Why some of us are always late

Kamalyn Kaur, a psychotherapist who specialises in coaching women, explains that our punctuality habits are rather complex. While chronic lateness can stem from certain personality traits, it can also come from cultural upbringing, neurodivergence or even a different understanding of the concept of time itself. We spoke to Kaur to understand if chronic lateness is a psychological phenomenon and if there are any ways to break the habit.

Perfectionism

One of the most common reasons for chronic lateness is, perhaps ironically, perfectionism. As Kaur explains, perfectionists are prone to procrastination, which can lead to poor timekeeping.

“Procrastination is usually tied in with perfectionism,” she says. “A perfectionist spends excessive time on tasks in an attempt to be flawless, so it takes them longer. They’re so fixated on making everything perfect, they sometimes forget they need to be somewhere at a specific time.”

Do you struggle with white rabbit syndrome? An expert explains the psychology behind chronic lateness