Making Time for Yourself Episode 3: Managing Your Time Better by Learning to Say “NO”
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Overbooked schedule?
There are only so many hours in a day and saying “NO” is one of the greatest time management tools you can use. Sound mean? I know, but, we have to quit trying to be a people pleaser all the time. It could save you a lot of resentment and aggravation in the long run.
I know some people are afraid to say “NO” for fear of the other person getting angry. Let me remind you real quick, saying “YES” to everything will overbook your schedule, stress you out and have you running around like a chicken without a head. Sometimes saying “YES” to everything gets you taken advantage of. Saying “NO” to something means you are respecting YOUR time and sanity. It means you’re taking a stand and letting others know they need to respect your time. Trust me, you’ll feel a whole lot better about saying “NO” than if you begrudgingly said “YES”.
I’m not saying to say “NO” to everything someone asks you to do. I mean, if someone asks you to go to their cousins, uncles, grandmas, 80th birthday, you can easily decline that one.
I know it’s great to be able to do things for others but you have to do things for yourself too. Doing things for others feels good and makes sense but you want to be sure you’re doing it when it fits your priorities not when it compromises them. Again, we’re talking about overbooking yourself and losing your sanity! That is just not worth it in my book.
I love helping others but if I am spreading myself too thin by doing so, I’m not really helping anyone. You don’t want to say “YES” to something you should have said “NO”to and then feel resentment. That only hurts you in the long run.
When someone asks you to do something you can politely say, “Thanks for the offer, I’ll have to check my schedule and get back to you.” That way you have time to think about it and figure out if it is a priority or not. It also let’s the other person know that you value your time and may or may not be able to do what they’re asking of you.
In the grand scheme of thing you ultimately have to think about you and your schedule before saying “YES” to everything. Part of effective time management is learning how to say ‘no’ to people. It doesn’t mean you are rude never help anyone out. Instead it is about learning how to politely and firmly say ‘no,’ while still respecting the person and the request. Any normal human being will be aware that sometimes you will not be able to drop everything and do what they’re asking, even with the best of intentions. It is therefore unreasonable of anyone to expect you to do so. Remember that it is not your job to please everyone all of the time and feeling guilty about saying “NO” will only lead to you taking on more responsibility than you can handle.
Just remember, saying “NO” is not always a bad thing and you shouldn’t feel guilty about considering YOUR time first. Not only will you feel an immediate sense of relief, but you will also have confidence in knowing that you’re spending your time doing things that align with your priorities.
Be Sure to catch Episode 2 on the Series about Creating Rituals
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