Time frames

I can’t understand why an accurate time frame can’t be given for many things and scenarios, although I understand why some timeframes need to be estimates.

Like your situation with a spring appointment, I have had situations where the promised appointments to be don’t always materialise within the estimated timeframe, so the whole waiting game even from before the timeframe has expired is unsettling.

If someone says something will take so long, why can’t it take that long? People say they’ll do something on a particular day but they don’t always do it and then they don’t seem to think it’s an issue. I don’t think my expectations are anything to do with rigidity, I think it’s reasonable to accept as fact what people tell me.

Generally, I think that people have become less accurate these days, not only with timeframes, but also with accuracy of information. For example, the BBC’s News App often has content cut and pasted so that the meaning of the news article is elusive or it’s impossible to tell who said what.

I can’t understand why an accurate time frame can’t be given for many things and scenarios, although I understand why some timeframes need to be estimates.

Like your situation with a spring appointment, I have had situations where the promised appointments to be don’t always materialise within the estimated timeframe, so the whole waiting game even from before the timeframe has expired is unsettling.

If someone says something will take so long, why can’t it take that long? People say they’ll do something on a particular day but they don’t always do it and then they don’t seem to think it’s an issue. I don’t think my expectations are anything to do with rigidity, I think it’s reasonable to accept as fact what people tell me.

Generally, I think that people have become less accurate these days, not only with timeframes, but also with accuracy of information. For example, the BBC’s News App often has content cut and pasted so that the meaning of the news article is elusive or it’s impossible to tell who said what.

I think a lot of it comes down to what people see as important. To me a timeframe is really important so I'd try to give an accurate timeframe and would update if it was going to change. But for a lot of people the timeframe is just not a priority so they can't see that it would be important information to someone else and therefore don't understand how bothersome it is when the timeframe isn't kept to. 

I once knew someone who was always significantly late. Now don't get me wrong, I understand this can be a difficulty for some people. But i found it difficult to turn up at a time and wait for long periods so I started to ask whether that was the realistic meeting time or whether it would likely be later. I got a very negative reaction and the person was very put out that I might find the lateness difficult. I found this unfair. If timekeeping was something she found hard and she explained this and let me know the time would like be later than the one we said then I'd have found it much easier. But my needs were completely disregarded and i was really baffled by it.

I get with the nature of this appointment I wouldn't be able to be given an absolute date as they were fitting me in. But I think it would be reasonable to expect an email or letter update every few months or whatever saying don't worry, you're still on the list for an appointment, we now think it'll be ...... amount of time. I get this would create more work for admin staff but I think it would be much easier for those waiting.