What if there was some kind of magical word that automatically saved time? That would be a word worth knowing, right?!
Truly, there is such a word. In fact, it’s a very short word with only two letters. It can be a tremendously freeing word when used appropriately and timely. That word is…
No!
One of the reasons that people get overwhelmed with too much to do is they have an inability to say “No”. None of us have more than twenty-four hours in our day, so we simply cannot say “Yes” to everything! And we don’t even need to say “Yes” to things that will overcrowd our schedule.
Learn this…
You need a margin in your schedule.
That is, you need time to breathe. You need time to not feel rushed. You need time in case there are delays. You need time to be at your best. You need time to devote to things of importance.
Margin. That’s word that should be engrained in your mind when you begin looking at your upcoming calendar and schedule. Learn to say “No”.
Let me give you three key areas in which to do this…
- Demands. First, you’ve got to learn to stop taking on too many projects. Learn to say “no” whenever possible to additional projects until you have completed the one(s) you are already working on. This INCLUDE those “small” projects that seem like they’ll be “quick and easy” – they can sometimes be the worst of all! Learn to say “no” to requests that are going to crowd your schedule.
- Distractions. How much time is wasted on chasing after shiny objects?! Learn to say “no”! There are many things that come along that we can waste away time “reviewing” and “researching”. If it’s not related to the task at hand, leave it alone! You do not want to spend any time on things that will hinder your productivity towards the objective you are working on.
- Diversity. This keeps coming up and there is good reason. It is better to master one thing than dabble at many. Why? Because it sucks the life out of time management to try too many things. Every time you try something and then discontinue it, you have in essence WASTED valuable time. Sure, there are times to test things out – but not at the expense of abandoning things you have already invested in. Learn to say “no” to trying every new thing that comes along when your other primary activities are suffering as a result.
I get that saying “No” doesn’t come easy for many of us. I’m vulnerable to the temptation myself. No question about it. But we cannot use that as an excuse!
Take one good look at your schedule from the past two weeks. And take a look at the schedule for the next two weeks. If it’s overcrowded, there’s a good chance you need to learn to say “no”.
Remember, you need “margin”. You need a cushion in your schedule so you don’t feel overwhelmed and hurried. It’s important that you be able to work productively without the added stress of knowing you’ve got to rush to get everything done.
When you don’t say “no”, bad things usually happen as the schedule is overcrowded with activities and appointments…
- Quality of work suffers.
- Health is affected.
- Production is reduced.
- Relationships are strained.
- Opportunities are missed.
- Enjoyment is sacrificed.
I’m sure the list could go on if I were to press the point.
There’s a secret word that can solve this. And that word is “No”! Learn to say it to save time.
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