Effortlessly on time

Last week, I left for a meeting across town half an hour earlier than the drive required. In Los Angeles, the same 20 miles can take 40 minutes or 90, depending on what the freeway decides that day, so I build for the 90.

Most days, that means I arrive early, with bonus time to grab a coffee and settle into the day before the meeting starts.

I have moved this way for years, and people notice my peacefulness.

I used to watch colleagues white-knuckle from meeting to meeting, arriving flushed and apologizing on the way in. Their stress came from the same place every time: an adversarial relationship with the clock, a race they were always a little behind in.

The calm they saw in me came from one thing: margin. I gave myself enough room that a jam on the 101 or a call that ran long could not turn me into someone rushing.

The calm people envy in you is a byproduct of the margin you gave yourself.