As National Be Late for Something Day (September 5) approaches, one former government strategist says the occasion offers a chance to question something many of us rarely stop to consider: What if moving at the breakneck pace demanded by today's chronic urgency doesn't serve us?
Alex Snider, meditation teacher and author of "Sometimes You Should Be Late: The Quiet Rebellion of Slowing Down in a World Obsessed With Speed" (Practical Inspiration Publishing, July 7, 2026), says the issue isn't punctuality, productivity or speed, but when this is an unconscious reflex, not a reflection of our values.
"When we allow the speed-obsessed world to override our own values, we can lose sight of what's best for us and what matters most to us," says Snider. "Honoring your own clock simply means creating enough space to respond consciously and deliberately in the moment, rather than letting others' urgency, anxiety, or agitation make that choice for you."
For National Be Late for Something Day, Snider offers four ways people can begin breaking free from chronic urgency without abandoning responsibility or productivity:
1) Acknowledge the pressure: We live in a fast world. Our workplaces, culture, social media, and increasingly AI all reward speed. Many of us have also absorbed stories about what makes us valuable as employees, friends, family members, or students: being responsive, productive, available, and always moving. Breaking free from urgency starts with recognizing that this pressure is real.
2) Separate the external "shoulds" from your own: We have to slow down enough to notice whose clock we're following. Do I want to stay late to finish this project because I genuinely care about it, or because I'm worried about what people will think if I leave? Do I really need this done today, or am I afraid of the story I'm telling myself about asking for another day? Slowing down to ask the question creates enough space to distinguish obligation, fear, and habit from what we actually value.
3) Build more spaciousness into your life: Sometimes honoring our own clock means simply putting less into it. Leave room between meetings. Schedule fewer things on a weekend. Build buffers around transitions. Not because you're lazy or because you're afraid of being late, but because spaciousness helps you fully inhabit the things you've chosen to do. Our lives are short; we don't have to cram them full in order for them to matter.
4) Return to perspective when urgency takes over: When you feel the pressure rising or when you realize you've rushing, take a few breaths and ask what actually matters here. The goal isn't to become perfectly slow or never feel urgency again. It's to remember that, even in a fast world, we retain authorship over our choices.
Snider's book, available on Amazon, Bookshop.org, and BN.com, challenges the idea that speed brings us closer to the kind of person we want to be. Blending research, stories, and practical reframes, the book helps readers explore the kind of relationship they want to have with time and those they navigate it with.
The author, who spent more than 15 years inside high-pressure federal environments and is a co-founder of Mindful Fed, brings a unique perspective to the conversation about modern busyness. His insights are particularly relevant in a world where the pace of life seems to accelerate with each technological advance, and where the pressure to be constantly productive can lead to burnout and a loss of connection to what truly matters.
By offering these four strategies, Snider provides a roadmap for individuals to reclaim their agency over time and make conscious choices about how they spend their days. This message resonates not only for personal well-being but also for organizational and societal health, as chronic urgency can contribute to stress, decreased creativity, and strained relationships.
