Punctuality is an admirable trait of character, especially for those on the receiving end of it. Everyone appreciates doctors and dentists who exercise punctuality toward patients in the waiting room. Job applicants think highly of interviewers who practice promptness. Employers are favorably inclined toward employees who are punctual. Punctuality is an admirable trait of character no matter where it gets its exercise.
Definition
Traitt
Every entry on a list of character traits must have a definition if it is to be of use to us. This one is no exception, but how do you define punctuality?
Punctuality ensures that you identify and note every deadline you have, and then causes you to take appropriate action to order your schedule in a way that assures you will meet each deadline, even if it means a sacrifice on your part.
Benefits
Punctuality is an admirable trait of character precisely because it offers so many benefits to both sides of the equation.
People who exercise this character trait receive greater respect than those who do not. Why? The act of being on time is a way of showing respect to those on the receiving end. People tend to value relationships with punctual people because they know such people will not keep them waiting. As the popular song from the Fifties points out, it gets aggravating when someone is a slow poke. Politicians, take note.
Life runs more smoothly with the character trait of punctuality. In Japan, where I lived for eleven years, promptness is admired to a fault. As a result, we could set our watches by the trains: freight, passenger, and commuter trains all left stations precisely at the scheduled minute. Business transactions took place quickly and efficiently. Bank clocks were always accurate. Our private English classes always started on time, with no late arrivals to interrupt.
Punctuality pays - literally. A study done in Ecuador in 2003, revealed that chronic lateness cost Ecuador .5 billion a year! In some countries, that would be small change, but Ecuador in 2003 had a gross domestic product of just billion dollars. When they learned to admire and exercise punctuality, they learned to save money.
The 4 Secrets
Punctuality can be taught - and caught. Adults can teach themselves this character trait. Character education teachers and parents can teach this character trait to young people.
In both the United States and Western Europe, there was a time when people had to learn to be punctual. Factory owners at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution had to work hard to instill promptness. Many did not worry about workers arriving at the right hour. They were happy just to get them to arrive on the right day!
Punctuality involves four secrets. Learn them, implement them, and you can become a punctual individual.
· Carrots: This trait responds well to carrots - incentives. Train yourself to look at the benefits you will gain by being punctual. If you're going to a job interview, for example, this can be the deal maker. Its opposite can be a deal breaker. Give yourself an incentive, a carrot for being on time or meeting a specific deadline.
· Illusions: Magicians use illusions to trick audiences, but you can use them to trick yourself into being punctual. Forget about setting the clock ahead. That seldom works. A better plan is to create the illusion that your appointment or deadline is earlier than it is. List a 9 AM appointment on your calendar as 8:45 AM. Make yourself obey the illusion, even though you know it is a trick.
· Diversions: Many of us hate punctuality because we are afraid we will have to wait for someone else who has not perfected this character trait. Taking along a diversion makes the wait enjoyable. You may actually anticipate a wait if you take a favorite book or crossword puzzle you want to enjoy.
· IOUs: A quick IOU can often get you to an appointment on time. It can also help you exercise punctuality toward projects that have deadlines. Before we learn to arrive at appointments on time, we often see things at the last minute that we just have to do. If we leave them, we think, we may forget them. If we do them, we will be late. Write yourself an IOU to remember that you owe yourself the watering of that plant or whatever other commitment it is. Then leave it and be punctual.
Conclusion
Punctuality is an admirable trait of character, and one that pays very well. Some people find it easy to build this moral quality into their lives. Others found it rather difficult. The character trait itself rewards both kinds of people once they consciously and consistently begin to exercise it.
Punctuality - An Admirable Trait Traitt
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