It’s Christmas week. You’ve got shopping, parties, family obligations. And you’re late. Late, late, late. Always late. So why are so many people on your road as you try to get where you’re going???

Well … if you live in the United States, 20 percent of the adult population is chronically late. So you’re trying to push your way through the other 41.5 million late people who’re wondering why you’re on their road.

Isn’t there a better way to get to the egg nog on time?

Uh-huh. Try these suggestions:

• Set realistic goals. How long does it take for you to get from here to there driving at a normal rate of speed in typical traffic? How long does it take you to dress? No … really. Most of us commit to doing 52 tasks in a day without stopping to think how long it takes to perform each of those tasks or to get from one place to the next. And even if we give some thought to the time, we’re not realistic. Not long ago, I gave myself 15 minutes to make a drive that takes 30 minutes if fate magically wipes every car off the two-lane winding roads and I can maintain at least 10 mph over the speed limit throughout. A cop car driving with sirens blaring could not make that trip in 15 minutes if it detoured over a couple of fields.

• Keep two schedules. Create your real schedule, then create a dummy schedule for yourself that shows every activity beginning 15–30 minutes ahead of its actual start time. And don’t cheat by recalculating the times in your head. Just start your day 15–30 minutes sooner, and if you stay true to form, you’ll finish on time. If you actually manage to arrive or complete your tasks 30 minutes early, all the better. You’ll get an extra 30 minutes at the end of the day to spend any way you like. Isn’t that better than being your usual 30 minutes late and running around like an overstressed headless chicken?

• Set seasonal boundaries. Of course, you want to do everything that’s expected of you and say Yes! to every invitation. But you’re not being fair to yourself or anyone else if you commit to more than you can reasonably accomplish. And what’s the fun of a party when you are so rushed to get there—or to leave and make the next event—that you can’t relax and have a good time. Learn to start prioritizing what and who matters most, and letting the rest slide.