Time management in simple words. Always say no

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

This is the first article in the "Time Management in Simple Words" series.

Always say no. The whole time management is based on this.

The famous Pareto rule: 20% of the effort gives 80% of the result. Isn't it about saying no to the remaining 80% of the garbage cases?

Or Covey's third skill: "Do the important things first." Isn't it about saying no to secondary tasks that don't lead to our big goals?

Or an information diet, when we give up TV and social networks. Isn't it about the ability to say "no" to empty temptations that surround us?

This is the first article in the "Time Management in Simple Words" series.

Take a notebook. Write down all your affairs and worries. Mark the important ones with an asterisk.

What will you see right away? The fact that to do ALL things will NEVER work out.

It's just stupid - you NEVER have zero tasks. You will not be able to cram all your tasks, dreams, thoughts into a 24-hour day.

What to do? Do only things that are important to you. And put the rest under the knife.

Saying no is not easy

It's not human nature at all to refuse. I recently read Cialdini's book The Psychology of Influence. He says that a person likes to leave opportunities open. That is why there are so many people who like to mumble “I don’t know” or “maybe” instead of clear “yes” or “no”.

But we live in the 21st century, where the Internet alone provides a lot of opportunities for entertainment, work and information retrieval.

The more successful you are, the more opportunities and offers are poured on you. Therefore, it is important to be able to say “no” with a light heart.

But what do we see? Many books propagandize: "Wait for your chance", "Be ready to seize your luck by the tail", "Don't think - act!" All this leads to the fact that we begin to grab any offer, go to all meetings and meetings.

And then there are people who pathologically cannot say no. They always agree. Even if the heart and mind say no, they say yes. What is the bottom line? Schizophrenia! When a person actually sabotages a case in which he himself has entered.

I myself was such a "yes-man". Having learned to say "no", I have already managed to hear over these three years that I:

• ungrateful;
• conceited;
• dull (UG);
• pessimist;
• egoist.

No time manager can escape these accusations.

But what if I don't want to offend other people with a refusal?

Don't be afraid to offend someone with a rejection.

It is much worse when you say “yes”, you fit into the business, but you yourself do not try, do not show interest. Isn't this a hidden betrayal? First say "yes", and then do everything to overwhelm the venture?

Wasn't it more honest to refuse right away?

Moreover, your "no" will not be in the style of "Go to hell", but rather in the style of "Sorry, buddy."

Explain the reasons. If you have big goals, then there will be no problems with reasons for rejection. An adequate person will understand.

But the next time you say yes, even if it will be one time out of ten, your friend will know that he can really count on you! You will have a reputation as someone you can trust.

How do you learn to say no?

The first step is to make a list with your goals for five years, for a year, for a month, for a week. Electronic or paper format is not so important.

Without such a list, it is difficult to determine what to say "no" and what to say "yes". Still, not a desire to "stick" the chance of a lifetime))

Is there a new opportunity? Offer? Request? Just look at your list of goals and values. Will this move me towards my goals?

But what about rest, friends, relatives and other joys of life?

Yes, as much as necessary!

Rest, entertainment, communication are very important. They allow us to recharge our strength.

I've written about this often:

• Constant fatigue? Laziness? Depression? Try it!
• All workaholics make this subtle mistake.

It's not about giving up fun and relaxation. The point is that often we are harnessed to some boring business that does not advance us towards our goals in any way. No fun, no benefit.

Have you never participated in something like this?

Outcomes

All time management is one skill to say “no”.

We are not omnipotent. We have limitations: both physical and emotional, and temporary, and any others.

Always say no!

Well, almost always))