"Chronic lateness isn’t usually about laziness," Dr. MacBride explains. So, what gives? She says that consistent tardiness can result from:
Struggles with planning and executive functioning skills, such as those associated with ADHD.Avoidance, such as from anxiety.Other physical or mental health issues.Poor boundaries and over-committing.Cultural attitudes toward time.Caretaking (if you've ever tried to leave the house with a toddler, you probably feel this one in your bones).8 Common Traits of People Who Are Always Late, Psychologists Say
Optimism has its place in daily life. However, Dr. MacBride reports that excessive time optimism is essentially toxic positivity—on someone else's watch. "Time optimists consistently underestimate how long tasks will take," she explains. "Psychologists call this the planning fallacy: a cognitive bias where people assume best-case scenarios rather than realistic ones. A '10-minute drive' might actually take 20 with parking, but they focus only on the ideal version."
2. Poor time awareness
There are so many more ways to get sidetracked these days, thanks to constant notifications popping up on your smart devices. However, being the first to know about a news item may make you the last to arrive at a dinner party—and when you do get there, you're way late."Those with trouble sustaining focus are more prone to getting derailed by small tasks—answering one more email, putting away laundry or scrolling their phone," Dr. MacBride shares. "This can be due to personality style, ADHD or sheer lack of organization. Minutes add up quickly, but these people don’t notice."
3. Over-committing
People-pleasers can overextend themselves at the expense of showing up on time. However, rebels can often chalk their nature up to a cause of chronic lateness, sharesDr. Hannah Yang, Psy.D., a licensed clinical psychologist and founder of Balanced Awakening. Think the mindset of, "I do things on my time—not on an institution's.""Often, this is informed by an unconscious belief about authority or systems being 'bad' and needing to take a stand by doing things one’s own way. It’s also a show of independence," she explains.Related: People Who Felt Ignored as Children Often Develop These 14 Traits as Adults
5. Thrill-seeking
Pressure can also manifest as stress, contributing to chronic lateness."When someone is under constant pressure, their attention is pulled in multiple directions and their mental energy is stretched thin," Dr. Lira de la Rosa shares. "Stress makes it more difficult to plan ahead, prioritize or smoothly transition between tasks, which increases the likelihood of arriving late."
7. Perfectionism
Dr. Yang shares that people with social anxiety might prefer to show up late rather than be the first one to arrive, fearing awkwardness."Also, avoidance may be flaring up, and they may prefer to spend as little time as possible at the event—coming late and leaving early—to limit social contact and time feeling uncomfortable with others," she adds. "Lateness is all about reducing or avoiding discomfort for the socially anxious."Related: A Clinical Psychologist Is Begging ‘People-Pleasers’ To Start Doing This One Thing
1. Cultivate self-awareness
Dr. MacBride says working backward can help you take significant steps forward in time management and awareness."Instead of deciding when to leave, decide when you need to arrive and then plan backward," she advises. "Factor in your commute, parking, walking in and a small buffer for the unexpected."She explains that working backward counters your brain's inclination to underestimate how long things take and shortchange the "in-between" steps, like the commute (in rush hour traffic).
3. Tell yourself a fib
Dr. MacBride suggests having consistent cues to stop what you're doing before heading out, like setting an alarm 15 minutes before your departure time."Getting one more thing done before you leave isn’t a character deficit," she emphasizes. "It is easy to miss how little tasks add up to larger amounts of time and result in being late. Be willing to set up a system that works for you and respond to that queue, even if you think you can unload the dishwasher before you leave the home."
5. Visualize success
Related: 9 Subtle Signs of ‘Analysis Paralysis,’ According to a Harvard University Fellow
Sources:
Dr. Gayle MacBride, Ph.D., LP, is a psychologist with Veritas Psychology Partners.Dr. Ernesto Lira de la Rosa, Ph.D., is a psychologist and Hope for Depression Research Foundation media advisor.Dr. Hannah Yang, Psy.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist and founder of Balanced Awakening.Hence then, the article about people who are always late often share these 8 other traits psychologists say was published today ( ) and is available on Parade ( Saudi Arabia ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
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