Day 220
This morning, as we often do, my husband and I woke up too late. And, as you can imagine, not wanting our kids to arrive late to school, we stressed them out: "Come on, hurry up, get dressed, come and have breakfast, go and brush your teeth!" Obviously, when you're running late, you become more edgy, more impatient, more stressed and you inevitably take it out on everybody who happens to be in your way!!!
Tardiness seems to be a habit we have a really hard time getting rid of! And somehow, we now have the reputation of always being late... Whenever we have a family function, my brothers and parents expect us to arrive late. Sometimes, they'll lie to us about the arrival time, just to make sure that we get there at an appropriate time! We are pathetic!
I don't really ever arrive at work late, but I can't say I'm ahead of time either!!! I'm always just on time! And my colleague John just smirks at me every morning when he sees me running up the stairs and entering my classroom at 8:15am on the dot.
I realize that always being at the last minute creates a very stressful environment and I know there are probably measures I could take in order to avoid rushing!
The problem is I tend to underestimate the time that it will take me to get ready. I also often get sidetracked... I need focus! Finally, I think the habit of being late goes hand in hand with my tendency to procrastinate! For instance, I could prepare my lunch the night before instead of rushing to do it in the morning; I could prepare my clothes; I could also put the alarm clock fifteen minutes earlier! Punctuality is not this unreachable goal entirely out of my control! It is quite accessible.
When I was a student, I would always write my papers at the last minute. Was it procrastination or do I simply need to feel under pressure in order to become efficient? I guess when you only have to deal with yourself, being last minute is fine. But when other people are involved and you end up creating a uncomfortable atmosphere in your household because you feel rushed, then it is worthwhile to really work on changing that habit! Because, at that point, it could become detrimental to your wellbeing as well as to those around you!
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1 comment:
It's a constant battle but once you get used to getting to work ten minutes ahead of time, it's a great feeling because you can greet your students in the classroom as they arrive.
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