Wondering how to arrive on time to a meeting or appointment when you have a bunch of time to kill?

Are you looking for a few helpful pointers to help you manage your time and be on time for your meeting?

Somehow, thanks to a lighter than usual schedule and commuting traffic, you’ve arrived 90 minutes to an appointment.

However, you don’t want to sit around and wait for your appointment.

You want to get some fresh air, stretch your legs and maybe go out for a cup of coffee.

Yet the last time you went out, you lost track of time and ended up being late for your appointment…

In this post, you’ll find a few tips to help you pass the time and arrive to your destination on time!

Manage your “killing time” schedule.

Before you start off on your outdoors adventures, take a moment to set up your “killing time” schedule.

First, you’ll want to identify your on-site time. This is the time at which you must be back at your appointment location.

This time also conveniently takes into account any paperwork, sign-in or restroom trips you might need to make before your meeting. To identify your on-site time, simply count back 15 minutes from your appointment.

Second, you’ll want to identify your travel time. This is the time at which your “killing time” session ends and you need to start heading back to your appointment location.

This takes into account travel, traffic, parking and other en route considerations. To figure out your travel time, simply count back another 15 minutes from your on-site time.

The time you have left is the time it takes you to get to your destination and enjoy some time there.

For example, if you arrive at 1:30pm for a 3:00pm appointment….

• 2:45pm is the time at which you need to physically be back at your appointment location (on-site time)
• 2:30pm is the time you need to leave your “killing time” destination and travel (travel time

This leaves you with roughly an hour for you to travel and enjoy your free time.

You can swap out the 15 minutes for any other amount of time for the on-site or travel times.

Just make sure you give yourself a buffer of time in each to travel and get settled in for your appointment.

Choose a nearby location/destination.

Your “killing time” location should be no more than five minutes walking or driving distance.

You want to avoid the risk of being caught in traffic or stuck in some location as you travel.

The closer you stay to your appointment location, the better!

Select only one task ON WHICH to work.

Don’t get too weighed down with work or personal items as you pass the time.

Choose only one task or item to work on or attend to while you’re waiting so you won’t lose too much track of time.

While you’re at it, you should probably set a timer on your phone, computer or tablet to let you know when you need to pack up your things and leave.

Know when to stay put.

Sometimes it’s not worth the trouble to go outside to kill time.

Traffic might be heavy, the weather might be lousy, plus you might not know your way around the neighborhood.

In this case, it’s better to stay put, pass the time, and wait things out until it’s time for your appointment.

How about you? Which of the above tips will you try the next time you’re early to an appointment? Join the conversation and leave a comment below!