1st February: 08:49

That's right, massacres. If not literally, then at least metaphorically. Other than your partner's birthday or anniversary, rarely can there have been a date fraught with "lateness" dangers as much as Valentine's Day.

Think about it - this is one time of year when lateness just isn't an option: unless you want to spend the next year continually apologising. Book a restaurant too late, and you're in trouble. Be late to buy flowers and not only will you have to break the bank, but chances are that you'd be better off picking your own. There's no good time to be late - but some times are certainly worse than others.

One hapless lateness offender, who shall remain nameless, recounted how his last Valentine's Day shaped up:

"I missed the 5.57 train, which had a knock on effect, because I was then running late for the restaurant. I arrived dripping with sweat; a mess, basically. Of course, my girlfriend had dressed to impress and had been waiting for over an hour; at the only table without a love-struck couple. Her look, well, you can imagine. And no sooner had I sat down than the maitre d' snootily informed me that we only had '27 minutes' left, so we cut straight to dessert. Funnily enough, the taxi ride home wasn't too romantic. I've been paying for my lateness ever since. This year, I've booked a cruise for me and my wife. That's right, my wife. And I had to promise to 'never be late' in my wedding vows. How romantic".

Of course, not every lateness on Valentine's Day will end in marriage. Many couples will split up over tardiness. So be warned, if you're going to resist the temptation to be late just once this year, make it on Valentine's Day.

1st February: 08:45

Stopping smoking, going to the gym, cutting back on… January 1st sees a host of resolutions across the country. This year, however, it seems like there's another resolution on many people's lists: punctuality.

That's right, punctuality. So our message is getting through to an incredible number of people. 9am starts are the flavour of the month nationwide. And the sound of alarm clocks ringing, besides being music to our ears, can only be good for the nation's health - which is probably also the resolution of many a new gym-goer, too.

And if the incredible number of people registering for our imminent 6 Step Stop Lateness programme is anything to go by, it seems like the public is deadly serious in its battle to beat lateness. If anyone feels themselves wavering, or notices their fingers drifting towards a snooze button, then Dr Eva's world renowned programme could be just what they need.

Many graduates from the programme talk of going on to achieve even greater feats in the world of punctuality. From train drivers who refuse to run late to the "fashionably late" going all retro and arriving early, the positive effects of completing the programme cannot be exaggerated. Signing up for the programme could not be easier - all you need is the desire to beat lateness.

So if you seriously want to stay on time beyond January, remember to sign up for the 6 Step Stop Lateness programme today.

Monday, December 18, 2006

We don't want you to think we're out-and-out Scrooges, but if there's one thing we can't stand about Christmas, it's office Christmas parties - or rather, the morning after.

A recent survey commissioned by none other than stoplateness.com revealed that 83% of all lateness in the month of December is brought about by office drinks the night before*. And that's not counting the people who don't make it in at all.

16% of respondents cited 'an unfamiliar route into work" as the cause for their delay, while a staggering 63% put their lateness down to 'not knowing when to call it a day."

OK, so there's nothing wrong with having a bit of fun, but let's make a change for the better this year. If you want to get hammered and flirt with secretaries, who are we to judge? But for punctuality's sake get into work on time the next morning. Think of it as an early New Year's Resolution. Come on, we're counting on you!

* We interviewed a total of 290 respondents about their punctuality regime in December 2005. It should have been 300, but ten of them were late. Typical.

Monday, December 18, 2006

Ever taken a day's holiday to wait at home all day for an engineer who then didn't show up?

Well, we were recently surprised to hear from an altogether unexpected quarter. The director of a large London-based plumbing company has become so frustrated by the number of hours lost by staff waiting for delayed engineers, furniture deliveries and the like, that he has come up with a novel solution.

"You'll never be able to hold engineers down to a specific time, the way you can with, say, Royal Mail Special Delivery® 9.00am or Next Day, so I had to take a drastic step to protect our bottom line," said Gerald Hobbs, top brass at PipeDreamz.

The answer was a "Call-Out Guardian", a full-time member of staff whose sole function is to sit at home and wait for visits on behalf of other employees - ensuring they can leave for work on time. Staff can reserve the "Call-Out Guardian" for a morning or afternoon slot using a simple online booking form.

"It's one less excuse people can use for being late. Now it's just customers who've got the right to complain about being kept in all day! Not that that happens with our boys." When asked if the experiment was paying off, Gerald refused to be drawn. "Only time will tell," was his cautious response.

Monday, December 18, 2006

Until six months ago, Jasper Phillips was blissfully unaware that he had an acute problem with lateness. But one morning he was "just a few minutes" late for a crucial meeting and his world was never the same again.

"I thought it was just one of those weekly review things. Nothing important. So I thought I'd just finish my cuppa before leaving the house," Jasper confesses, now barely able to conceal his embarrassment. "But then I missed the train, and one thing just led to another. Before I knew it, I was running over 10 minutes late."

Jasper's timing couldn't have been worse, as the meeting in question turned out to be his annual pay review. Had he not turned up a whole 13 minutes late, Jasper is convinced he would now be enjoying a £2,000 bonus that was "pretty much in the bag". For Jasper it was a moment of revelation.

"When I realized I had a problem with lateness, it felt like I had nowhere to turn. But then I found stoplateness.com and heard about Dr Eva Gudörsen's 6 Step Stop Lateness Programme. I realised there were other people in the same predicament."

The Stop Lateness Campaign inspired him to join forces with other anti-lateness converts in weekly local meetings. Although these meetings are now rapidly growing in popularity, with similar groups popping up all over the country, Jasper admits he had some early reservations: "I was really worried no one was going to turn up to the first meeting, but then about seven or eight minutes after the start people began to trickle in."

Every week, Jasper now works with dozens of people to confront their lateness demons, and he's delighted to say that the meetings are proving a success on every level: "It's got to the point now where everyone's there and ready to go five minutes before the official start time!" Now that's what we call a bonus.

Wednesday, November 29, 2006

Dr. Eva Gudörsen of the Pünktlich Clinic, Düsseldorf, is already a very familiar face in the world of punctuality. You may well have caught her recently on GMTV - she famously left mid-interview, when the previous news story had overrun by "26 seconds".

Now, you've the chance to read Eva's side of the story by visiting her new blog. That's right, Eva has launched her own blog. It's a fantastic opportunity to catch up on Eva's views, every time, right on time.

"I have been meaning to write a blog for a while. Only "meaning" to write one, mind you. I had yet to decide exactly when to begin - so technically I am not late" Eva quipped, a cheeky smile accompanying that Dusseldorf-honed sense of humour.

"You know me", she continued, "I'm a stickler for the rules. And some of the more recent press coverage of my private life wasn't playing by the rules. This is my chance to put forward my side of the story. I know, I know, some people might ask "who is this Doctor Eva Gudörsen? What motivates her to behave like she does?" Hopefully, my blog will answer some of these questions".

Be sure to check out Eva's latest postings at http://drevagudorsen.blogspot.com/

Wednesday, November 29, 2006

There are some things in life we hate. That's right, hate. Okay, it's a strong word, but we really do hate snooze buttons.

If ever there was an invention that helped people be late, this is it. The temptation to stay warm, tucked up in bed is, especially at this time of year, almost overwhelming. And we're not the sort of people who are going to opt for the easy (if slightly obvious) suggestion that you set your alarm clock later.

No, at Stoplateness.com we offer constructive help. Such as investing in a Flying Alarm Clock.

That's right, a Flying Alarm Clock. Once the alarm goes off, a top section flies off and whizzes around the room, with an annoying, mosquito-like buzzing noise. Even if you hit the snooze button, it keeps lifting off and buzzing around until you finally get up. Genius.

There is the danger you could end up trying to sleep through the incessant buzzing, especially if your lateness problem is too deeply entrenched. But unless you're attracted to music that's a hybrid of Techno and the bagpipes, believe us, sleep isn't an option.

If you'd like to learn more about this ingenius invention then click here.

Thursday, November 16, 2006

At 8.59am on Thursday 16th of November, stoplateness.com went live. Simultaneously (or slightly beforehand), the launch was announced to 100 key members of the national press via an info pack sent by Royal Mail Special Delivery®.

This newly launched website provides up-to-date news and resources from the Stop Lateness movement, as well as helpful advice for those who suffer from tardiness. We're also working with the internationally renowned Doctor of Punctuality, Dr. Eva Gudörson. So if you want to know what's hot in the world of punctuality, you know where to look.

Please make sure you register with us to be kept fully up to date with all of our campaign activity.

Thursday, November 16, 2006

As many of you know, members of the stop lateness research team have spent quite a bit of time in Germany. Everything seems to be on time there and we love it. We came across Dr. Eva Gudörson of the Pünktlich Clinic, Düsseldorf a few years ago and have been working with her in an unofficial capacity ever since. She's a remarkable woman, whose grasp of punctuality and understanding of the devastating effects of lateness have been an inspiration to us all.

GOOD NEWS THEN - in the New Year, we'll be releasing the Doctor's 6 Step Stop Lateness Programme. You'll be able to nominate friends or colleagues (even yourself) onto a programme to deal with the lateness disease once and for all.

It's a challenging series of 6 Steps that will push participants to eradicate the lateness in their lives.

So, make sure you sign up. And you'll be among the first to hear about this exciting breakthrough.

Tuesday, August 01, 2006

Great news! Royal Mail Special Delivery® have confirmed that they are officially endorsing the Stop Lateness campaign for another year.

January 2006 saw the start of our official relationship with Royal Mail Special Delivery®. Since then, things have gone from strength to strength.

We were delighted when we first started working together. This wasn't just because we all work for Royal Mail. Nor was it only because we're both totally into the idea of punctuality. No, the main reason we were so delighted - and still are - is because it was a match made in heaven.

Consider this quote from one Royal Mail Special Delivery® employee: "Our staff are inherently passionate about punctuality - it's our livelihood after all - and it's obvious to us that we should officially back the campaign, because we all believe that late is as good as never".

Or maybe the initial reaction from our very own Mel Hankinson: "When I first heard the rumours I couldn't believe it, it was like a dream come true. And now this, it's like WOW! It's just totally, totally out there!"

Why not find out more about Royal Mail Special Delivery®? Because let's be honest, guaranteed delivery of your items by 9am or 1pm (or you get your money back) is such an effective weapon in the fight against lateness.

Saturday, August 12, 2006

What a night! It ran smooth as clockwork, naturally, with that extra little dash of adventure we've come to expect from this auspicious occasion. We can only be talking about one thing, of course: Our second annual Stop Lateness Awards to celebrate timeliness - held in September at The Grosvenor Hotel.

These awards put passion back into punctuality. They raise the bar for us all and acknowledge those often unsung heroes who have done everything they could to get us there on time.

This year's winner was Jessica Flora in Nottinghamshire. Jessica spent six months outside the local train station in Horksop, cajoling, ushering and, on occasion, simply scaring people on to trains and buses so they could leave on time.

Runners-up included The Venti Triple-shot Latte and Fergus' Futons, manufacturers of possibly the most uncomfortable beds in Britain. And special mention must go out to Stuart Greatrex, a surprise winner of this year's Lifetime Underachievement Award. Suffice to say, there's one man who genuinely deserves to have an alarm clock named after him.

You've probably read about the notorious "After Party" in the tabloids. Hosted by the Good Times sound system, everyone who attended - and got in before we closed the doors after the 10:42 cut off point - had a wonderful time. We shan't go into specific details - what goes on tour stays on tour, after all. But trust us, everyone let their hair down and was wearing their crazy hat - at the same time!