Most productivity courses and gurus teach many techniques to maximize your time, utilizing strategies to multiply your efforts, effective delegation, and many more. But your most significant productivity comes from the tasks you didn’t perform while avoiding work that does not align with your pursuits. Learning to say no has the most impact on your productivity. The problem we all face is that we learn to communicate “yes” much more than we should. We must say yes and act on impactful work to make incredible things happen, but saying yes too much will have the most negative impact on your productivity and can lead to burnout.
Why do we struggle to say no
The problem is usually a mindset issue. Each of us has a reason or multiple reasons why we say yes. We aim to please, or we have a fear of missing out (FOMO). We want to serve, add value and collaborate. We must understand why we make the affirmative choice and get comfortable dancing with the decision. These can admittedly be difficult conversations and challenging situations for many.
When should we say no
The critical step is to learn when to say yes to make a positive impact and when to avoid burnout and protect your productivity. Here is a valuable framework for knowing when to say no. Assess the request, deliver a thoughtful no, and give a yes where you can make an impact. We should review who asks for our time and what others ask us to do. We need to understand the request. Then follow that with a well-reasoned no when determining the ask and if it aligns with our abilities, priorities, or purpose.
How to say no
Turning someone down can be challenging at times. Not every request from patients, friends, family, or colleagues is easy to turn down. We often want to help or make others happy with our service. Some sense of obligation can come from a relationship where we aim to deliver excellent customer care or support to someone in need. Remember that you are saying no to many other things every time you say yes. We have limited resources, which is especially true of our time and attention. Learn to speak a well-reasoned no and make people feel respected. Furthermore, manage your commitments and maximize your time for the work where you can create the most significant impact.
