I have a piece of advice for people whose ADD partners are constantly running late when you're trying to get them out the door. I technically stole it from an episode of Everybody Loves Raymond, but it's working really well. It's called A.I.S. for Ass In Seat, and it refers to the exact time your ass needs to be in the car, no exceptions.
Say Jen and I are going to a movie. I give her an A.I.S. of 7:15, and she's there. We don't have to catch a later show. The absoluteness of an A.I.S. somehow compels her to be on time. As opposed to saying, "We'll leave between 7:15 and 7:30," or "We'll leave around 4:00," declaring an A.I.S. leaves no room for error, and no tolerance for dilly dallying. If you miss the A.I.S., you're screwed.
I also use A.I.S. to get myself to work every morning. I don't have ADD, but I'm not a big fan of going to work. It's very hard for me to get out of bed. So I have a post-it note on my alarm clock that lists the different A.I.S. times for each train I could take. For example, if I want to make the 7:28 train, I have an A.I.S. of 6:40. If I just can't deal, I can opt for the next A.I.S. of 7:00 and catch the 7:44 train. The post-it note is there because at that ridiculous hour, I am in no position to do math.
So try A.I.S. on your spouse or your kids. It really works!
all I can say is that that's brilliant. I'm starting to think I have ADD, and whenever I've been successful at getting anywhere truly on time it's been through similar strategies. good job!
Posted by: jmj | February 05, 2008 at 06:33 AM
My husband uses this phrase often, too.
Just posted about it today...
I like your blog!!
Posted by: Jenn | June 13, 2010 at 10:01 AM