Find more freedom by saying ‘No’ at work

Do you have, like I do, this tendency to say “yes” almost all the time at work? Welcome to the club! Unfortunately, as much as a “yes” can make others happy, it can also make our lives miserable… and get us into a commitment that we could later regret. If you are a hustler and a side hustler — juggling a full time job and also working on a passion project — I want to give you reasons and ways to say “no”, as a fair and open method to find more freedom, without compromising your full time job.
Confirm you can still comply with your “must do” activities.
One morning your boss comes to the office, just shows up at your cubicle and says, “Hey, can you please give me an analysis of productivity?” “Can you run these numbers?” “Can you finish these projections please?” Make sure you don’t say “yes” to any extra work, without knowing exactly what’s pending from your regular workload. Be very careful with that. You don’t want to be the one that says “no” all the time, but you want to have a clear assessment of what it is that you need to accomplish.
Remember that the same boss who is now asking you to do certain things — which are extra — is the same boss that will be checking upon your routine, and upon the stuff that you left behind. Make sure that you have really good control over the things that are formally expected from you, before you start adding new responsibilities or before you engage in a new project, inside or outside of the office.
I am not saying that you have to deny everything that is requested outside of your scope. I’m just suggesting that you say something to the effect of: “Let me look into this and tell you by when I can get it done.” But make sure that you start by allocating your must-do activities within your schedule.
Be sure you will be able to excel at the request.
Do you want to be set up for failure? Do you want your boss to tell you, “you are so bad at this”? No! You don’t want any of that going on.
So you have to make sure that you do not let anyone set you up for failure. If someone asks for your help or a manager gives you a project that you are not prepared for, ask open-ended questions that confirm that he or she will be with you in every step of the way. You don’t want your boss to throw something at you and then wait for the results in two or three months. It’s terrible when someone leaves you alone like that, without any feedback, input or support.
Also make sure that you have the skills and the preparation to do the task. If you don’t have the skills, it’s perfectly fine. But make sure that the person that gave you the project will be with you every step of the way, because you don’t want to be set up for failure.
Determine if the deadline is realistic.
Careful with deadlines. You now know what’s on your schedule as far as your regular amount of work. Now the next thing is to determine if you can actually fit this new item and meet this new deadline as well.
Make sure that if the deadline doesn’t sound realistic, you’re able to negotiate it, which will allow you to excel at this new project that you’re taking on. Remember: Deadlines can be negotiated.
Make sure it will not affect your personal life.
Always confirm that what you’re being asked for will not affect the integrity of your personal life. Very important. I’ve been there. I have taken on things that then take over my personal time, and you know what? It’s something that you may regret, just as I have regretted it before. We can all be very work-intensive within a certain time frame. Maybe a couple of weeks, maybe a month, but only a while and not forever. If you’re not able to allocate time for your family and for your personal life in general, then this could be the time to consider saying no, even when the consequences are undesirable.
I know. It’s hard to say no at work. But sometimes when you say no, you will earn the respect of your supervisor, of your co-workers, and of many in your industry. Make sure that you’re not trying to please everybody and be sure that you’re doing the right thing for the company, for your business, or for yourself,
Always be willing, always be open, and always listen to these requests that can become a great opportunity, but make sure that nobody ever sets you up for failure.
