By ALBERT STUMM

Even as a kid, Alice Lovatt was always getting in trouble for being late.

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She was often embarrassed after letting down friends for her tardiness, and she was routinely stressed about arriving at school on time.

“I just don’t seem to have that clock that ticks by in my head,” said Lovatt, a musician and group-home worker in Liverpool, England.

It wasn’t until she was diagnosed with ADHD at 22 that she learned she was experiencing a symptom sometimes called “time blindness.”

Russell Barkley, a retired clinical neuropsychologist at the University of Massachusetts, is often credited with linking time impairment with people with ADHD or autism. In 1997, he called it “temporal myopia.”

But recently, time blindness has sparked a social media debate: Where is the line between a genuine condition and someone who is disorganized or just plain rude?

When arriving late means more

Time blindness is the inability to determine how long a task will take or conceptualize how much time has passed. It relates to executive function that occurs in the frontal lobes of the brain, and it is a well-documented characteristic of many people with ADHD, said Stephanie Sarkis, a psychotherapist in Tampa Bay, Florida.

“Anyone can have issues with running late, just with ADHD there’s functional impairment,” said Sarkis, author of “10 Simple Solutions to Adult ADD.” “It impacts family life and social life. It impacts work, money management, all areas of life.”

Sarkis said if a person’s chronic tardiness is “one star in the constellation of symptoms,” then it could be evidence of a treatable disorder. She cited research that stimulant medication prescribed for other ADHD symptoms, such as inattention or restlessness, is also effective at treating time blindness.

That’s not to say, however, that everyone who is chronically late has ADHD — or a built-in excuse.

FILE – Commuters ride the subway in New York on April 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Brittainy Newman, File)

Consider the reason for being late

Jeffrey Meltzer, a therapist in Bradenton, Florida, counsels people who never show up on time to examine the core issue behind their lateness.

Some people who hate small talk fear arriving early, which could point to anxiety as the underlying issue, Meltzer said. Others may feel they don’t have much control over their lives, so they try to reclaim a few minutes from responsibilities.

“It’s the same psychology concept behind revenge bedtime procrastination,” he said, referring to the urge one may have to stay up later to recoup personal time after a busy day.

In those cases, one tool is to create a small “coping card” to refer to regularly, he said. After determining a reason for chronic lateness, take an index card and write down a reframed thought about that reason and a consequence of being late.

For instance, on one side write, “Attending this meeting doesn’t mean that I lose my freedom.” On the other side, write: “Being late again will upset people at work.”

Meltzer said the hardest reason to change the habit would be something that early-arrivers often attribute to late-comers — a sense of entitlement. People who feel their time is more important than others’ time may give themselves permission to be late.

But Meltzer said those people would also exhibit entitlement in other areas, such as parking in a spot designated for people with disabilities or tending to make a grand entrance at an event.

“Maybe they’re 20, 30 minutes late, and it’s like, ‘Oh, look who is here,’” he said. “So it’s a way to kind of get attention.”

FILE – Commuters walk from the PATH rapid transit station into the World Trade Center in New York on Nov. 18, 2019. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)

What to do about it

Whether a person has ADHD or not, they’re still responsible for their actions, said Sarkis, who was also diagnosed as an adult and struggles with managing time.

The good news is that the same interventions that help people with ADHD can work for all late-arrivers.

Sarkis said using a smart watch to set alerts can help with knowing when you need to leave, although having analog clocks around also helps. Relying only on your phone to see the time creates more distractions.

She also suggested breaking tasks down into a checklist of smaller parts and resisting the urge to cram too many activities into one day.

Lovatt has learned to give herself much more time than she thinks she needs. She also uses Forest, a time management app, and another app to lock herself out of other apps on her phone to help keep track of time while concentrating.

Particularly helpful has been making granular lists of how long things take. Getting out the door in the morning felt like it took 20 minutes until Lovatt listed every step from bed to door.

“Walk downstairs, one minute. Find shoes, one minute. And I had a list that was a whole page long of literally walking between rooms,” she said.

She learned it instead took 45 minutes.

“It doesn’t work, like, 100% of the time. But generally, I am a lot more reliable now.”

Albert Stumm writes about food, travel and wellness. Find his work at https://www.albertstumm.com.

Holiday spending was expected to be tempered this year but the latest data shows Americans aren’t slowing down, even with growing debt.

The National Retail Federation said nearly 203 million U.S. shoppers went to retail stores and websites from Thanksgiving Day through Cyber Monday — its highest in nearly nine years.

Some experts have expressed concern about growing credit card debt and burdens from other factors. U.S. household debt reached $18.59 trillion as of September, said the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, a record high.

Just how bad the debt situation is for the economy is up for debate. Some economists have argued the overall economy is still strong. They point to low unemployment as a reason why debts will be paid because money is still coming in.

Question: Are Americans’ household debt levels a major concern for the economy?

Economists

Caroline Freund, UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy

YES: Household debt is a concern, especially as delinquency rates rise. Credit card and auto loan delinquencies are climbing to levels not seen since the Great Financial Crisis. The strain is concentrated among lower income households, reflecting the K-shaped economy, where the most vulnerable are falling behind. Delinquencies on big ticket items like cars are increasing especially rapidly among this group. With the job market becoming less certain, these trends point to growing economic risk.

James Hamilton, UC San Diego

NO: The latest data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York shows that American households have added $4.4 trillion in debt since 2019. But there’s been a lot of inflation since then and our incomes today are higher. GDP increased by $9.2 trillion over those same five years. Measured as a percent of GDP, the real burden of household debt is actually the lowest it’s ever been since the New York Fed started reporting these numbers in 2003.

Norm Miller, University of San Diego

YES: Rising credit card debt at $1.23 trillion is moderately troubling, but the larger risks are the $1.73 trillion in student loans and weakened auto loan standards where delinquencies have climbed to 5%. Even more alarming, non‑bank lenders (i.e. Milo.io or Lendfriendmtg.com) are considering crypto‑backed mortgages, echoing the speculative credit that preceded the 1929 crash. As more lending shifts outside regulated banks and to volatile-priced collateral, the likelihood of another credit market meltdown increases.

Kelly Cunningham, San Diego Institute for Economic Research

YES: Discretionary spending now will be paid with interest by inflated dollars in the future, meaning future spending will be reduced by paying off debt while also paying inflated future prices for essential items. Although nominal debt is at an all-time high, adjusted for inflation, total debt remains below peaks during the 2008–2009 Global Financial Crisis. Household debt accounted for approximately 65% of nominal GDP in 2025, significantly lower than the peak of 85.8% reached in December 2008.

Alan Gin, University of San Diego

YES: The increased debt load is one result of a “K-shaped” economy. Those with high incomes are doing well; Moody’s Analytics reports that the top 20% of income earners accounted for 63% of consumer spending. Those at the lower end have been stressed by rising prices, particularly for necessities such as food and housing. That has reduced their purchasing power and forced people into increased debt. If job growth remains slow or even turns negative, many people could end up in bankruptcy.

David Ely, San Diego State University

NO: While aggregate nominal household debt is rising, so is personal income. Household debt service payments as a percent of disposable personal income is not at a worrying level and is well below rates experienced around the financial crisis, in 2005-2010. Loan delinquency rates are somewhat elevated and should be monitored. However, current household debt conditions are not so severe that they should be regarded as a major concern for the economy.

Ray Major, economist

YES: Debt is money that is spent before it is earned. Used properly, it’s not a problem. However, mounting debt on credit cards which now exceeds $1.23 trillion, is evidence that people are not able to pay their daily expenses without borrowing from their future earnings. At current levels, this is unsustainable for mid- and low-income families. Instead of building generational wealth by saving and investing money, they are mortgaging their futures.

Executives

Phil Blair, Manpower

YES: And always should be. My biggest concern is the ease and popularity of buy now and pay over many months for almost any product. It’s far too easy for impulse purchases rather than major planned buying. As with businesses in San Diego, cash/liquidity is king. Personal spending needs to be under control to protect against a potentially deteriorating employment picture and still very high interest rates.

Gary London, London Moeder Advisors

YES: The U.S. economy appears to be in decent shape, even as American debt levels are hovering high as a percent of GDP. The critical story is at the household level, and it remains statistically untold. Something is going on. There is bubbling discontent rooted in rising food, fuel and insurance costs, as well as mortgages and rents, among others. Job uncertainty is a festering factor. All of this is likely to play out in the polls next November.

Chris Van Gorder, Scripps Health

YES: Americans depend too much on debt to finance lifestyles that might not be supported by their income. I am not worried as much about recent increases in debt, as those increases seem to track inflation, but I am concerned about our overall reliance on debt and the things we use it for.

Jamie Moraga, Franklin Revere

YES: Americans are taking on increasing levels of household debt many cannot sustain financially. Low consumer sentiment contrasts with continued spending, revealing a disconnect that deepens financial strain and risk. With high living costs, inflation, stagnant wages and layoffs, many households face mounting stress, limited savings and uncertain retirement prospects. The so-called “resilient” consumer may ultimately reveal deep economic vulnerability and serve as a warning sign for long-term economic stability.

Bob Rauch, R.A. Rauch & Associates

YES: But the household debt levels themselves are not the problem. The combination of record balances, rising delinquencies, and demographic concentration of stress among lower- and middle-income families makes this a legitimate concern for the 2026 economy. It is not a crisis; a recession is not looming, but it is a headwind. Lower interest rates and inflation, reduced tariff impacts, tax reductions and the World Cup will significantly benefit the economy. To a solid 2026!

Austin Neudecker, Weave Growth

YES: Elevated household debt and higher interest rates are squeezing budgets. Delinquencies on credit cards and auto loans are climbing. Debt payments impact categories like retail, services and discretionary spending, which are substantial growth drivers. While low unemployment and anticipated rate cuts in 2026 are staving off negative consequences, we may be in a different situation if the labor market softens, charge-offs rise, or banks tighten credit. The economy isn’t collapsing, but elevated debt is now a clear risk.

Have an idea for an Econometer question? Email me at phillip.molnar@sduniontribune.com. Follow me on Threads: @phillip020

By MIKE STOBBE, AP Medical Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. flu infections surged over the holidays, and health officials are calling it a severe season that is likely to get worse.

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New government data posted Monday — for flu activity through the week of Christmas — showed that by some measures this season is already surpassing the flu epidemic of last winter, one of the harshest in recent history.

COVID-19 infections also have been rising, other federal data show, though they remain less common than flu.

Forty-five states were reporting high or very high flu activity during the week of Christmas, up from 30 states the week before.

The kind of flu that’s been spreading may be driving the higher numbers, public health experts say.

One type of flu virus, called A H3N2, historically has caused the most hospitalizations and deaths in older people. So far this season, that’s the type most frequently reported. Even more concerning, more than 90% of the H3N2 infections analyzed were a new version — known as the subclade K variant — that differs from the strain in this year’s flu shots.

Flu seasons often don’t peak until January or February, so it’s too early to know how big a problem that mismatch will be.

Last flu season was bad, with the overall flu hospitalization rate the highest since the H1N1 flu pandemic 15 years ago. Child flu deaths reached 288, the worst recorded for regular U.S. flu season.

Nine pediatric flu deaths have been reported so far this season. For children, the percentage of emergency department visits due to flu has already surpassed the highest mark seen during the 2024-2025 season.

The percentage of doctor’s office and medical clinic visits that were due to flu-like illness also was higher late last month than at any point during the previous flu season.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates at least 11 million illnesses, 120,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths from flu have already occurred this season.

The agency recommends that everyone 6 months and older who has not yet been vaccinated this season get an annual influenza vaccine.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

Following his inauguration Thursday, Mayor Zohran Mamdani issued an executive order to revitalize the Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants and announced a series of upcoming public hearings for renters across the city to air their grievances.

Mamdani in the lobby of an apartment building in Brooklyn on his first day in office, where he announced plans to restore the Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants. (Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office).

Housing was the first item on Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s checklist after he was sworn into office Thursday.

Standing in the lobby of a Brooklyn apartment building—where residents have been organizing for the city to intervene on their behalf, after their violation-riddled homes went up for bankruptcy auction—the new mayor pledged “to champion the cause of tenants too long ignored and homes too expensive.”

“On the day where so many rent payments are due, we will not wait to deliver action,” said Mamdani, speaking on Jan 1. “And we will stand up on behalf of the tenants of this city.”

It was a fitting first-day press conference for the new mayor, who campaigned for the last year on a promise to freeze rents for tenants in the city’s roughly 1 million rent stabilized apartments.

Here’s a rundown of what Mamdani did on housing during his first five days in office:

Revamping the Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants

The new mayor signed an executive order to “revive” the office, which was launched by former Mayor Bill de Blasio in 2019 but was largely dormant during Mayor Eric Adams’ administration, according to reporting from the Real Deal.

Under his administration, the Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants will serve as a coordinating body to defend tenants rights and ensure habitable building conditions, Mamdani said. He appointed tenant organizer Cea Weaver to lead the office.

“The affordability agenda starts with the rent,” said Weaver, who emphasized that 70 percent of New Yorkers are renters.

Weaver previously ran the nonprofit Housing Justice for All, and helped lead the fight to pass the Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act in 2019, which strengthened New York’s rent regulation laws.

She gave City Limits some insight into how she might lead the office during an interview last month.

“We are going to hold you accountable to operating [affordable housing] alongside the housing maintenance code. If you can’t do that, we are going to offer you money so that you can do it, but you have to make the homes affordable,” Weaver said. “And if you still don’t do it, we’re going to take it away from you. Making that pipeline more clear is what I hope the Mayor’s Office of Tenant Protection can do.”

Task forces focused on housing production

Mamdani signed two other executive orders on his first day establishing new task forces to help speed up residential construction, as the city faces its worst housing shortage in several decades.

Newly-appointed Deputy Mayor for Housing and Planning Leila Bozorg will oversee both efforts. The first will spend the next six months reviewing all city-owned properties to identify those where new housing could go. This will be “a deeper dive into the entire city’s inventory,” than previous, similar efforts, Bozorg said.

“Especially for sites that aren’t clearly available for housing right now,” she said. “So they may already have other city facilities on them, other public facilities or even private facilities that we’re in contract for.”

The second task force will work to remove bureaucratic and permitting barriers that increase housing costs and slow construction, according to the mayor.

Mamdani announcing Dina Levy, right, as his housing commissioner on Sunday. (Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office)

Citywide public hearings for renters

On Sunday, Mamdani announced a series of upcoming public hearings focused on getting feedback from renters across the five boroughs.

“New Yorkers will be invited to participate and to share the realities that animate their daily lives,” he said. “I want these hearings to expose the ugly underbelly of our city. The rats that scurry through hallways. The children that shiver in their beds in the dead of winter because the heat is off.”

The so-called “Rental Ripoff” hearings will take place over roughly the next three months—the new administration’s first 100 days. They will be led by the city’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) alongside several other agencies, and officials will use what they hear “to craft policy recommendations that we will then implement and deliver across the city,” Mamdani said.

“These are hearings that will give New Yorkers an opportunity to testify in person as to the struggles that they have had to deal with, oftentimes in isolation,” he told reporters.

At the same Sunday press conference, Mamdani announced the appointment of Dina Levy as the new commissioner at HPD, the agency that oversees both the city’s new affordable housing production and enforces the housing maintenance code in existing buildings.

Levy, a longtime housing and tenant organizer, most recently served as the Senior Vice president of homeownership and community development at Homes and Community Renewal (HCR), New York State’s affordable housing agency. 

“The work ahead will be hard,” Levy said Sunday. “We will need to increase the resources to build more affordable housing. We will need to try new innovative and sometimes scary innovations in order to overcome this crisis. And in many respects, we will need to embrace a willingness to rethink how we do business.”

Intervening on behalf of Pinnacle Tenants

Mamdani’s first press conference as mayor last week was hosted at a Prospect Lefferts Gardens building owned by Pinnacle Group, part of portfolio of 93 rent stabilized buildings that are in bad condition and up for a bankruptcy auction.

As City Limits previously reported, Pinnacle tenants have been calling for the city to preserve their buildings’ affordability and help them address dire maintenance issues, including 5,000 open housing code violations.

Mamdani tours an apartment at a Brooklyn building previously owned by the Pinnacle Group, and now in bankruptcy. (Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office)

Mamdani promised to answer that call, directing Steve Banks—the new administration’s recently appointed top lawyer, who previously served as the homeless services commissioner under de Blasio—to intervene in the auction on behalf of both tenants’ and the city’s interests.

How exactly that might play out isn’t entirely clear yet. Banks pointed to an earlier bankruptcy case he worked on in the late 1980s and early 1990s on behalf of the city and the Legal Aid Society, which involved two Manhattan buildings being used as homeless shelters. They were able to convert those properties into two permanently affordable apartment buildings, he said.

“That kind of creativity resides within the Law Department,” Banks told reporters. “We will be working with the Law Department lawyers to do what is in the best interest of New Yorkers in that bankruptcy case, the same as so many years ago, we came up with a pathway forward when people said it was not possible.”

To reach the reporter behind this story, contact Patrick@citylimits.org. To reach the editor, contact Jeanmarie@citylimits.org

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