How many times have you said yes to someone or something when in your head you’re crying out ‘no’??? By learning to say no you increase the power of how you spend your time. Some of us just don’t know how to say no, we want to help everyone around us, we may be scared to say no in case we’re seen as letting people down or they will think badly of us or we feel like we’re not good enough.
Whatever your reason for struggling to say no, take a moment to look at these reasons why it may be time for you to learn to say no:
You’ll reduce your stress levels
One of the worst things about overscheduling your time is the stress that it causes. Learning to say no will automatically reduce your stress, even if the first few times you say no fills you with dread. The freedom you experience will soon overshadow the fear of saying no.
You’ll still be perceived as professional (maybe more so)
In a work or business situation we think that we have to say yes to everything or we will be viewed as not being able to cope. No one person can do everything. If you already have something scheduled and can’t do something, it is to be expected that you manage your time effectively and say no. You don’t even have to provide a reason; just say that your calendar is full.
You’ll improve at tasks you really want to do
If you’re not spending time doing stuff you hate doing, you’ll get to spend more time doing things you want to do. That means you’ll get more practice and become better at the things you already like doing.
You get to spend time doing what you want to do
No one wants to spend time doing things they dislike doing, but they tend to say yes as that’s what we’ve been taught to do. If you really want to spend more time doing what you enjoy, say no to doing things you don’t want to do and recommend someone else.
People will understand and respect you for it
Even nice people will take advantage of those who say yes all the time. That’s why you’ll notice it’s always the same people doing all the work in any group. The yes people. We tend to say yes, because we don’t want to let people down or for them to think badly of us. In fact, people actually understand when you say no and they respect you for it.
You get more opportunity to say yes
This may sound counter-intuitive but it’s true. If you learn to say no to things that don’t advance your business or life in any measurable way, you’ll have more time to say yes to things that do.
You will increase your energy levels
People who say yes to everything tend to do most things half way. They don’t mean to, but they get too much on their plate and end up not being able to do the tasks they agreed to do to the best of their ability. If you say no, you can increase your energy levels.
Top tip…..pause, breathe deeply, check calendar
If you need some time to consider whether you want to say yes or no. In order to say no without a problem, when someone asks you to do something, even if it’s something you know immediately that you do want to do, make it a practice to take a pause, take a breath, and check your calendar. The act of calendar checking can give you time to give some thought to whether or not you want to say yes or no.
Saying no can truly give you back enough time to create the life that you really want to live. If you’re feeling hurried and overwhelmed take the time to practice saying no. By saying no you’ll take control of your schedule and feel like you get more time in your day.
Join the Feel Good Lounge
I would love it if you joined my free Facebook Group, which is a wonderful community of supportive women.