16 Ways To Get Out The Door And To Work On Time

You'd be on time if it weren't for those 15 minutes you keep hitting snooze. So don't hit snooze. Get up and get going!

If you need coffee to get going in the morning, set your coffee pot on a timer so it's ready when you get up. Plus, the smell of coffee making its way through the house will have you ready to hit the ground running.

Whether it's you, the hubs or the kids who are brown-bagging it, make everyone's lunches the night before. It'll add 10 extra minutes to your evening rather than adding a frantic 10 extra minutes that you don't have to your morning.

There's nothing like a fashion emergency to make you late in the morning, so avoid one by choosing your attire the night before.

It may be fun to lay in bed with the kids for 10 extra minutes in the morning±or try that from scratch pancake recipe you've never tried before—but none of that is necessary when you've got to hit the road and get to work. Save experiments for the weekend. Weekdays are for necessities.

Planning for a to-the-minute commute isn't realistic or helpful. Be realistic. Trains run late. Buses don't always arrive. And there's always some traffic issue on the morning drive. Plan for them. Better to be 10 minutes early than 10 minutes late.

Give yourself a time cushion to allow for the kid that has to run back in the house to use the restroom, the dog that has to go out right when you're about to leave or that coffee you spilled that has to be cleaned up. You'll undoubtedly need the extra time in the morning so planning for it will keep you on time.

If you've got a partner and/or kids, get them in on the morning routine. Big kids can grab their own breakfast, little kids can get their own shoes on. Dad can help with breakfast and Mom can pack the dreaded lunches and snacks. The point is, everyone in the house can participate and make mornings run smoothly and keep you on time.

Mornings are for doing what has to be done and only what has to be done. Stay focused on what needs to get done and avoid getting distracted by unnecessary projects or chores that can wait until later. Those dishes may stay in the sink all day, but you'll get to work on time.

If you find yourself spending time every morning searching for your keys, wallet, sunglasses and phone, you're wasting time in the morning. Put those can't-leave-without-them items by the door or in the same spot when you come home every day, and they'll be in the same spot when you need them in the morning. It's simple!

You may be punctual, but if everyone else in your house isn't, chances are you're going to be late for work. So you may need to get that slow-mover kid of yours moving faster or up earlier, or give the finicky kid fewer choices for breakfast to move things along and keep you on schedule.

If you suffer from chronic I-need-to-get-one-more-thing-done, than chances are that last thing is what's making you late to work every morning. So unless that one last thing involves feeding the family or yourself, getting dressed or driving the kids to school, save it for later. It can wait! Work can't.

If you're always late because you actually can't stand where you're going, it may be time to think about looking for a new job or a new attitude about your current one. It's much more difficult to be on time when you don't really want to go where it is you're going.

If you're actually a punctual person, but then you check your phone and enter a world of FB posts, Instagram scrolls and unanswered texts, chances are those scrolls and posts are going to keep you from getting to work on time. So unless a text is time sensitive, or is for work, let it wait. And check out Instagram later. It's not going anywhere. But you are.

The cold, hard reality of your morning routine is that you just may need to wake-up a few minutes earlier. Sorry, but it's true.

If you've got a few extra minutes waiting for the big one to brush his teeth or for your coffee to be ready at the corner coffee shop, don't fill that time with something that will take you off schedule. Sometimes a few free minutes is what you need. It doesn't have to be filled with something that will take longer than the time you would have been waiting.