
Last year, workplaces around the world closed their doors and people began working from home, and as another lockdown was announced in the UK, it looks like the majority of the workforce will continue this practice.
Despite our beds being in walking distance from our office, it seems 11% of workers dream about showing up late for work. In a recent study by poster printers instantprint, they found that 75% of us have been experience workplace nightmares. But what’s causing the rise in these anxiety dreams and what can we do to ensure we’re not late for work IRL?
What your dreams mean
If you’re dreaming about showing up late for work, it could be that you feel like you lack control over your career. If you’re unable to see what direction you’re going in, you could feel rooted in indecision, and this could manifest in you actually being late for work. Similarly, you may fear change and that’s what’s holding you back.
Interestingly, the study reported that 15% of people dreamt that they never arrived at work, while 11% said they dreamt of getting trapped there.
What you can do about these dreams?
If you’re finding that your anxiety surrounding being late for work is manifesting in you actually being late for work, here are some tips to help with your punctuality.
Know why you want to be punctual – Whenever you want to create a new habit, you need to be very clear on the reasons why you want to do it. If you’re looking to embark on a healthier lifestyle, you’re often asked to ‘find your why’ and that’s the same for embarking on being punctual. It’s important to be clear on the benefits and remind yourself of those benefits to keep you motivated.
Use a timer – Once you know how long certain tasks take, use a timer to stick to them. If you’re finding you’re being unproductive in one task, after the allotted time move on. And only when all the other tasks are complete, go back to it.
Slim down your to do list – One reason you may have a tendency for being late is because you simply have too much to do. If your schedule is unrealistic, there’s no way you’ll have time to do everything. Look at your to do list, and cross out anything that’s not a priority, and make sure you only commit to things which you realistically have time for.
Give yourself a time cushion – Even if you know how long it takes to perform different tasks, give yourself some extra time in case of unexpected events. To start with you can move your watch or clocks forward by 5 minutes – this will help trick you into thinking you’re on time.