The ultimate productivity hack: Learn how to say “NO” with 2 easy systems
Saying “YES” it’s awkward
In my experience, saying yes and putting myself in uncomfortable situations has made me a better person and increased my luck in business and in life.
There is no kind of growth if you refuse to accept all the opportunities that are presented to you.
It may not be opportunistic to say “I’m sorry I can’t” when you can. But is it true that you can? Can you really do it? Do you not end up harming others when you try too hard every day?
Saying yes “to EVERYTHING”
Imagine a busy and “productive” CEO’s schedule. Needing a team of 30 people to accomplish projects. When one appointment ends, she has to move quickly to the next one.
- Say yes to the next project.
- Confirm multiple meetings in one day.
- Accept the next task that comes into your email
that’s slavery
By saying yes to all the “opportunities” that comes. You focus on doing average things and when a wonderful opportunity comes along. You will not have the physical or mental capacity to accept it.
The consequences of “Saying yes”
“No” is a decision and “yes” is a responsibility.
When you say “yes” to something you don’t have the option to use that block of time in any other way. In other words, you say “no” to everything else.
So if you sit down a do some analysis.
Where is this time bill come due?
Who is that taking time away from?
We have time to eat, go to the bathroom, watch TV, gossip, and drive in traffic. Unfortunately this time bill almost always comes down to the family account, sleep, physical exercise, or reading account.
Are you really getting that return?
For example
Yesterday I had a 30-minute meeting at 2:30pm.
I started my day recognizing that I had to be present at this fucking meeting.
So the whole day that’s supposed to be mine, is revolving around a meeting I didn’t even want to have in the first place.
When you say no, you have the option to use that time the way you want. What I mean is, that you say yes to everything else.
Learn to say no
“The real success is autonomy. Being able to do what you like, without having to be controlled by someone or some other external force. Even if they are lucrative or fun opportunities.” — Ryan Holiday
It’s funny because the more you say yes, the less control you have over your life. However, when you’re clear on your values and beliefs, it’s easy to say no to opportunities. Creating rules to do it.
Unnecessary commitments
So you have the time you need to recover and rejuvenate.
- “Sorry, I’m not available.”
- “Sorry; It sounds wonderful, but I’d rather not.”
- “No, I will wait and see.”
- “I don’t like that idea.”
Distractions
To keep your mind focused on what’s important.
- “I do not need that; I will make the most of what I already have.”
- “No, because if I say yes to you, I would have to say yes to everyone.”
It sounds easier than it really is. But with the craziness that happens in your days it’s difficult to prioritize your tasks.
How do you avoid distractions and urgencies, to focus on living healthy and a productive life?
The system to establish your priorities
Warren Buffet has a 2-step system to define his priorities
- Make a list: Write 25 professional priorities on a piece of paper. It was difficult for me to write 25, so I did the exercise with 10.
- Shorten the list: Go through it and circle between 3–5 activities that you have written. These should be the most important in your professional life. They are the ones that will significantly affect your trajectory. The ones that will best benefit you from the compound effect.
Now, you will be able to check your list and see if the new opportunities that arise are part of it. If they don’t then tell say “no”.
It may seem like an overwhelming task to define 3 priorities out of all the ones you should have in your life.
But, the reality is that if all your tasks are priorities, then none of them are. It’s time to sit down and define 20% of your tasks, they generate 80% of results in your professional life.
How to decide what is important
When a new opportunity comes, ask yourself:
Do I want to do this NOW?
If you are excited at that very moment of saying “yes”. It’s surely an opportunity that will be worth it.
When you want to decide to take on a new project follow this 2-step process.
- If you don’t feel anything close to a “HELL YES!”, then say no. Of course, you will lose some good opportunities. But, you will have the time, energy and passion when better ones come along. If you said “HELL YES!”, go to the next one.
- Imagine that it will consume 2 times more time than expected and you will receive half of what was estimated to be paid. Do you still want it? If the answer is yes, take the project. If not, decline politely
Going through these filters will force you to say no more often and say yes to projects that excite you. In the end, those are the ones that align with your principles and add great value to your life.
There are situations in your day where you need to say no to something.
- The waiter who offers you the dessert menu
- Missing your exercises for staying at home
- Distractions such as emails, tweets or messages
Say yes to everything distracts you, blurs you, it makes you an unproductive person. It drains your energy by making you weak every time you say yes.
In every situation ask yourself
- What is this?
- Why does it matter?
- Do i need it?
- Do i want it?
- What are the hidden costs?
- Will I gladly remember to do this in the future?
If I had never found out — if the request had been lost in the mail, if I hadn’t been found — would I have felt like I was losing something?
When you learn to say “no”, you can say yes to what matters.
