No you won’t. And we both know it. It’s not because I don’t trust you. It’s because I do the same thing. I’m running late and am embarrassed that I’m running late so I text you to let you know. I tell you I’m only five minutes away, when really, I’m easily eight minutes out. Why? Because I want to believe I’m not that late.
I hate being late. But I hate being a liar more. So now, I try to be honest or even exaggerate. If I know I’m going to be five minutes late, I say 15 minutes. If I’m going to be 10 minutes late, I say 20. More importantly, I apologize and ask for forgiveness. Their time is just as valuable.
Overstating how late I am accomplishes two things. 1) I’m honest about running late and I give myself breathing room to get to the appointment. 2) If I’m earlier than I stated, it feels like a win.