Time Management: Can You Change Someone’s Default Behaviour?
We all know that person who’s always late—me? It's my sister. We now tell her an event starts 45 minutes early just to get her there on time. We’ve all but given up getting her to see the value in time management.
But here’s the question: can you change someone’s behavior around time management, or is it a default operating system?
I can’t stand being late. I pride myself on punctuality and believe it has compounding positive effects throughout my life. But how did I learn to prioritise time management? If our values and beliefs stem from life events and the stories we tell ourselves, then it should be possible to shift beliefs around punctuality and productivity.
I reflect on the stories I tell myself when I’m late. As a critical thinker, I analyse what went wrong—was it poor planning, misjudged travel time, or lack of reminders? This self-reflection reshapes my future behaviours, conditioning me to become more punctual. Everyone’s been late before, and I’m not perfect, but nowadays it’s rare. That punctuality is a skill refined over time. So why is it so different for my sister? Why hasn’t her time management improved?
It comes back to the narrative we create. Often, the consequences of being late are minimal: others are forgiving, meetings start a little later, service resumes shortly. If there’s no significant negative outcome, there's no learning. You learn more from missing the bus than studying its schedule. If you know the time but can’t organise yourself, you need a consequence—and if one doesn’t exist naturally, you create one.
Introducing accountability systems helps define better time management habits. For example, commit to push‑ups for every minute you’re late (gain punctuality and strength), or donate a small amount of money per minute of tardiness.
In my view, becoming punctual never takes anything away—but it can help you never miss life’s “buses” (opportunities). You set a higher standard for yourself, and by doing so, you raise the level at which you operate. The standards you allow determine where you fall.
Kirk Neal - Trade Business Growth Coach
