Time for Respect!

Time, as we know, cannot be replenished. It’s an abstract  concept, yet a defining one for all life. There is no practical way (yet known) to reverse it, slow it or speed it up. It continues unabated, regardless the actions or otherwise of anyone or anything. And that is why it is among the most valuable of concepts to us all.  Along with our health and our close relationships, it’s highly prized by virtually all people.

 What does it say about us then, that we would be willing to waste someone else’s time? It’s tantamount to theft. It’s disrespectful. It’s selfish.

 Imagine your life as a single twenty-four hour period. You will have worked around 6 hours, studied or attended school for perhaps 2 hours and slept for 7 hours. This leaves 9 hours of free time for entertainment, relaxation and life experiences like travel or your hobbies. Now imagine all the time that people have stolen from you. How would you feel if you had one day on earth with only 9 hours to do as you please, and you were made to wait idly for even a small portion of that because someone else believed their time was more valuable?

Putting aside the philosophical for a moment, let’s look at the productivity impact of wasting time. Imagine a typical staff meeting for a small business of 15 people. If one person is just 4 minutes late and the meeting starts when they arrive, which is usually the case, we’ve managed to  waste an hour of the business’s productivity.  More and more we understand that “hours at work” are less important than “productive hours at work”. These are two very different concepts, the latter making the greater contribution to the business.  The loss of a productive hour of work is no small issue, especially when so often wages are one of the largest expenses in a business.

 Why then do so many people continue to regard a 3pm as three-ish? 8:30am as eight-thirty for eight-forty-five? And even more incredible (to me anyway), why do so many think it neurotic, controlling or anal to insist that a meeting should begin at the time agreed? If you are going to show up for our 1pm meeting at 1:10pm, why didn’t you insist on a 1:10pm meeting? After all, that ten minutes may have afforded me time to complete another task I had today. How is it that everyone seems to be able to arrive on time to catch an airplane, but struggle to walk 30 metres from their desk to a meeting room at a designated time?

 Yes, I’m on the soap box now. I think I’ve made my very simple point. All I can hope is that anyone who habitually runs late for agreed meeting times might stop and ponder how their actions affect others. Integrity is all about doing as we say. Some say it’s petty to be so rigid around 5 or 10 minutes here and there.  I say, let that be the rare exception and not the rule. Respect others and have some integrity.