Procrastination – in my experience- is the #1 reason people turn to coaching- feeling stuck in a cycle of putting off decisions and not achieving according to their potential. Coaching works specifically on helping people break the cycle by strengthening the intention to do what they know they should be doing to grow.
Procrastination is the irrational tendency to delay starting or completing tasks, despite being aware of the negative consequences.
Recently I read a fascinating study about the relationship between procrastination and prospective memory ( Atlgasses, Scheres, Edel, 2018). Prospective memory is the ability to remember when to perform tasks and do them at the right time and in the right sequence. It’s remembering to remember. I like to call it “future memory”.
People with ADHD and others with executive function challenges have a weakness in visual working memory- which is the ability to hold on to an image of themselves performing an activity in the future. The picture is erased once they get involved in other tasks. The ability to keep a visual image in mind while doing other things is at the core of prospective memory.
Executive Function Coaching helps strengthen prospective memory in 3 stages:
- Teaches the client how to create an intention, design a specific goal related to that intention, and create a realistic plan which includes external reminders.
- Helps the client recognize self-sabotaging behaviors- distractions, impulses and excuses that lead to avoidance and inconsistency.
- Holds the client accountable by staying in contact – daily if necessary- to assist with follow through.
When a client loses sight of the future picture, we refocus together by revisiting the goal- what is your intension, and how can you strengthen your intention cognitively and behavioral?
The coach is the temporary external executive, who holds on to the client’s vision- until he or she is self-motivated and regulated.