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Transform your life with one word: NO
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Transform your life with one word: NO
Saying no can be one of the most challenging and difficult words in our vocabulary. Whether it's declining an invitation, turning down a request, or setting boundaries, learning to say no is crucial for taking control of our time, energy, and priorities. In this newsletter, we'll explore the many benefits of saying no and provide tips and strategies for making this word a regular part of your vocabulary.
The Super Saiyan level in life is saying NO.
How frequently are you responding with "Sure thing" to requests, only to find yourself swamped with a lengthy to-do list a few days later?
When we choose not to engage in certain tasks or activities, we free up time and energy that can be better spent on other things.
Why do we even say yes in the first place?
Agreeing to requests is not always based on a desire to fulfil them, but rather to avoid coming across as impolite, egotistical, or unhelpful. Saying no to individuals we'll encounter again in the future - coworkers, partners, family, and friends - can prove to be a challenging task.
This is because we have a desire to maintain positive relationships with these people, and we rely on their support as well. Collaborating with others is a crucial part of our lives, and the thought of damaging relationships may seem to outweigh the commitment of our time and energy.
For this reason, it's important to be considerate in our response. Offer help whenever possible, and be direct and friendly when declining a request.
However, despite taking these social aspects into consideration, many of us still struggle with finding the right balance between "yes" and "no". We tend to over-commit to tasks that don't bring significant benefits to those around us or ourselves.
What’s the big deal between YES and NO?
Saying no limits your choices to one, while saying yes eliminates all other possibilities.
Every time we say yes to a request, we are also saying no to anything else we might accomplish with time — Economist Tim Harford
Declining now safeguards your future time, while accepting now steals your future time. No is like a savings account for time.
Importance of NO
Saying no is not just a perk for the successful, it's a tool to attain success.
If you don’t guard your time, people will steal it from you — Pedro Sorrentino
People think focus means saying yes to the thing you’ve got to focus on. But that’s not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are. You have to pick carefully — Steve Jobs
More energy is squandered on unimportant tasks than on tasks done inefficiently. Therefore, the ability to eliminate is more beneficial than the ability to optimize.
Why use NO in the first place
As you advance in your abilities and learn to differentiate between effective and ineffective methods, it becomes necessary for you to continuously raise your standards for accepting new opportunities.
It's crucial to reject both distractions and former time-worthy opportunities, so you can allocate time for exceptional pursuits. Although it's a desirable issue to have, mastering this skill can be challenging."
Saying no is so powerful because it preserves the opportunity to say yes — investor Brent Breshore
If you can learn to say no to bad distractions, then eventually you’ll earn the right to say no to good opportunities.
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
How to use NO in the first place
Many of us tend to be overly hasty in saying yes and hesitant in saying no.
If you’ve trouble saying NO, use this strategy proposed by British economist Tim Harford
If I had to do this today, would I agree to it? It’s not a bad rule of thumb, since any future commitment, no matter how far away it might be, will eventually become an imminent problem.
If an opportunity is compelling enough to make you abandon your current task, then it's worth considering. If not, then it may require further contemplation.
A couple of scripts for various situations on how to say NO from the book Make Time
Are you already fully committed to your preplanned desire and truly don't have time?
Sorry, I'm really busy with some big projects, and I just don't have time for anything new.
Could you squeeze in something new but worry about giving it the proper attention?
Unfortunately, I don't have the time to do a great job on this.
Invited to an activity or event that you know you won't enjoy?
Thanks for the invitation, but I'm not really into football.
While it's not feasible to recall these questions every time you're faced with a choice, it can be helpful to revisit them periodically. Saying no can be challenging, but it can be less so compared to its alternatives.
It’s easier to avoid commitments than get out of commitments. Saying no keeps you toward the easier end of this spectrum — writer Mike Dariano
There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all — Peter Drucker
Conclusion
The best way to get out of low-priority obligations is to never accept them in the first place.
Be courteous and truthful. Throughout the years, we've experimented with various tactics such as fabrication of excuses and indefinitely postponing, but they are dishonest and uncomfortable. Worst of all, they merely put off the difficult decision.
Half choices can weigh you down, sticking to you like barnacles on the hull of a boat. Ditch the tricks, shed the barnacles, and the tell truth.
The newsletter is about the importance of saying "no." Learning to say no is essential for managing our time, energy, and priorities. The article explores the benefits of saying no and provides tips and strategies for making it a regular part of our vocabulary. It's crucial to be considerate when declining a request, but also important to avoid over-committing to tasks that bring little benefit to ourselves or others.
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Credits
Gathered Information from James Clear’s article: The Ultimate Productivity Hack is Saying No & from the book Make Time