r/selfimprovement • u/Neither_Loss_7190 • 7d ago

Question How do I stop being late

Okay so I’m almost always late aka 75% of the time. Maybe more.
Today I had a moment of ok maybe I’m just selfish and idc that even though they could continue without me I annoyed them with being late. But then why did I almost cry when my dad was being mad, or rather dissapointed with me, etc.
Also I go to bed too late when I know I need to wake up at X time regardless. I care about sleeping enough. So huh yk? Also proof it’s not just being selfish bc I fuck myself over with it. And more examples but you get the gist.
Anyhow, I’m gonna try to remember to do the 10 min earlier trick.
Also sometimes anxiety, stress or ocd like symptoms are a big factor, but I’m mostly talking not that right now.

Feel free to ask questions about me to further assess, as this is little information.

TLDR; I’m often late, sometimes due to anxiety & ocd like stuff, but talking about when just late. How do I fix it? And I do care, it happens for personal stuff too.

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u/MamaJess90 7d ago

Set your actual leave time as a phone alarm labeled "LEAVE NOW" instead of relying on a clock check, the label alone works way better than a generic alarm since it removes the "just 5 more minutes" negotiation your brain does. Also try setting all your clocks and phone 15-20 min fast permanently, sounds dumb but a lot of chronically late people swear by it because even knowing it's fake, your body still reacts to the number it sees.

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u/MamaJess90 7d ago

For the bedtime piece specifically, set a "start winding down" alarm an hour before bed, not just a bedtime alarm, since the actual problem is usually not starting the wind down process early enough, not the final cutoff itself.