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Just say “NO!”

December 13, 2007

I watched a neighbor run back and forth between home and "errandland" three times in less than two hours, a colleague added another work project to her already full plate, and found myself thinking, "No wonder busy men and women today are so stressed - we're afraid to say ‘NO.’" What would happen if we said “NO” and really meant it? ~Debbie Williams

When I ask entrepreneurs what their number one issue is, normally they say that they just do not have enough time in the day. Time management is such an important skill that must be practiced over and over until it becomes habitual. By far, the most effective way to improve your time management is just learning to say “No!” While it may sound glib, saying “No” really does lie at the heart of improving time management.

Learning to say “No” makes our lives much simpler and more balanced. With more time in our lives, we are able to focus on those things that are important to us and our businesses. However, learning how to say “No” is not that easy.

We want to say “Yes” to people because we want to please them and be liked. However, by doing so, we lose control of our lives. By saying “Yes” all the time, we are allowing others to determine how our time is spent, making it impossible to focus on what is important to us.

Other people are always going to ask you to do things differently or to do more things. It is tough to tell your boss or a friend, “No.” However, with courage and the right words, it is possible to get out of this potentially awkward situation.

If Bill comes in and asks your help with the American Cancer Society you can say, “Bill I would love to help you on that worthwhile fundraising campaign for the American Cancer Society, but right now I am involved in raising funds for the American Red Cross.” Just explaining that you would like to help but cannot right now minimizes the pain of saying “No.”

If someone comes in and asks you to do something that is not a priority in your life, you can say, “Bill, I am really honored that you would ask me to chair this Chamber committee, but I just cannot do it right now. How about asking Fred to do it?” You are saying “No” but pointing them a direction that they can go next.

If someone you work for asks you to do a task, it is hard or impossible to say “No.” One approach that I have seen work many times is telling your boss, “Jerry I would love to do the job you asked me to. However, I am working on these two other projects for you. How should I prioritize my time to give you what you want?” Instead of saying “No,” the staff member is just telling me that they really do not have time to work on the new project as well as their other projects. At that point, it is up to me to say “No” to some project in order to get the work done.

Learning to say “No” and facing possible rejection takes a lot of courage. However, the benefits are immense and ultimately, are worth the discomfort of rejection. Now go out and practice saying “No!”

You can do this!