Why Is Being Punctual Important

Why Is Being Punctual Important?
“The habit of being prompt once formed extends to

everything — meeting friends, paying debts, going to
church, reaching and leaving place of business, keeping
promises, retiring at night and rising in the morning, going
to the lecture and town-meeting, and, indeed, to every
relation and act, however trivial it may seem to observers.”
–William Makepeace Thayer, Tact and Grit, 1882
The importance of punctuality is not universal and varies from
culture to culture. In some places like Latin America and the Pacific
Islands, life moves at a different pace and meeting times are meant
to be fuzzy. But this does not negate the value of punctuality to a
man living in a culture that does define being on time more strictly,
just as the well-rounded man of the West seeks competence in things
like shaking hands, wearing a tie, working out with a kettlebell,
and holding open doors for women, even if such things are not
practiced the world over.
Here’s why.
“I have always been a quarter of an hour before my time,

and it has made a man of me.” -Horatio, Lord Nelson
Why Punctuality is Important
Being punctual strengthens and reveals your integrity. If you tell
someone that you will meet them at a certain time, you have
essentially made them a promise. And if you say you’ll be there at
8:00, and yet arrive at 8:15, you have essentially broken that
promise. Being on time shows others that you are a man of your
word.
Being punctual shows you are dependable. Punctuality
demonstrates you’re reliable. A man can always be found at his post,
carrying out the duties needful for that time. People know they can
rely on such a man – if he says he will be there, he’ll be there. But if
a man is not punctual, others cannot depend on him — they do not
know where he will be when they need him. His associates will
begin to feel he cannot organize his own time, and these doubts will
seep into matters beyond the clock, as it naturally raises the
question: “If he is careless about time, what else is he careless
about?”
Benjamin Franklin once said to an employee who was chronically
late, but always ready with an excuse: “I have generally found that
the man who is good at an excuse is good for nothing else.”
Being punctual builds your self-confidence. Showing up on time
not only tells other people you are dependable, it teaches you that
you can depend on yourself. The more you keep the promises you
make, the more your self-confidence will grow. And the more you
gain in self-mastery, the less you will be at the mercy of your
compulsions and habits, and the more in control of your life you will
feel.
Being punctual assures you’re at your best. After riding
someone’s bumper, speeding like a maniac, scanning for cops, and
cursing at red lights, it’s hard to then turn your focus to making a
presentation at a meeting or charming a date – you’re shaky and
depleted from the adrenaline and stress. But when you show up on
time, better yet a little early, you have a few minutes to collect your
thoughts, review your materials, and get your game face on.
“Soldiers should be minutemen. Punctuality is one of the

most valuable habits a soldier can possess.” –Christopher
Columbus Andrews, Hints to Company Officers on Their
Military Duties, 1863
Being punctual builds and reveals your discipline. The punctual
man shows that he can organize his time, that he pays attention to
details, and that he can put aside this to do that – he can set aside a
pleasure to take care of business.
“’There is great dignity in being waited for,’ said one who

was in this habit, and who had not much of which he need
be vain, unless it was this want of promptness.” –John
Todd, The Students Manual, 1854
Being punctual shows your humility. That bumper sticker maxim:
“Always late, but worth the wait” shows that tardiness and an
overestimation of one’s worth sometimes go hand in hand. People
will be glad to see you when you arrive, but they would have been
gladder still had you come on time.
Being punctual shows your respect for others. Being chronically

late is a selfish act, for it puts your needs above another’s. You want
an extra minute to do what you’d like, but in gaining that minute for
yourself, you take a minute from another, which is why….

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Why Is Being Punctual Important?

“The habit of being prompt once formed extends to

“I have always been a quarter of an hour before my time,

“Soldiers should be minutemen. Punctuality is one of the

“’There is great dignity in being waited for,’ said one who

Being punctual shows your respect for others. Being chronically

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