No matter how early they wake up, some people are always late.
If you’re a punctual person, having a friend who continually leaves you waiting can be frustrating, to say the least.
But what you may not realise, is being late isn’t always a walk in the park for them either.
So, why do they do it?
On Reddit, people have been explaining their reasons for being late - and no, it’s not because they think their time is more important than yours.
1. They hate being early
“[I have] mild social anxiety. I don’t want to be there alone or with only one other person.” - Danulas
2. They have poor time management
“My inner monologue when I’m really late to meet someone is something like: ‘Oh fuck, now I’m late. He’s just stuck there for 15 minutes getting bored and hungry because I’m too stupid to get out of the door on time. He probably hates me right now. I suck.’ Trust me, I really, really hate that I’m always late. It fucks me over in so many ways. This is coming from someone who’s chronically late and has been working really hard on being more punctual. Just the time management skills to consistently be on time don’t come easily to me. I’m getting better, but slowly.” - falling_like_flying
3. They don’t leave time for traffic
“Late people are optimists. Early people are pessimists. Punctual people ride unicorns everywhere they go.” - bschoolprof_mookie
4. They have kids
“I was never late until after I had kids and I think the time factor is why. My minimum time expectations were all set in my head based on my actions. Even though I’ve had kids for a while and think I’m adjusting, I still have trouble getting it right because there are two additional variables...
“Neither one wants to wait for anyone else and thus concludes that they are ‘ready’ except for putting on their shoes, zipping their backpack, putting on their backpack and getting in the car. Factor in tripling the probability that someone forgot one or more things and our [lateness] gets pretty big, say 20-30 minutes.” - lowhangingfruitcake
5. They’re easily distracted
“I’m the most easily distracted person I know, which is annoying because I never want people to feel disrespected, but it’s an inevitability when I’ll be preparing to go, [I’ll] realise I want to give that Rubix cube I found under my bed another shot, then bam, it’s two hours later and I’m eating a sandwich.
“As proof, in trying to write this comment I paused to look out the window for a good thirty seconds...” - YourDailyDevil
6. They don’t really want to be there
“If I’m always late for something that always starts at the same time, it’s because I hate it.” - ChinesePhillybuster
7. They have low self-esteem
“I have bad self-esteem and no matter how long I give myself to get ready I never look how I want. I then overthink everything and try to come up with some last minute excuse of why I can’t go.
“By this point, I’m late because I’ve changed my outfit and my hair seven times, I’ve been crying and had to redo my makeupand I’m convinced that the person I’m meeting doesn’t actually want me around or no one would miss me if I don’t show up.
“My friends and family have no idea. I pretend like I’m confident and happy to be there when I’m dying on the inside and just want to go hide under a rock.” - Fazz20
8. They’re not morning people
“It takes me about 12 alarms and 45 minutes just to roll out of bed.
“I have no problem getting somewhere on time or even early if I don’t have to leave before 10am, but if I am expected to be somewhere by 10am, I am almost always late.” - Tdawwwwggg