Research* has found that often arriving late is not a sign of rudeness or bad planning, but could actually mean that you are prone to being overly idealistic.

This optimism causes people to underestimate the duration of a journey or task.

Idealists might therefore overlook allowing time for the nitty-gritty, like walking to the car, finding a parking space or queuing for the lift – inadvertently making themselves late.

*Research by RonHelpman.com

More inspiration:

Read: Why we say 'it's not a good time' for a task, and how to stop putting off life.

Photograph: iStock