Commuting - Always getting to work at the last minute?

Am I the only one who has to pedal my ass off to get to work on time? I don't know why... but I always do this to myself. I usually am on time, but it isn't usually with much room to spare. If I get a flat I'm done for.

I think it's a personality flaw, seriously. Is anyone else always pedaling their ass off too?

I pedal my ass off to stay on my finely honed morning routine :) I've got a train and a bus to catch, so I ride hard-ish to get to the train stop, which takes me to the bus stop. This way I catch the bus I want and have a few minutes to spare in the morning when I get to work. But yeah, as I ride past several Metro stops to get to the one I want (for a bit longer ride) I always push hard enough to ensure I don't miss the early train.

Yeah, me too. I have a bad habit of getting out the door at the last possible second. Seems like there's always "one more thing" I want to do before I leave and the next thing I know I've got to spin hard to make it to work on time. I do the same thing with the car when I have to drive, however.

My wife is always leaving at the last minute. She talks the talk of "if you're not at least 5 minutes early, you're late" but she's always showing up a few minutes late to everything. I've taken to leaving a bit early and taking my bike to church to get to prep and rehersal on time, she shows up in the car a few minutes after me.

As for work, I have no "on time." My boss just wants the work done. I'm theoretically supposed to be there at least during "core hours" of 10AM to 3PM or something, I don't know because AFAIK nobody enforces it. I'm usually there between at least 7AM and 3PM though often 6AM to 5PM. But really I just mark my time on a sheet, nobody really knows when I come and go. I'm like the shadows, baby!

I like to be at work a half-hour before starting time. This gives me a chance to cool down before I change, then time to clean up and change. And it provides a cushion in case I get a flat on the way. It's only happened once, and I was grateful for the extra time.

It took me a while, but I've managed to get much better about getting to work about a half hour early. Before that I was getting there just on time or a little late.

Is anyone else always pedaling their ass off too?

Yes, but not because I need to get to work on time, it's usually do to the speed of the urban traffic that I contend with on my commutes.

The only advice that I can give is to leave for work a couple of minutes early, and to keep adding an additional two minutes everyday until you realize that you no longer need to rush to work.

Whats starting time ? My moto is 'Have laptop... will work'.
Running a software development group is less about being on time in the office and more about being on time with the project.

I leave early enough so that I have at least a half hour before I am required to be doing something.

I actually plan to get there at the last minute, and often even check the wind forecast beforehand so I know if I’ll need a few extra minutes. :D I seldom arrive more than 5 minutes away from my 8:30 start time.

There was a time that I was late every day, just like plenty of coworkers who drove cars to work. Since I was the only cyclist, I stood out and got to hear about it from management. Yay!

Is it just too hard to leave earlier? Get your stuff ready the night before and get up 10 or 15 minutes earlier and you are all set. Are you staying up too late? Change the routine you are in since its obviously not working for you. You only need to do a new routine for about 5 or 6 times and then it becomes habit. Thats what you have now a bad habit. Its all under your control.

I do the same thing with the car when I have to drive, however.

This is me, often. It isn't about the mode of transport, but about my desire to wait until the last possible moment to get going. And honestly, I can more easily make up time on the bike than in the car, if it comes to that.

Yeah, me too. I have a bad habit of getting out the door at the last possible second. Seems like there's always "one more thing" I want to do before I leave and the next thing I know I've got to spin hard to make it to work on time. I do the same thing with the car when I have to drive, however.

+1!

When I was working I always showed up 15 minutes early. My coworkers loved the fact that they could leave early. They used to get miffed when I was only 5 minutes early. Yet they would routinely come in 5-15 minutes late. Sometimes I am really glad I don't work their anymore.

I pedal my ass off because I like going fast. Riding a bike allows me to shave ~20 minutes off my other wise 45 minute commute, so I sleep in a bit more and get a little exercise. Happy happy!

Prepare your stuff the night before (ob one in the morning should be getting to work, not other crap), leave with plenty of time to arrive, get cleaned up, eat breakfast, etc. while factoring in time for the most likely Murphyism...like a flat tire. Once you get it ironed out, it will soon become routine. Discipline is your friend.

I get up early enough so that I can take it easy and arrive at work early enough to clean up, dry up and refresh and have some time for myself before the day starts.

I simply hate rushing and being late.

And yeah, I prepare the night before.

Adam

hihi, yeah me too... Waiting to the last possible minute to get out the door has nothing to do with not being prepared... always "one more thing I find to do" - even to the point of washing up my breakfast bowl and mug!!!

No stress whatsoever... but then, hell yeah, pedal my ass off :D

I have been lately, but it's my own fault for hitting the snooze button too much..

Prepare your stuff the night before (ob one in the morning should be getting to work, not other crap), leave with plenty of time to arrive, get cleaned up, eat breakfast, etc. while factoring in time for the most likely Murphyism...like a flat tire. Once you get it ironed out, it will soon become routine. Discipline is your friend.

Nah! My mornings are much more fun than that ;)

I always organize all my bike crap the night before. That way I don't even have to think about it the morning of.

Nope. I'm often the first one into the office.

I worked at one place that had a zero tolerance for tardiness. I scheduled myself to leave home 20 minutes before I needed to to arrive there on time, that way I had a buffer in case I had to patch a tire or something. One time one of my bottom bracket bearing cups broke, and I got off the bike and then kicked it along like I was riding a scooter and still made it on time. Just barely.

Nah! My mornings are much more fun than that ;)

danged perverted Europeans! :eek: ;)

Yep, Night before prep does the trick. I shave at home and shower at work, so if I'm up pretty late the night before I might even shave before going to bed. Deciding on exactly what you'll eat for breakfast and laying out the exact cycling clothes you'll wear also speed things up. Check the weather online before bed and pre-pack or lay out anything extra you might need for bad conditions.

I always get to work 30 min early , even if there is a blizzard I still get there too early. I wake up extra early in the morning just to give myself plenty of time to have a good breakfast, prepare food for work, and then leave early enough so I arrive 30 min before I start my work. I wake up at 4:30 AM every day.

I simply dont care. I dawdle, and sip my coffee slowly and finish that last post before I head out the door...then check the tire pressure, and back inside for my wallet which I forgot, then straighten up a few things on the front porch before leaving....It reduces my stress, and I haven't been fired yet.

Whats 10 or 15 minutes in the grand scheme of things anyhow?

as Lucas wisely said in Empire Records: "Damn the Man"

I like to be at work a half-hour before starting time. This gives me a chance to cool down before I change, then time to clean up and change. And it provides a cushion in case I get a flat on the way. It's only happened once, and I was grateful for the extra time.

^^This.

And even if I were somehow late, my boss is the person who got me into commuting, so it's simply his fault. :D

I leave the house the same time every day and I'm always late. I'm stumped.

I leave the house the same time every day and I'm always late. I'm stumped.

:lol: :lol: :lol:

John, you could work as a translator!

My lateness is so epic that poems have been published about it in the New Yorker magazine. Since the subway is actually faster than cycling (over the river and through the woods, vs. a straight shot on the train) I now have to get up earlier and arrive even later. Does anyone know where I can purchase bullet-proof panniers? Walking in the door at work, I brace for sniper fire.

I used to regard this as a character flaw, but now I think that some people just have a different body clock. I dream of the day my coworkers need something done at 11 pm, at which point I save the day and am rewarded with a flexible work schedule for life. Like I said, it's a dream.

I wake up at 4:30 AM every day.
Pardon me for being the first one to say so, but that's... just... unnatural! :eek:

The 10 Reasons I Procrastinate Leaving the House for Work:

1)

I've been really good about getting to work all year. Just recently I've found myself mashing my pedals to get to work. I blame bikeforums.net for this.

Pardon me for being the first one to say so, but that's... just... unnatural! :eek:

I've always been an early riser. I try to get to bed between 9:30-10:00 PM on most days, usually end up with around 6-7 hours of sleep.

Why would anyone want to be at work 30 minutes early? Do they pay you extra? 30 seconds early is too early.

Why would anyone want to be at work 30 minutes early? Do they pay you extra? 30 seconds early is too early.

They sure don't pay me for changing clothes, getting cleaned up, eating breakfast and flirting with the girls in Customer Service ;)

Is it just too hard to leave earlier? Get your stuff ready the night before and get up 10 or 15 minutes earlier and you are all set. Are you staying up too late? Change the routine you are in since its obviously not working for you. You only need to do a new routine for about 5 or 6 times and then it becomes habit. Thats what you have now a bad habit. Its all under your control.

One of the benefits to my being more punctual was the feeling I get when I razz one of my perpetually tardy friends about being late. She's late for everything, even after trying to make those changes you mentioned.

We have flex time where I work, so I can show up anywhere between 7-9 am as long as I work my 8 hours. However, I've gotten in the habit of getting to work early (usually about 7:15 am) because there is much less traffic on the roads then and less people at work when I roll my bike down the hallways. I try to leave home by 6:30 am and it is amazing how much the traffic picks up if I leave just 5-10 minutes later. Sometimes I work from home on my computer for a couple of hours and go in after the morning rush hour, mainly when it's raining at 6 am but expected to clear off soon.

Anyway, I am not the kind of person who shows up early for events in general -- usually I'm just in time -- but work is different because it makes more sense that way due to traffic, etc. What some of the others said about preparing your lunch and gear the night before really helps you get going in the morning. Also, the biggest thing that will slow me down in the morning is if I start reading the newspaper.

Pardon me for being the first one to say so, but that's... just... unnatural! :eek:

Got ya beat I'm up at 3:45 a.m. I know that sucks but I'm off shift at 1:30 in the afternoon so plenty of time to do fun stuff in the afternoon.

Am I the only one who has to pedal my ass off to get to work on time? I don't know why... but I always do this to myself. I usually am on time, but it isn't usually with much room to spare. If I get a flat I'm done for...

I leave with an allowance of time for a flat. If I didn't, I'd get there 5 minutes early. As it is, I'm usually 15 minutes early.

In 26 years on the job, I've been late once because of a flat (3 actually - I first changed the tube but forgot to check the casing for debris, then I had to patch the flat after pulling out the thing that penetrated the tubes after which I discovered, it wasn't one penetration, but two!) and once because of snow (I didn't give myself enough extra time - the snow was deeper than I thought)

Most people are late once every couple of months due to traffic back-ups or mechanical break-down, so that makes me one of the most reliable employees, time-wise the company has

They sure don't pay me for changing clothes, getting cleaned up, eating breakfast and flirting with the girls in Customer Service ;)

I should have put a smiley face after my post.

I always used to be late, and that was when I walked a whole mile to work. ;) My most impressive was 7.5 hours late for an 8 hour shift, I blamed that on not hearing the alarm, and then got ratted out by someone who'd seen me in the pub the night before.
Currently though I'm in the early camp, I'm getting into uni around 40 minutes early each day for the simple reason that that is the easiest time to cycle in. It allows me to beat all the school and work traffic and means I can find somewhere to lock my bike up.

Phoebe: Rachel! Where have you been?

Rachel: I'm sorry I'm late, but I left late.

That about it.

So, I summed up the subject of this thread to my boss. He just laughed.

I am ALWAYS late. So much that I can't even tell you when I'm supposed to be here. I just can't get moving in the morning. Never been a morning person, don't expect I ever will be. In fact, even when I'm here, most people won't talk to me before noon. They're the smart ones.

Anyway, I just can't get out of bed any earlier, and by the time I start thinking about putting stuff together the night before, I'm already getting to bed later than I wanted.

'Last minute' is relative; I seldom roll through the door as a meeting starts, but I do have to race to get in w/ time to cool down before I start seeing people.

They sure don't pay me for... flirting with the girls in Customer Service ;)

Chip! You really should consider moving to europe! ;)

Just set your alarm clock earlier. 99% of cage rage is due to people who are running late.

Anyway, I just can't get out of bed any earlier, and by the time I start thinking about putting stuff together the night before, I'm already getting to bed later than I wanted.

I suspect this is why you're not a morning person.. it's a vicious cycle. You go to be late, you can't get up in the morning. You've slept to late in the morning, so you can't go to bed early.. repeat.. repeat. I learned that after about a week of forcing myself to get up (in my case to go on an early morning bike ride), I started being able to fall asleep earlier and I shifted my sleeping schedule.

Now if you're too busy in the evenings to go to bed at a decent hour, that's a different problem all together.

I suspect this is why you're not a morning person.. it's a vicious cycle. You go to be late, you can't get up in the morning. You've slept to late in the morning, so you can't go to bed early.. repeat.. repeat. I learned that after about a week of forcing myself to get up (in my case to go on an early morning bike ride), I started being able to fall asleep earlier and I shifted my sleeping schedule.

Now if you're too busy in the evenings to go to bed at a decent hour, that's a different problem all together.

Truth. For over a decade I did this, and now that I am older (fact) and wiser (debatable), I get a solid seven a night. Last night I was in bed by 8:00 and was up at 4:00 this morning watching Squawk Box and making waffles. How did I miss this life for so long?

Oh yeah. Alcohol.

I suspect this is why you're not a morning person.. it's a vicious cycle. You go to be late, you can't get up in the morning. You've slept to late in the morning, so you can't go to bed early.. repeat.. repeat. I learned that after about a week of forcing myself to get up (in my case to go on an early morning bike ride), I started being able to fall asleep earlier and I shifted my sleeping schedule.

Now if you're too busy in the evenings to go to bed at a decent hour, that's a different problem all together.

It's all a matter of getting yourself into something resembling a routine. Mine is kinda like this (order can vary):

1. wake up at 5am
2. sht, shower, dress, finish packing lunch, tend to critters
3. leave for work between 5:50 and 6am
4. arrive at work between 6:20 and 6:30am
5. clean up, change clothes, prepare and eat breakfast, read email and/or news
6. officially start work at 7pm
7. change for ride home between 3:45 and 4pm (barring emergencies requiring my attention)
8. Arrive home between 4:30 and 6, depending upon route.
9. Do daily PM checks on bike and accessories, address as required.
10. sht, shower, shave, if needed, and change clothes
11. Do home chores as needed
12. prepare and stage lunch and clothing for next day
13. prepare and eat dinner
14. relax, read, study, veg, play with critters and/or wife
15. in bed (though not necessarily sleeping) between 10 and 11