Late Because...

Do you tend to run a bit late? Are you - forgive the pun - chronically late? I don't, myself, consider tardiness a grave insult or unforgivable sin - In fact, I'd like to see more people stop taking punctuality so seriously. But if you are one of those folks who does, I may be that person who frustrates you.

On the other hand, I've felt the pressure that comes from being late, trying not to be late, worrying about being late, and trying to compensate for or justify being late. Stressful, eh? I'm all for reducing stress.

What are some of the reasons we run late?

Priorities:
- We don't respect or value the other person's time or the event
- We consider the beginning of the event or get-together to be "miss-able"
- We are trying to avoid the awkwardness of being too early or having to stay too long

Lack of margin:
- We fail to accurately estimate how much time it would take to get someplace
- We plan to be early, but then try to get too many other things done with our extra time
- We try to do too much, in general

Being in the moment:
- We simply lose track of time
- We are helping or in conversation with someone else

We are unavoidably delayed 
- Traffic jams, accidents, etc.

Did I miss any?  (A member of my family says I did. There should be a special category for being unable to get moving because you stayed up too late the night before to finish reading a novel.)

Which of these are "good" reasons, in your mind, to be late yourself or for someone else to be late for a meeting or event you're part of? Which ones are worth the stress and pressure of lateness?