And I am very grateful that she gave me a taste of my own medicine!

It got me thinking about how many of my clients often cite time related issues as problems in their working lives. Working to deadlines, targets and the resulting procrastination are common topics.

And then I thought about the negative connotations associated with much of the vocabulary around the notion of ‘time’. After all, ‘time flies’, we ‘waste’ time, time is the ‘enemy’, ‘time is money’ and so on.

I looked up the definition of the word ‘procrastination’. The dictionary reassures us that, if we are an expert, it’s essential : to keep delaying something that must be done, often because it is unpleasant or boring:

A lot of my time is spent working with those who are neurodivergent. When presented with a task that appears ‘unpleasant’ or ‘boring’, time becomes the enemy indeed.

In fact, in a recent coaching conversation, a different client told me he had been asked to complete a task with clear deadlines in place. But what was really striking is that the task had been introduced with ‘I know that this is a tedious and mundane task, but…..’

I might add that this is not the most effective way to motivate employees but that is a whole different conversation.

The value of the coaching process in this particular instance is to use careful questions to break down the task and unpack what is REALLY unpleasant.

Coaching provides a space for asking questions that can re-set the perspective on a seemingly dull task. Often, a starting point is to reframe attitudes by asking something simple; such as,

‘What is getting in the way of you completing this task?’

‘What strengths can you bring to this task?’

‘What will it look like when you have finished?’

Reminding clients of the many talents that they bring to a task, of what accomplishment looks like, of their core values and their ultimate goals are just a few reasons why I love working as a coach.

When I told my client about my spectacular procrastinating at writing this first blog, and that ironically, I wanted to touch on the issue of time, she urged me to include the value of the well timed question.

Knowing when to ask, and what, is part of my continued personal development as a coach.

So, in the end, it’s all in the timing.