It shows self respect, that you’re organised, and that you respect the other person’s request and their time.
And by being on time, that means show up 5-10 minutes early. Then there is no argument about whether you were on time or not.
It also indicates that you think that the person is importance and that you value their time in your life.
Of course the opposite to all of these is also true.
Be on time.
Time lasts forever. Humans don’t (currently).
The likelihood of reaching 100 years old is about 1 in 100,000.
Average life expectancy is about 80. And the last few years of life at older years are often a little slower and harder. So don’t count on those being great years to do things like travel and intense activities.
So don’t waste time. Spend it wisely. Every minute. Every day.
Get rid of time takers that don’t serve you. Stop watching videos that aren’t amazing. Shut off movies quickly if they are not engaging.
Find the time to do the things you really enjoy. Reduce the time you spend on everything else.
Try to have as many of these moments as you can. If you can get up from an encounter with someone and feel that it was “time well spent” then you are winning!
What an incredible time to be alive. The basic living in most westernised countries is better than even kings and queens had prior to the 20th century.
Fresh water. Peace. Food variety and abundance. Smartphones and all they can do and access. Healthcare and the ability to cure and postpone death. Travel ease with cars, Ubers, airplanes and soon spaceships. Flushing toilets. Fridges and freezers.
Social mobility is easier than ever. The playing field is the most even it has ever been. It will never be perfect and sometimes you’re going to have speed bumps, but, oh my. This is soo much better than even the 18th century, never mind the sixth century and all of the others.
Turn the phone off. Direct your attention to those closest to you. Do this in person if at all possible.
These are moments you will remember. The laughter and fun, and the time together.
Have you ever noticed how fast time flies? You go out with a friend for an hour at lunch, which seems like a decent amount of time, and walk away thinking it was barely enough to scratch the surface.
I can meet a good friend for four hours and walk away thinking of all the things I forgot to ask and wanted to know. It’s crazy.
It’s a good idea to make a list of all the topics and questions you want to cover beforehand so you’re at least prepared.
Enjoy every minute of it. We must be present and focused as it is a rare delight.
We don’t know how many days we have left on this spinning globe so it’s best we squeeze every ounce of joy out of our moments together.
That may be the best description of life’s purpose.
I heard Jimmy Carr say this recently. If that was all you did your whole life, you’d probably be one of the happiest people on the planet.
Deadlines are wonderful things. They help to ensure something gets done. However, often we fool ourselves into thinking we have time before we really need to start, or it will be fine, or even the deadline is not a hard deadline.
Try that thinking with life and death.
Should you really leave it all to the last minute? If not, then you better treat everything else the same way. Don’t put it off. Don’t wait for disaster to be right around the corner.
Attack every minor item on your to do list with gusto and get it done now! Otherwise delegate or delete it.
