Timeliness in your day-to-day life is simply basic etiquette, and not just in the business world, but in your whole life, as well.

When we’re late, we often don’t think about how this effects the people waiting on us. We can worry so much about ourselves and the reasons we didn’t arrive on time, that it doesn’t even occur to us how being late disrespects others, Ensuring you’re timely is all about respecting the time of others. What’s important is to make the time to be on time. Leave a little bit early for where you need to go, give yourself extra time to complete everything you need to do.

Often, we’re late because we don’t give ourselves enough time to get from point A to point B. Lots of us rush around our daily lives and responsibilities, and we figure we can make that 10-minute drive in 5, or cut that long walk in half. All of this stems from efforts to squeeze as many things as we can into our days. I know I’m certainly as guilty of doing this as anyone else. And sometimes I, just like anyone else, need to take a step back and prioritize what I’m doing, then give those priorities my full effort and time.

Being late can be detrimental to your character, reputation and other aspects of your life. It can tarnish your credibility when you’re known as the one in the office who’s usually late and undependable. You can lose revenue if your late habits catch up to you in your job. You can be passed over for opportunities at work if you’re not trusted. You can miss out on time that could be used to get to know a potential partner or friend.

Trust is one of the most important qualities you must maintain in every relationship and partnership you have, both personal and professional.

So to remedy these problems, tackle your late habits before they happen! Schedule time to travel in your daily schedule, and put that time in your calendar. Set reminders for yourself about where you need to be and when, each day. Most of all, practice these new actions so they become new habits for yourself.

I’ll admit (as few do) that I’ve been late before. Did I do it on purpose? No. No one does. But it happens sometimes, and it’s important to stay on top of these bad habits to turn them around.

It’ll take some time to develop a better habit, but it will make all the difference. Trust me. The new ways you’ll be able to gain new business and develop new relationships will prove to be much more valuable when you use your time to ensure you’re on time for everything you commit to doing.