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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

^^^ Yup.

EDIT: Figures that when I do the pointing up thing I start off a new page.

:D WIN!

Lately I have been quite late. This is due mainly to change of cycling routine. I now have to take the bus part way which truly FAILZ. The route it takes is undergoing a multi-$MM reno. So it is adding 20-30 mins of my total commute. It's frustrating. I guess I can leave earlier. But I hate sitting on the bus so haplessly.
Am currently thinking to ride the route instead. But that's like 20km through some construction areas. Even so I am confident that I would still be quicker than the bus ride.

No wonder the U.S. is going down the dumps.The easiest thing your going to do all day is get out of bed and you can't even do that,were doomed!

I employ people,if they can't even get to work on time,how can I trust them to do their job in a timely manner?I expect my employees to be here 15 minutes early.You don't get to make coffee,take marine baths,change clothes,flirt with the girls,on my time.This isn't a social club,I pay well and you going to earn it my friend!

I live farther away than most of my employees and ride a bicycle to work.I'm here before everyone and later than everyone,I manage OK,I expect the same from them.

Most of my work,you only have 1 shot at doing it correctly,I don't WANT people that don't enjoy their work and/or don't want to be here,it cost too much!

Is flexi-time a foreign concept in the U.S?

I'm at work typically 1-2 hours early. :)

e-mail auto-responder:

"Your question / problem requires at least three cups of coffee and two completed sudokus to property address. Contact me again after 10:30AM and I promise you an absolutely brilliant response."