Be Late For Something Day

5th of September is "Be Late For Something Day" in America. Were you late for anything today?

I agree with you that it sounds totally bizarre. While I ponder over the significance of such a day, I have an equally bizarre thought that Singapore should have a similar holiday.

It is not difficult to understand why I say that. I do not know when it started but it is definitely a current social phenomenon for people to turn up late. I dare say that it is almost fashionable to be so. Such behavior can be seen at weddings, meetings, seminars and concerts. Any attempt to be punctual will be rudely intercepted by comments such as "go so early for what??"



Why do people love to be late? I see two groups of latecomers, generally.

The first: Those who are inconsiderate. These are the people who give no thoughts to others who may be spending their time waiting for the latecomers. They would walk into wedding receptions way after the stated time and behave as if it is absolutely acceptable.

The second: These are the victims. They have grown tired of waiting for the habitual latecomers and wasted much of their precious time. The have decided that they too shall be late so that they can better use their time else where.

The result: It has become a national lifestyle to be late for just about any occasion, with some exceptions such as queuing for condo soft launch, i-phone or anything FOC.



Is there any hope that we might reverse the phenomenon?

OK, I change my mind. Instead of having a "Be Late For Something Day", we shall have our very own "I Want To Be Punctual Day" and that day shall be everyday. Here are some tips:

1. Don't deny that you have a punctuality problem
2. Be conscious of time and keep your time piece accurate
3. Wake up when you are supposed to and don't push that snooze button
4. Make a commitment to be 15 minutes early for everything
5. Bring something to keep you occupied and productive while waiting, eg. a book
6. Be realistic with your time estimates
7. Be organized
8. Plan ahead
9. Go to sleep on time
10. Be considerate

Better three hours too soon than a minute too late - W. Shakespeare