You’re working hard, but you still feel stuck when it comes to making real progress. It’s easy to blame demanding clients, a tough boss, or family obligations. Maybe you fall back on familiar excuses like ‘stuff happens’ or ‘if only this’ or ‘if only that.’ Or you might even complain that the world isn’t moving fast enough for you.
But the real issue is your inability to decline what isn’t essential. Saying ‘yes’ feels easier—you don’t like turning people down because you don’t want to be the bad guy. And there’s always that nagging thought: “How long could this really take?” While those reasons may feel valid, they’re just excuses.
Every time you say ‘yes’ to something, you’re inherently saying ‘no’ to something else.
You can’t keep saying ‘yes’ to everything without consequences. And those consequences often show up as stalled progress and stress. Important things end up taking a backseat. If you’re not focusing on what truly matters to you, you’ll get overwhelmed, irritated, and ultimately unhappy.
The good news is, you can change this dynamic. You have the power.
Start by creating a clear list of what’s important to you at work and at home. It’s okay if work priorities are at the top or if family comes first. The key is knowing what matters to you.
Once you have that clarity, use your list to filter your time-allocation decisions. When a new request or task comes your way, check if it aligns with your top priorities. If it’s important, that’s great! Just remember, prioritizing it will push other things down your list, and you might not get to those.
If the request doesn’t align, simply decline it.
Don’t take on anything that won’t move you closer to where you want to be.
Just say ‘no.’
That one word—‘no’—is incredibly powerful. The initial discomfort of saying ‘no’ will fade quickly, but the long-term benefits will last. This isn’t about being selfish; it’s about being smart with your time and energy.
Don’t agree to something when you know you can—and must—say ‘no.’ If you keep saying ‘yes,’ you’ll have no one to blame but yourself for not making progress on what truly matters.
Don’t agree to less.
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