There Is No Such Thing as a Quick Question

A quick question has never once been quick. It is a slow question wearing a fake mustache.

You know how it goes. The person hovers. They say the magic words. Fifty minutes later you are both looking at a spreadsheet from 2021, and you have forgotten what you were doing, what year it is and whether you ever ate lunch.

What quick question really means

• I have not thought about this yet, and I would like you to do it with me.
• This is complicated, but if I say so you will say no.
• Sorry, your calendar looked empty, and that made me hopeful.

A friendlier alternative

Say what you need and how long it will take. Do you have ten minutes today to look at the budget? That sentence is honest and it lets the other person say yes at a time they can actually mean it.

And if somebody asks you one, you can always smile and say: sure, what is the question, and how quick is it? Then write down the time. We are all adults here. Most of us, anyway.