Some people are always late. Science can explain why.
Are you a multitasker, a free spirit, or an overly optimistic planner? Experts say these are some of the traits that explain why some people are always running behind.
If you’re one of those people whose “I’ll be there in five” reliably turns into 15, you’re not alone—and you’re not necessarily careless or inconsiderate, either. Most of us have been late at some point, but some people find themselves constantly running behind.
That discrepancy often begs the question: why do some people seem wired to be late while others treat punctuality like a personal law?
It’s a question that has puzzled behavioral scientists for decades; and the results have, at times, seemed contradictory.
For example, a 2003 Human Performance study found no statistically significant link between chronic lateness and any one personality trait, suggesting punctuality isn’t necessarily a matter of any individual character flaw.
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But newer research paints a more nuanced picture involving psychological tendencies, internal clocks, and even biological differences that appear to nudge some of us toward promptness and others toward delay—often without any of us realizing it.
Jeff Conte, associate chair of psychology at San Diego State University and one of the leading researchers on punctuality, has spent years studying these patterns, including the 2003 study. He notes that while lateness doesn’t always map neatly onto any single trait, the preponderance of evidence now shows there “are individual differences in personality that relate to chronic lateness”—a view echoed by other behavioral researchers.
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And understanding those patterns matters more than we might think since punctuality acts as a kind of social glue, signaling respect for other people’s time, shaping relationships, and supporting coordinated systems of everything from workplaces to transportation to healthcare.
“When you agree to be somewhere at a given time, you’re essentially entering into a contract,” explains Pauline Wallin, a Pennsylvania-based psychologist who teaches workshops on procrastination and chronic lateness. “But if one person is consistently late, it creates a breach of trust not just for the moment, but often for the entire relationship.”
Here’s what the latest research reveals about the most common drivers of habitual lateness—and how to adjust if any of them sound like you.
The optimists: The planning fallacy
Psychologists Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky first coined the term "the planning fallacy" in the late 1970s to describe our tendency to underestimate how long a task will take, even when we’ve performed it many times.
“Basically, the planning fallacy is the belief that one’s own plan will unfold perfectly,” says Allen Bluedorn, a distinguished professor emeritus of management at the University of Missouri and author of many time-management studies. “Most people demonstrate it, and they demonstrate it much more for their own plans than when estimating completion times for others.”
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But while most people show this bias, some experience it significantly more than others—and still others have not yet learned to compensate for it.
Though there’s no empirical evidence directly tying the people who exhibit the planning fallacy to chronic lateness, research is clear about the mechanisms behind it. The first is intuitive: misjudge task duration, and you’ll leave—and arrive—later than intended. “It leads to the prediction—almost a truism—that the more people demonstrate the planning fallacy, the more likely they are to underestimate their departure times and hence be late,” Bluedorn says.
Additionally, research has consistently shown that people who underestimate task duration—especially for tasks that feel controllable—tend to assume they can personally speed up each step. As a result, they leave too little margin for real-world delays, increasing timing errors that often translate into late arrivals.
What you can do about it: To counter the planning fallacy, Rashelle Isip, a New York–based productivity consultant and author of The Order Expert’s Guide to Time Management, suggests simply doubling your initial time estimate for getting somewhere. “If you think something will take 10 minutes,” she advises, “make it 20 to give yourself a buffer.”
The free spirits: Low conscientiousness
Among the Big Five personality traits—openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism—conscientiousness shows the strongest and most consistent link to punctuality as individuals who score high in it have been shown to be more likely to arrive on time.
This is because conscientious people tend to be “responsible, goal-directed, and disciplined—reliable and attentive to details,” explains Geraldine Joaquim, a clinical psychotherapist based in West Sussex, England.
The trait is so important that one 2019 meta-analysis found it to be the single best noncognitive predictor of overall performance in life.
Dawna Ballard, an associate professor of communication studies at the University of Texas at Austin and author of Time by Design, explains that conscientious individuals naturally build the habits—preparation, structure, planning—that lead to early or on-time arrivals. “Conversely,” she says, “if you score low in conscientiousness, you struggle with time and task management.”
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This is, in part, because lower conscientiousness is associated with disorganization, reduced follow-through on planned actions, and weaker self-time monitoring—all of which directly interfere with consistently arriving when intended.
What you can do about it: To strengthen conscientious habits, Isip suggests adding visible cues to make you more aware of time such as "getting in the habit of wearing a wristwatch or placing analog clocks around your space." Joaquim adds that a better understanding of how your tardiness affects others can also help shift motivation. “Recognize that lateness can be perceived as disrespect,” she says.
The jugglers: Polychronicity and multitasking
If you love multitasking—jumping between emails, cooking, and texting—you might be naturally polychronic, meaning you prefer managing many tasks at once rather than sequencing them.
While this can be beneficial in creative or relational contexts, the tendency has been shown to undermine timeliness. For instance, there is research showing that people high in polychronicity arrive up to 15 minutes later on average to scheduled commitments than those following a monochronic (one-thing-at-a-time) style.
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Conte explains the mechanism: “Polychronics tend to prioritize relationships, socializing, and whatever comes up in the moment, putting a lower priority on rigid schedules.” Ballard adds that this is what drives behavior in polychronic cultures—such as many regions of Latin America or the Middle East—not the clock. In such places, “someone would never abruptly end a conversation to be on time somewhere," she says. "It would be seen as rude and inefficient.”
The irony is that in monochronic cultures—like the U.S., Germany, or Japan, or even within families or organizations where punctuality is highly valued—that approach can read as the opposite of what a person intends, painting the individual as inconsiderate or irresponsible.
What you can do about it: If you live or work in a culture that values relationship-first timing, being more flexible isn’t inherently a flaw, and you may not need to “fix” anything.
But if lateness causes problems in your environment, Conte recommends setting alarms at the time you need to leave since polychronics often get waylaid by last-minute interactions and an alert can give you a helpful “out” in a conversation.
The night owls: Chronotype and circadian misalignment
Everyone’s internal clock runs differently, and people with a late chronotype—often called “night owls”—naturally fall asleep and wake later. This often affects their punctuality because society largely runs on morning-oriented schedules, so this mismatch creates what researchers call circadian misalignment. “If you're a night owl, most of the world just isn’t built for your rhythm,” Ballard explains.
Not only is there a mismatch, but chronobiology research shows that night owls often experience delayed melatonin release, making early mornings feel cognitively sluggish and physically taxing.
This often results in “taking longer to kick into gear because the hormones that propel us to wake up aren’t fully present when having to rise unnaturally early,” Joaquim says. “And hitting snooze leads to rushing—and rushing leads to lateness.”
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But night owls aren’t just late for their morning meetings. Circadian misalignment has also been linked with impulsivity and scheduling struggles that extend into the rest of the day.
These are among the reasons studies show night owls being more likely to miss deadlines, underestimate preparation time, and experience greater day-long variability in alertness—all factors that heighten the risk of lateness beyond just the morning hours.
What you can do about it: To help night owls adapt, Isip recommends preparing everything the night before—clothes, bags, lunch, keys, etc.—so mornings involve fewer decisions. Joaquim suggests multiple loud alarms and waking 60 to 90 minutes before important departures to allow the brain time to “boot up.”
A caveat is these strategies help during inflexible periods such as school terms, early shifts, or travel. But Ballard notes that, “if your daily schedule is the issue, the best solution is to find a job that fits your circadian rhythm.”
The distracted: Biological and ADHD-related factors
For many people, the root of lateness is neurobiological rather than personality driven. For instance, individuals with ADHD, autism, dyslexia, and related conditions often experience what researchers call time blindness—the sense that time passes differently or unpredictably than it does to the rest of us.
“Time blindness makes it difficult to gauge the passage of time,” Ballard explains, “and can therefore lead to losing track during transitions or becoming so absorbed in a task that time disappears entirely.”
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Research supports this, as individuals with ADHD frequently underestimate time intervals and struggle with the ability to plan and execute tasks that have a looming deadline. Other studies show similar timing irregularities across other neurodevelopmental conditions such as autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, dyspraxia, and certain executive-function disorders—any of which can disrupt time perception and task sequencing.
What you can do about it: To help with biological-related tardiness, Ballard recommends enlisting a partner, coworker, or friend for accountability during transitions or to perform a task alongside you. Isip suggests using digital checklists to keep track of commitments and building travel time directly into your calendar, so it becomes nonnegotiable.
Resetting the clock: Never too late to improve
In the end, even lifelong latecomers can improve punctuality—especially when they focus on improving the specific area that might be holding them back rather than willpower alone.
To do so—and even to tackle tardiness broadly—Conte emphasizes structural adjustments such as early alarms and giving yourself longer buffer periods between commitments.
Isip encourages working within your strengths rather than attempting a complete overhaul by leaning into systems that genuinely suit you—like visual timers, verbal check-ins, or preparing items well in advance—rather than forcing strategies that don’t match your natural tendencies. “And you don’t have to make sweeping changes all at once,” she says. “Improving just one piece of the process can make a noticeable difference.”
She also recommends the practical strategy of listing each step required to get somewhere, such as driving time, finding a place to park, and the time it takes to get from your car to where you’ll be meeting and assigning realistic time windows to each as you plan ahead. Doing so “gives you a clearer sense of what needs to happen and when,” she says.
And the responsibility doesn’t fall solely on late people. Those who are naturally punctual can also reduce conflict by recognizing that others experience time differently—and by building a little flexibility and compassion into shared schedules.
“Personality traits aren’t personal,” Ballard says. “If someone doesn’t share the trait that makes punctuality easier for you, understanding their priorities and perspectives can help reduce conflict.”
