the only advice I ' m getting is essentially to start being competent . I ' m not sure why I can ' t get really good at things , and I ' m tired of it . I want to get good at things come hell or high water , then be able to teach , lead or inform other people along the same path of success . Not struggle to keep a basic schedule . Baby steps . First , get your schedule straight . I ' ll emphasize this because it is the top reason I fire people in my business . If you have a smart phone , there is literally no reason why you should ever have a scheduling issue . My job requires lots of meetings and appointments , not to mention deadlines it is ESSENTIAL . So here is how it works . Wherever I am office , client ' s office , grocery store , side of the road , it doesn ' t matter the SECOND someone schedules something with me , and I mean THAT VERY SECOND , I enter it into my calendar . That second . I do not wait a minute , I do not wait until I get to my office , I do not excuse myself and go outside , I do not hesitate . THAT SECOND I take out my phone and I enter it into my calendar . Every time , no exceptions , ever . That is it . That is the whole key to my system . That is how I have not missed an appointment in over 8 years . Don ' t have a smartphone ? Then THAT SECOND , you write the appointment in your planner that you carry with you wherever you go . Don ' t have a planner or smartphone and you rely solely on your computer ? Then THAT SECOND , you write the appointment IN INK , ON YOUR HAND , in big letters . No excuses , no exceptions . Then you set alarms . My smartphone and calendar are set so that ANY appointment I add has an automatic 40 minute popup reminder that will push to my phone AND computer to remind me of the appointment . 40 minutes gives me plenty of time to get my coat and keys and get out the door to my appointment even if there ' s traffic . If I still lived in the city , I ' d make it a 3 hour reminder , with a second 2 hour reminder . For deadlines , I have an automatic 2 day email reminder as well . I do this every time . Every single time without exception . You have to , too . You don ' t get to say You know what ? Just this once I ' m going to wait for a bit NOPE . That does not happen . That ' s not you anymore . You can never do that again . At any rate . Don ' t try too much at once . Get the schedule under control . Get REALLY good with it . Get to class on time , every time . Make sure you keep your keys , wallet and phone in the same place every day , too . Those items must only be in one of 2 places at an given time . They are either IN YOUR POCKET or in the DESIGNATED SPOT in your home for them keys can be in your vehicle too . That ' s it . They can never , ever , ever , ever , ever be anywhere else . So you never have to look for phone , keys or wallet before you leave , because you ALWAYs know where they are . Plan the night before to make sure you get out on time , too . Put books , pens , etc . by your designated spot for keys and wallet so that you don ' t waste a single minute looking for them . If you want to be a leader , lead yourself first . Every day , ask yourself , What would Leader Me tell me to do ? If I were a person who needed coaching and mentoring , what would Leader Me tell myself ? Don ' t throw too much at yourself . Maybe forget bartending and dancing , and focus on your classes . Get REALLY good at the basics . Work and work on a schedule . Every day , journal about it . What went right ? What went wrong ? What could you have done differently ? If you ' re chronically late for things , Google a blog post from Wait But Why called Why I ' m Always Late . For some people it doesn ' t apply , but for others , they can really relate to it . Just keep in mind that whether you relate or not , and this blog kinda makes being late cute while saying that being late isn ' t cute it ' s up to you to get help and be responsible .