The (London) Times has a long article about dealing with always being late, referencing the book "Never Be Late Again: 7 Cures for the Punctually Challenged" by Diana DeLonzer. Now, it's possible that you are late for most things, but never have trouble meeting writing deadlines...but it's not likely. DeLonzer writers, "It's something that tends to go across activities; most late people are late for everything."
Apparently people who are habitually late also tend to be messy, anxious, easily-distracted, perfectionist, and with low levels of self-control or a tendency toward thrill-seeking. Is any of this sounding familiar?
The bit I found most interesting is that people who are late genuinely have a problem estimating how long things take; in research studies, when the habitually early were asked to read for 90 seconds, they tended to stop before the time was up, whereas the habitually late kept reading, sometimes for minutes. They also tend to have a strong aversion to waiting and to indulge in "magical thinking"--that is, assuming that when they travel, all the roads will be clear, there won't be any problems, etc.
Here are some solutions, as they apply to writing deadlines: Promise yourself something enjoyable to do if you finish early that you will deny yourself if you finish late; break the task down into chunks, with mini-deadlines all along the way, so you can tell whether or not your're on track; and automatically build in an extra 25% time for each part of the task for unexpected developments.
