Every friend group has one person who’s always running late. If you can’t think of one, chances are you’re that friend.
Now, a newly launched app called Lately is here to help you stay on time for everything from meetings to dinner plans. Created by developer Erik MacInnis, Lately sends users timely nudges—30, 10, and five minutes before it’s time to leave.
As the self-acknowledged “late one” in his friend group, MacInnis tells Fast Company that the idea for Lately struck during a fishing trip gone wrong. He had assumed it would take 20 minutes to get there, got sidetracked by replying to emails, left five minutes late, and the drive ended up taking 30. “When I arrived, my friend was understandably annoyed and I literally said out loud, ‘I need something where I can just input when and where I need to be and it makes sure I leave on time.’ At the time I was looking for a new idea, and I was like ‘that’s it’.”
To help users stay on track, Lately turns punctuality into a game, featuring a point-based reward system and four difficulty levels. “To tackle time blindness and time optimism, Lately is working to leverage every tool it can to keep the user aware of when to leave,” says MacInnis. That includes a countdown, watch app, and smart notifications.
His favorite feature? The lock screen progress bar. “It’s readily visible, intuitive, and eliminates the need for any mental math,” he adds. “If it’s not close to the end, I can relax and if it’s almost full, I have to get going.”
Time management can be especially tough for those with attention deficit disorder (ADHD or ADD). Everyone runs late now and then, but for people with ADHD, it can become a defining—and frustrating—trait. Timers, alarms, and productivity apps are essential tools, and now there’s one more to add to the arsenal.
Lately is currently available on iOS, with an Android version in development. A premium subscription unlocks bonus features for $3 a month or $10 a year—for those looking to take their punctuality to the next level.
MacInnis also plans to launch a social feature called Lately Friends, which will automatically notify friends when a user leaves, is five minutes away, and when they arrive. “This has been the most requested feature,” he adds.
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