We’ve all known this unpleasant feeling, those cringy moments when we walk into the classroom seconds after the bell rings and the teacher stares at you silently as you ease into your seat. After repeating this just four more times, you risk being shipped off to the trenches of the Treasure Toga after-school detention programs.
Here are some tried and true methods that will guarantee you never receive a tardy slip again.
Pillar No. 1 — you have to wake on time, no matter the number of alarm clocks
Between 5 and 7 a.m., I have found it effective to set my alarms to blare every 30 seconds, for a total opportunity to wake up at roughly 240 intervals.
A common mistake that everyone makes is turning off their alarms after waking up because of how annoying the sounds are. However, that makes it easy to fall asleep again, which defeats the purpose of the alarm. If you’re not confident in your ability to wake up and arise from one of these 240 alarms, also set them for your parents and any other family members living with you; they can be your backup in case all your alarms fail.
Pillar No. 2 — don’t sleep on breakfast, especially MREs
Many students skip breakfast because preparing it can be time consuming, contributing to lateness. However, meals support you the whole morning, so they shouldn’t be missed. I strongly suggest MREs (also known in the military as Meals Ready to Eat and featuring such wonderful items as rock-hard survival biscuits); not only are they quick to eat and dense in calories, they also help you understand soldiers’ lives during the world wars, serving as a nice bonus to studying for history classes.
Pillar No. 3 — strive for extreme backpack readiness
Usually, an “organized” student packs their backpack the night before to save time the next morning, but that is not nearly enough for our punctuality purposes. Instead, organize five backpacks during the weekend before to make sure there won’t be any accidents in the packed morning. Therefore, you need a total of six binders — three for blue days and three for red days — plus five different pencil cases and five different notebooks, just in case you mix them up.
Pillar No. 4 — be sure to arrive at school earlier than teachers
The final and the hardest step is arriving at school, since morning traffic is a pain for even the most punctual students and can negate all your hard work. The best way to eliminate this frustrating factor is simply to avoid traffic — instead, get to your classroom one hour early, where there will be only birds by the roadside greeting you. At this point, you can sit in the classroom without worry and make small talk with your teacher, asking them if they were stuck in traffic and whether it made them late.
These four pillars for punctuality aren’t set in stone, of course; you can easily adjust the above-mentioned methods according to your own situation. For example, if you still struggle to wake up, you can add more alarms or prepare a basin of ice beside your bed and dunk your face in it when the alarm goes off. Punctuality is not only a good habit, but something you should fight for — even at the cost of your sleep, your sanity and possibly your parents’ patience.
