tells everyone in the

room that your time is more valuable

than theirs. It forces the presenter to

recap what was missed, just so that that

one person can be brought up to speed,

and everyone else gets the replay.

When a whole group can't move forward

because they're waiting on one person,

that's not a small thing.

It tells the people who showed up on

time that their time just isn't that

valuable. You may have heard of the

Pareto principle, also known as the

80/20 rule.

Well, Pareto was an Italian economist

who noticed that 80% of Italy's wealth

belonged to just 20% of its people.

And the remaining 20% of the wealth was

spread amongst 80% of the people. And

this pattern shows up everywhere.

In sales, 80% of revenue usually comes

from about 20% of the customers. In

schools, about 80% of the discipline

problems come from 20% of the students.

The same goes for absences at school or

at work. And about 80% of people

complete tasks on time. But you can

spend 80% of your time following up with

those 20% who don't come through. That's

a real cost and it adds up fast and it's

not fair. Here's something I want you to

try. Leave the house a little earlier

tomorrow. You beat the traffic. You get

your pick of parking spots. You get the

first crack of the donuts instead of

whatever's left. Most importantly, you

get a few minutes of face time with the

boss before the day gets chaotic.

Life is simply easier

when you're early.

And when you work ahead of deadlines,

you earn something even better. It's

called freedom.

You can batch similar tasks together.

You stop bouncing from fire to fire. You

have some breathing room to take a

break. Have a real conversation with a

co-worker or take advantage of an

unexpected opportunity.

Those things that have to be done right

now, when you wait till the last minute,

don't have to be done right now. They

can be done when it's convenient because

you batch your tasks, because you work

ahead of deadlines. Working ahead

doesn't just reduce stress. It puts you

in control. So, if if this few minutes

resonated with you, I'd love for you to

share it with someone who so desperately

needs to hear it.

Who is it because of their lack of

respect of your time

is wasting your time?

Have you let them know?

And if you haven't,

you have nobody else but yourself to

blame. Nobody's going to look out for my

time but me. Nobody's going to look out

for your time but you.

It's time to take a stand.

Early is on time.

On time is late.

If this did resonate, I want you to do

one thing in addition to forwarding this

to someone who needs it.

Join my email list. Go to

frankbuck.org/subscribe.

I'll be in your email inbox once a week,

and I've got two free gifts that are

going to come your way. Thanks for

stopping by today. This has been Frank

Buck helping you get organized

and make it look easy.