• The (dentist, doctor, mechanic, etc.) is seeing the next person and you now have to wait.
• Your (customer, client, prospect) sees you as unprofessional, and your meeting is already off on the wrong foot--which might make the whole thing a waste of time.
• You spend 5 minutes apologizing and explaining why you are late.
• You rush to catch up, making your (customer, client, prospect) feel uncomfortable.
• You rush to catch up, and consequently make a mistake that costs you in a major way.
• You run into an old friend you haven't seen in ages, but you can't stop to say hello because you are already late.
• You step in something stinky and don't have time to clean your shoe because you are already late. During your meeting, the other party notices.
• The above things could happen to anybody. But suppose it gets really bad. You rush to get there 5 minutes late instead of 10 minutes late, and broadside a van--killing all 9 passengers inside.

You can think of all kinds of embarrassing, costly, counterproductive things that can easily happen if you are late. And you can think of some horrific things that can also happen, though they are less likely. Can you think of any good things that would happen? Let's try some:

• Your customer is delighted you are late. Like that's going to happen....
• The timing is providential, and you win $ 1 million for being the 1 millionth person to enter the building. Sure, this happens all the time....
• You arrived at the World Trade Center at 10 AM on September 11. OK, so that was a good thing for you....

Now, you can see that it's generally preferable to be on time. Doing so saves you time. So, what's the trick to doing this?

Very simple. Spend the time upfront rather than later. Prepare. If you have to be somewhere at 0700 and it's half an hour away, don't start getting read at 0630. Make an appointment to be ready no later than 0610. Leave no later than 0615, so you have a buffer. If you get there early, you have time to relax. Bring a book or magazine to read, or just get the lay of the land.

You seldom waste time by being early. But you nearly always waste time by being late. Simple planning and disciplined execution will allow you to be on time, every time.