Punctuality is a Reflection of Character
My Dad is the most punctual person I’ve ever known — and it’s not even close. I can’t specifically recall a time when he was late to anything, no matter how casual the occasion. Fortunately, I seemed to have inherited this trait. But a few years ago, my wife pointed out my growing tardiness. I defended myself — both to her and me — with the usual excuses employed by habitually tardy people:
I lost track of time.
Something came up at the last minute.
I wanted to finish one thing before I left.
She knew this was bullshit. And so did I. I’m lucky to be married to someone who holds me accountable and doesn’t let me drift into bad habits — too far anyway. I’ve since admitted the truth. I was being inefficient, and worse, inconsiderate. I’m not special, and I’m not too busy to be on time.
Sean McVay, Head Coach of the Los Angeles Rams NFL team, has several catchphrases, called McVayisms by his players and assistant coaches. They’re like mantras, repeated until they become part of the team’s DNA. McVay’s expressions are often cited in the remarkable turnaround led by the young coach. He took over a team coming off a 4–12 season and led them to the big game just two seasons later.
One of those McVayisms — “Be on Time.”
At first glance, it’s a generic rule about timeliness, one every organization implements and expects of its members. But it’s much more than that. It’s about consistency, habit-formation, and culture.
Time is the foundation upon which character is built — or culture in the case of institutions.
Whether trying to improve oneself or an organization, it’s easy to overlook small things and allocate time and resources to complete overhauls. But character and culture aren’t built that way.
In his book The Compound Effect, Darren Hardy wrote:
“It’s not the big things that add up in the end; it’s the hundreds, thousands, or millions of little things that separate the ordinary from the extraordinary.”
Being on time is one of those “little things.”
Arriving is the first part of an interaction and sets the stage. When the first step is botched, the entire exchange is at risk. If someone is late, the other party can’t help but feel disrespected.
When I was in the Air Force, we didn’t tolerate tardiness. I noticed a trend. Airmen who were repeatedly reprimanded for being late were the same Airmen being disciplined for poor job performance, sloppy uniforms, and other violations. Perhaps when you are chronically late, you start acting like a person who is late all the time, demonstrating other poor habits.
If you’re reading this and you’re late a lot, you might convince yourself that you don’t exhibit any of those other attributes, and perhaps you don’t. However, if you focus on being on time, you may improve in other areas — I know I did.
Improving requires iterations. Naval Ravikant says, “Learn from times iterated over time spent.” In trying to become a better writer, I must write more. Thinking about writing and talking about writing isn’t enough. It doesn’t matter how many hours I spend sitting at a desk; it’s about how many ideas I put into prose and how many posts I publish.
For the Rams football team, it’s about repetitions; on the field, in the weight room, and studying film. When teammates or coaches are late, they steal reps from the team, slowing improvement and creating a culture where iterations aren’t cherished and time isn’t valued.
Time is the most critical ingredient in compounding. Compounding explains the power of investing over long periods. The general idea is that earnings from investments will generate additional gains in the future if reinvested. And from those earnings, even more earnings. And so on.
Compounding is a powerful concept in building wealth, but it’s not limited to finance. Relationships, happiness, reputation, and habits are all boosted when optimized for compounding. When we waste time — our own or others — we interrupt compounding, muting its power.
Wasting your own time is a personal decision, but when you’re late, you waste other people’s time. And time is a non-renewable asset, one that we shouldn’t neglect.
On valuing our time, Seneca wrote:
Nobody works out the value of time: men use it lavishly as if it cost nothing…We have to be more careful in preserving what will cease at an unknown point.
Time is our most valuable asset. People work their whole lives for money and in the end, would give it all up for more time. Take time seriously. Be on time!
