Doing things early has power.
If you work on planning your new year goals much before the year begins, you will find momentum earlier. Also, you will be able to tweak your plans as you are ahead of the game.
If you go to a meeting early, you will have time to review your notes for the meeting and prepare well. Also, you can network and, depending on the time of the day, you can avoid heavy traffic.
By going early to wherever you are going, you remove the stress of getting there on time, thus enabling you to enjoy the ride.