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“Breaking the ‘jam
karet’ habit”
(Insight Column for The Jakarta Post 05 July
2006)
“When left unchecked or not confronted
jam karet becomes a habit. A habit in which we
effectively devalue time, choosing to extent,
prolong, procrastinate, postpone or defer in
preference to closure, execution, completion
or punctuality. Since time is a precious and
limited resource this attitude clearly has adverse
implications for the individual, businesses and
the economy in general. Delays breed inertia
that in turn fosters low productivity.”
“As our mothers will confirm
during childbirth, very few of us actually arrive
on time! Respect for time is a value that is
taught to us by our parents, at school and through
experiences in life. Remember, disrespecting
time involves disrespecting ourselves and those
around us. When someone is always late for a
meeting or missing a deadline he or she is in
a way acknowledging an inability to cope apart
from displaying disrespect for others or for
the job.
Like other values such as integrity, honesty
and truthfulness, respect for time or punctuality
is nurtured by each of us based on how important
we believe this value is to our own personality.
If we do not attach much importance to it then
it will always be like a karet – considered
cheap and taken for granted.”
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