Never flustered

Good advice:

If you are searching for a New Year’s resolution that will lead you to success in life, it’s not too late. In fact, not being late is the whole point.

If you have driven down a certain street in Green Bay, Wis., you already understand this. The street is Lombardi Avenue, which runs directly past Lambeau Field, home of the Packers.

There is a large clock outside the football stadium. The clock may confuse or even startle people who don’t know about it. Isn’t it displaying the wrong time?

That depends on how you define “wrong.” The clock is set to run 15 minutes ahead. Your wristwatch or phone may say it’s 3:15 p.m., but the clock on the stadium says 3:30.

It’s set to Lombardi Time, to honor a demand the late Packers coach Vince Lombardi insisted his players obey: If you’re not 15 minutes early to practice, you’re late. And you can expect to be fined.

His point was that people who want to succeed should have the discipline and courtesy not to keep others waiting. It’s a matter of respect: respect for the people with whom you work, and respect for yourself. The way to guarantee that you’re never late—that you’re never in a flustered rush to begin a task—is to get there a quarter-hour early. ....

"If you are five minutes early, you are already ten minutes late."

Bob Greene, "It’s 2024, So I’m Early," Wall Street Journal, December 28, 2023.