Did you know it is customary for Japanese to be punctual? If a train arrives a minute later than scheduled, Japanese railways make apologies announcements over the PA (public announcement) system.
Recently, my head quoted “Punctuality is the politeness of Kings” – Kings (before the French revolution) used to be late. They could show up when they wanted. But King Louis XVIII of France suggested that one way a king can show respect for other people is to meet them on time. Simple request for people to be punctual.
When I was living in London, my flat mates used to make fun of me saying, it is very easy to Kill Nitin, as he will take the same train, same route and arrive at same time every day. Those who have worked with me in India knows that I like to be punctual, though while working in India I am easy going. However, I have still not changed, I still try to keep my meetings at 09:55 am etc.
When I moved to India and started working in start-up culture, I noticed (not only for the company I worked for, but sometimes at off-site meetings) there are always a group of two or three people forever running late and we wait. Sometimes up to 30 minutes. The bread winners of the company having their time wasted and nobody is bothered by it. I have actually calculated the money lost by company by sitting like that, completely unproductive.
The drawback of discipline sometimes is I find myself in an auto-pilot mode. But when I try to seek new ideas I break my discipline by changing routes, gym, places, sitting or standing desk, walking around etc. to see world with fresh focus and eyes. This helps to gather new ideas.
The benefit of discipline is I have time for Yoga, Gym, Swimming, Basketball and family. Punctual employees seldom takes holidays, are more productive and are considered an asset to the organization. Why, because if you are staying late it is actually bad for your health. Working late can make you feel resentful towards your work, which is not good for your mental health or the company.
Staying late will not help you reach your long term goals – Working in a company is like running a marathon, you need to have consistent pace. One needs to set their priorities right and take baby steps before running.
Extended hours don’t equal extended productivity – Sweden ran an experiment to have a six hour working day, they found efficiency was up and turnover down.
Plan and execute: I always recommend spend more time in planning then being an executioner. Why, because you will become more task oriented and will be able to finish your work in the working hours allocated to you.
Personally, I would rather turn up to work early and leave early, then working late.
Recommended Reads
- 4 Hour Work Week
- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
- The Power of Now – Eckhart Tole