Learn to Say No to Take
Control of Your Life
We must
learn to say no to the things that don’t matter so we can say yes to the things
we care about.
July 14,
2016
Q: I’m a people pleaser—I have trouble saying no.
How can I change?
A: Learning to say no is the single
most effective way to increase your focus and productivity. Saying no
will help you reduce what I call low leverage activities (those that consume
resources and drive results slowly) and invest more time and energy into high
leverage activities, which are the key to achieving the right results faster.
We must learn to say no to the things that don’t matter so we can say yes to the things we care about.
There are
a lot of ways to say no and make people feel as if you still care. Sometimes
it really means saying not now.
I teach
clients that instead of something being a complete no, it can be no
and instead. For example, if someone asks me to lunch to talk about
something and I am unsure whether it is a high leverage activity, I will ask the person more questions. If I learn the
information can be covered over email, I’ll suggest that. I am still staying no
to his initial request, but I answered his question and freed up a few
hours for myself to invest in other things.
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