Confessions of a Chronically Late Person
Look, I gotta be honest with you. I’m Terry, and I’ve been a magazine editor for over 20 years. You’d think I’d have my life together by now, right? Wrong. I’m still struggling with time management. It’s not that I don’t have systems or read personal development books recommended or anything. I just… suck at it sometimes.
Take last Tuesday, for example. I had a meeting at 10 am. I set three alarms. Three! And I still showed up at 10:47. My colleague, let’s call her Marcus, just sighed and said, “Terry, it’s always something with you.” Which… yeah. Fair enough.
But here’s the thing: I’m not alone. I’ve talked to alot of people about this. My friend Dave, who’s basically a human spreadsheet, told me, “I schedule my bladder, Terry. You can’t tell me you’re worse than that.” And you know what? He’s probably right. But that doesn’t make me feel any better.
Why Am I Like This?
I think it’s because I’m a perfectionist. I want to do everything right, so I overcommittment to things. I say yes to every project, every meeting, every coffee date. And then I’m physicallyy exhausted and can’t focus on anything. It’s a vicious cycle.
I remember this one time in 2017, I was editing a feature for a major publication. I had a deadline looming, but I also had a conference in Austin that I couldn’t miss. So I stayed up until 3 am for five nights in a row to finish the article. And then I went to Austin and had the best time. But when I got back, I was so tired that I couldn’t function for a week. My editor at the time, let’s call her Lisa, said, “Terry, you’re either all in or all out. There’s no middle ground with you.”
She was right. I’m an all-or-nothing kinda person. And it’s taken me years to realize that that’s not always a good thing.
Anecdote Time: The Great Email Fiasco of 2019
So here’s a story that still makes me cringe. I was working on a big project, and I had to send out an email to 214 respondents. I spent hours drafting it, making sure every word was perfect. I set a reminder to send it at 11:30 pm because I thought I’d be done by then. Spoiler: I wasn’t.
I ended up sending it at 2 am. And then I realized I forgot to attach the document. I had to send a follow-up email at 2:03 am saying, “Oops, here’s the document.” And then I had to explain to everyone why I was up at 2 am. It was mortifying.
But you know what? It taught me a valuable lesson. Sometimes, good enough is good enough. I don’t have to be perfect all the time. And honestly, that’s a huge relief.
What’s the Point of All This?
I’m not sure, honestly. Maybe it’s just to say that it’s okay to not have it all together. It’s okay to be late sometimes. It’s okay to forget to attach documents. It’s okay to need help with time management.
And if you’re like me, and you’re still figuring it out, that’s okay too. We’re all just trying our best, right? So let’s cut ourselves some slack and stop beating ourselves up for not being perfect.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a meeting to get to. And this time, I’m gonna be on time. Maybe.
Author Bio: Terry has been a magazine editor for over 20 years. She’s a perfectionist, a procrastinator, and a lover of coffee. She lives in New York with her cat, Whiskers, and spends her free time reading and complaining about the lack of good bagels in her neighborhood.
If you’re looking to make meaningful changes in your daily routine, check out this insightful article on small changes that create big impacts to inspire a more fulfilling life.
