WEBVTT - When you're running late, communicate

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.

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<v Speaker 1>Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.

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<v Speaker 1>Today's tip is to let whoever is expecting you know

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<v Speaker 1>that you will be late as soon as you realize,

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<v Speaker 1>but you are behind schedule. In other words, when you

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<v Speaker 1>are running late, communicate. That way, the other person can

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<v Speaker 1>use the time as they best see fit. Nobody likes

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<v Speaker 1>to be late, so in general people are slow to

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<v Speaker 1>acknowledge that reality. It is tempting to hope that the

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<v Speaker 1>stars will align so you can still eke out an

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<v Speaker 1>on time arrival by hitting all green lights, encountering no traffic,

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<v Speaker 1>and finding a parking space us right by the door.

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<v Speaker 1>But how likely is that? Not very It is hard

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<v Speaker 1>to make up time. Most likely you will lose even

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<v Speaker 1>more time in the journey. So once you know you

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<v Speaker 1>will most likely be late, communicate. Running late is still inconsiderate,

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<v Speaker 1>but by letting the other person know, they can adjust

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<v Speaker 1>their own schedule accordingly, it is the most considerate way

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<v Speaker 1>to deal with the inconvenience. The reason this matters is

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<v Speaker 1>that others might make inconvenient choices for themselves to avoid

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<v Speaker 1>inconveniencing you. The person you are meeting, maybe thinking that

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<v Speaker 1>they should take a cab instead of walking to be

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<v Speaker 1>sure to arrive on time. They might skip an errand

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<v Speaker 1>that was on the way to the meeting place. Even

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<v Speaker 1>for a digital gathering, the person you're meeting with may

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<v Speaker 1>cut another call short or stop a project at an

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<v Speaker 1>inopportune moment in order to log on at the appointed time.

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<v Speaker 1>If you are not there, this can lead to bad feelings.

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<v Speaker 1>The gathering starts under a cloud. But if you let

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<v Speaker 1>people know an advance that you are going to be late,

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<v Speaker 1>they can choose to do something more satisfying with their

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<v Speaker 1>time than just sit there. Instead of watching the clock

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<v Speaker 1>and waiting, they may embrace the found time to drop

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<v Speaker 1>off dry cleaning on the way to meet you for lunch,

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<v Speaker 1>complete an almost done project rather than leaving it incomplete,

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<v Speaker 1>meditate before logging onto the zoom call, or spend ten

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<v Speaker 1>minutes in the break room connecting with colleagues before the

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<v Speaker 1>time you are going to make it to the conference room.

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<v Speaker 1>When they have the facts about your arrival time, then

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<v Speaker 1>you are not holding hostage. Instead, you are giving them

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<v Speaker 1>back a little time to use in the way that's

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<v Speaker 1>best for them. Different modes of communication work for different

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<v Speaker 1>people in context, but in general, when you are running late,

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<v Speaker 1>a text, call, or chat on your work messaging system

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<v Speaker 1>we'll reach the person you're meeting faster than an email,

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<v Speaker 1>which they might not see until they are sitting at

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<v Speaker 1>the restaurant waiting for you and passing time by scrolling

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<v Speaker 1>through email on their phone. Of course, the fact that

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<v Speaker 1>we can reach people instantly these days doesn't excuse being

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<v Speaker 1>chronically tardy. Sometimes people think that since it is easy

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<v Speaker 1>to warn people if you are running late, it doesn't

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<v Speaker 1>matter if you are running late. It does, though, I

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<v Speaker 1>am guessing as a listener of this podcast, you already

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<v Speaker 1>know that. So when, despite decent planning and your best efforts,

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<v Speaker 1>you realize you are going to be late, the next

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<v Speaker 1>best option is to communicate your lateness to anyone your

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<v Speaker 1>lateness will affect. They will be able to make better

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<v Speaker 1>use of their time, they're less likely to be annoyed

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<v Speaker 1>by the time you arrive, and you will feel less stressed. Two.

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<v Speaker 1>In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and

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<v Speaker 1>here's to making the most of our time. Hey, everybody,

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<v Speaker 1>I'd love to hear from you. You can send me

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<v Speaker 1>your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with

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<v Speaker 1>me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod.

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<v Speaker 1>That's B the number four, then Breakfast p o D.

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<v Speaker 1>You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast

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<v Speaker 1>podcast at iHeart media dot com that Before Breakfast is

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<v Speaker 1>spelled out with all the letters. Thanks so much, I

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<v Speaker 1>look forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a

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<v Speaker 1>production of I heart Radio. For more podcasts from I

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<v Speaker 1>heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

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<v Speaker 1>or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. Yea