Lessons in Adulting - You Don't Have 5 Minutes

Throughout high school and college I was always early.  For everything.  I was never tardy to school, never late to class.  I left 10 minutes earlier than I needed to before going anywhere.  At the end of freshman year of college our dorm floor voted on superlatives and I got "Most likely to be early".  And it was true.  I was perpetually early.

And then something happened.  Now, I am rarely early.  On time is pushing it occasionally.  I maybe get too excited when we aren't the last of my sisters to make it to my parents, more excited than I should be about beating sisters with more kids and farther to drive.  That isn't much of an accomplishment.

I've read things about how people who are always late are inconsiderate, etc. but I never thought that was the case for me.  I do care about other people and, as big as I am on time management, I don't want to waste others' time either.

Then I heard (from Laura Vanderkam? Or Gretchen Rubin?)  that the reason a lot of people are late is because they underestimate time.

The time it'll take to fit in one more task.

The time it'll take to drive.

The time it will take to get your kid to potty, put on shoes and a coat.

YES.

I'm frequently guilty of trying to do one more thing before leaving the house: unpacking the dishwasher, quick clutter clean-up, dusting my whole downstairs.

I frequently plan on the drive being optimal - that one time we made the usual 15 minute drive in 10.

I frequently underestimate how long it actually takes me to shower (shaving and hair washing really changes things!) and get ready.

And I'm VERY often rushing Luke through the potty/shoes/coat routine.  Then think I can get the dishes put away while he is (supposedly) putting on his shoes and then he sees me doing something else and thinks he has time to disappear and play and then I have to chase him down again and help with shoes because all of a sudden he's forgotten how to put them on.

Lesson: You don't have an extra 5 minutes to clean the house.  EVERYTHING will take longer than I expect: driving, showering, cleaning.  Take that "extra" 5 minutes and get out the door a little quicker.

Maybe I'll start being early to things!

(That might be pushing it...baby steps...I'll settle for "not late".)