"I have a friend who always says: 'I‘ll be there in 10 minutes.'
He never is. It‘s always 40 minutes. Sometimes an hour.
And I used to get annoyed. Until I realised: I do the same thing.
We all do. So why?"
We Lie to Ourselves First
When we say 'I‘ll be there soon,' we‘re not lying to the other person. We‘re lying to ourselves.
We genuinely believe we can get ready in 10 minutes. We forget about traffic, the last-minute email, the missing keys.
We‘re not liars. We‘re just terrible at estimating time.
The Planning Fallacy
Psychologists call this the 'planning fallacy.' It‘s our tendency to underestimate how long things will take.
We think we can do more in less time. And we‘re almost always wrong.
We Don‘t Want to Disappoint
If we say 'I‘ll be there in an hour,' the other person might get annoyed. So we say '10 minutes' to keep them happy.
It‘s a small lie. But it‘s a lie.
Being Late Is a Power Move (Sometimes)
For some people, being late is a way to show importance. 'My time is more valuable than yours.'
But for most of us, it‘s not a power move. It‘s just bad time management.
It‘s a Habit
The more we‘re late, the more normal it becomes. We start to believe that everyone is late, that it‘s fine, that it doesn‘t matter.
But it does matter. It matters to the person waiting.
How I Stopped Being Late (Mostly)
I started adding 15 minutes to every estimate. If I think it will take 20 minutes, I plan for 35.
I also stopped saying 'I‘ll be there soon' and started saying 'I‘ll be there at 7.'
Specific time. No lies. Less stress.
The Real Reason It Matters
Being late isn‘t just about time. It‘s about respect.
When you‘re late, you‘re telling the other person: 'My time is more important than yours.'
And that‘s not a good message."
"We all say 'I‘ll be there soon.' But maybe we should just say 'I‘ll be late.'
At least it would be honest."
What About You?
"Are you always on time? Or are you always late? Be honest.
Let me know in the comments — I‘d love to hear your experience."
"If this article made you smile, leave a tip or a like — it keeps me writing honest content."
#timemanagement, #psychology, #habits, #studentlife, #productivity, #honesty, #culture
