4 Specific Strategies to Start Saying No More Often
Have you ever felt like you were totally in over your head at work?
Being the Captain of your own life (whether you work for yourself or someone else) means that sometimes you may have overestimated how much energy you’d be able to dedicate to work.
I’m ALL about setting up healthy boundaries to avoid getting burned out. Really, it’s the only way to level up your career.
So why is saying no so important? Well, too many of us are overwhelmed, under-appreciated, and under recognized for what we do day in and day out.
HOW YOU CAN START SAYING NO TO THINGS THAT DON’T SERVE YOU
It may feel awkward at first, and you may notice some new guilt, but you should always focus on doing things that are right for you. Here are four ways you can start (politely) saying no:
Be specific about what you want to eliminate. Write down what you want to eliminate from your workplace or life. Review your calendar & reflect on your To Do list, too. Based on your future goals, what do you need to eliminate that is irrelevant to your future goals? Pay close attention to things that are regularly part of your schedule. Perhaps there was a period of time when you committed to a task or a project, but you might have outgrown that task. Or maybe you - what do you want to give up so you can do more of something else?
Replace the negative things with a positive. Be specific on what you want more of in your life! Who is it that you want to spend more time with? What specific ideas do you want to execute more on? How often do you want to exercise per week? Avoid ambiguity and get crystal clear on what you want more of. The more specific you are about what you don’t want, the more likely you are to achieve more YES’S.
Be transparent about your new boundaries to your closest friends, family, coworkers. The more people know about your plans or vision, the more likely they are to understand them. This is a big reason why having an accountability buddy is so helpful in your professional and personal life. For example, if you want to eliminate alcohol from your life, tell your friends and family so they know not to ask you for a cocktail after work or during the holidays.
Commit to creating new new habits. You’ve been pretty used to saying yes to everything. Not anymore! Your default should say be NO. In the beginning of this transition, practice the art of saying NO. While you do not have to say it to person asking you, you can say “thanks so much for the offer to be included, when do you need to know the answer?” OR “I love this idea, can I get back to you depending on my bandwidth and if I am able to take more on projects?
Above all else, celebrate your no’s. We tend to focus on the successes in our life such as accolades, money earned, graduating from school, but look beyond this! Celebrate your own PERSONAL GROWTH, such as setting boundaries and only saying yes to things that make sense to you.
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