“It’s better late than never”. Well, not necessarily. According to Leah Ingram, author of The Everything Etiquette Book, there ARE instances where you can be too late. So here’s how to handle certain situations in a timely manner. Courtesy of Quick and Simple Magazine.

• How long do you have to respond to an e-mail? If it’s a non-urgent e-mail from your friend, you have up to a week to write back before you seem rude. But if it’s a work-related e-mail, respond within a day or two. And if you’re writing a thank you e-mail regarding a job interview, respond right away. You don’t want to take any chances.
• How late can you show up at the doctor’s office? If you arrive any later than 20 minutes, you may be asked to reschedule. And some doctors’ offices will ask you to pay a portion of the fee if you’re unreasonably late.
• How long you should you wait for a friend to join you at a restaurant? If you can’t get in touch with your friend after 30 minutes, leave a message and let them know you have to go.
• How late is ‘too late’ when you arrive for work? If you plan to be anything over 15 minutes late, call your boss. However, if you really want to get ahead in the working world, you should arrive 45 minutes early and stay 15 minutes late. Use the 45 minutes to knock one thing off your daily to-do list – since your brain is at its productive peak in the morning – and use the 15 minutes at the end of the day to plan out your day tomorrow. If you’re one of the most productive employees at the company, your boss may be a little more forgiving if you’re running late once in a while.