Search Smart Spending:

Her daily challenge: Getting to work on time

Posted May 29 2008, 05:04 PM by Karen Datko
Rating:

"Finance Girl" at Finance Gets Personal has mentioned her problem with being on time before, but we didn't realize how bad it is until she blogged about "Operation Get Out of Bed." Her efforts to get up and get to work on time are legion, yet she still can't pull it off.

She wrote: "What does that have to do with finances, you ask? Everything! Being chronically late can cost mucho dinero in terms of lost raises/promotions, missed-appointment fees and the like."

It doesn't help that she hits the snooze button in her sleep. To counteract that, she set a $10 timer on her bedside lamp for 6:30 a.m. and programmed the coffee maker to start brewing 15 minutes later. "Although I don't usually drink coffee, I'm hoping the smell/chance of fire will get me out of bed," she wrote. She set the alarm on her cell phone. All of this combined should have the effect of reveille.

In "Operation Get Out of Bed: Debriefing," she reported how it went. She hit snooze again, but at least remembered doing it. She got up earlier than normal and still got to the office 10 minutes late (which she says is pretty much the norm where she works). The next workday morning, she got up the first time the alarm went off, which is major progress. "However, I was still 10 minutes late, so I need to work on figuring out what time I have to leave by to get to work on time," she wrote.

Back to Smart Spending Digg this | Email this | Link to this
Comments

 

Here is what I have suggested to my husband, who finds it difficult to get up in the morning:

Put the device with the alarm (cell phone, clock, whatever) at the other end of the room out of arm's reach of anyone in or on the bed. When the alarm goes off, you have no choice but to get of bed to turn it off, hit the snooze, whatever.

Since you'll already be up, just remain so.

Kitty (Posted 05.29.08 5:36 PM ) Report Abuse

Get a job in outside sales, on full commission! Not only will you have some ability to schedule around this problem;  But! here's the best part... you'll find your motivitation to get up improves with each dollar you don't earn because you're not showing up!

Mer (Posted 05.29.08 5:53 PM ) Report Abuse

Here's some inspiration for Finance Girl to get out of bed...show up for work on time or get fired.   There's some motivation that would work.  

WD (Posted 05.29.08 9:05 PM ) Report Abuse

The issue will not be resolved by waking up earlier, but by analyzing all the things you do that do not have value added. You should develop what is called standardized work to eliminate wasteful activities and/or combine activities....thing about being frugal with your time.

Isela (Posted 05.29.08 10:49 PM ) Report Abuse

Hi Karen,

I truly understand what you are going through.  I have a same issue. It seems as if no matter what I do I always arrive late.  People give their opinions as to why I am late all the time (for example, I think I am so important that I want people to wait for me. Whatever!).  That is not why.  If you find a method that helps you please tell me.  I will do the same.

Sincerely,

I Truly Understand

I-truly-understand (Posted 05.30.08 6:44 AM ) Report Abuse

I'm also always late to work and have develop the name "part-timer" because of this issue. I also have a 10 min problem which my current boss of two years has completely given up on me being here on time. Now he is suprised if I show up early, which only seems to be infrequently.

Part-timer (Posted 05.30.08 3:54 PM ) Report Abuse

I have a question, or an observation if you will. Having trouble getting up may(just may) have something to do with when you actually go to bed. Is "always late" getting enough sleep to begin with? I don't know but I do know that I have a problem getting up in the morning if I only have four to five hours of sleep. Sleep deprivation can become a serious health problem beyond the financial ones.

AuntieV (Posted 05.31.08 9:56 AM ) Report Abuse

Being late is about resistance for me, I had been a free lancer for 4 years, my schedule was made from my own creativity. Now I am suppose to be in my office by 8am. The discipline has been painful, I have a resistance to an authority dictating my time. I either follow the dictatorial direction on controlling my time or buh-bye job.I have chosen the dictorial direction.

Buh-bye (Posted 05.31.08 11:18 AM ) Report Abuse

I will confess that I too have this same problem. It is so bad for me that on my worst mornings I have found myself throwing myself on the floor so that I could embarrass myself (just to me) so that I could get up. I have recently told people that no matter what happens during the course of ANY work day, the worst part of it is over when the  shower is done. Recently several other women discussed this same exact issue and we resolved this conversation with, it gets worse when you get older- UGH! Getting out of bed is really a killer for me. I have tried going to bed earlier which really hasn't made a lot of difference for me. Every morning when I can't get out of bed I always pray that I could be "this sleepy" at night, which would get me to sleep immediately. Any helpful ideas will be entertained!

Bright-Eyed & Bushy-Tailed--NOT!!! (Posted 06.01.08 10:00 AM ) Report Abuse

Finance Girl, if you're having trouble waking up in the morning even after having a good night's rest, you may be a night person, ever thought about that?

I always have trouble being on time and I really have to make a conscious effort to be on time.  I really don't know why, but whenever I'm at home I am almost always late.  When I'm out and about, I'm usually on time.  It's something about the home that makes me late.  I don't have any answers.  I've been called a procrastinator, I've been called selfish, I've been told that I don't care, etc.  I'm getting better though.  

CC (Posted 06.01.08 11:19 AM ) Report Abuse

1 2 > Last

Send a Comment

Comments must be directly related to the blog entry. Comments with offensive language will be deleted. Your e-mail address won't be displayed.

(please, no HTML tags. Web addresses will be hyperlinked):