I have met very few people who tell me they like to use the word no. As a parent, you surely remember the phase where you had to tell your child “no” 100 times a day. You may also remember the phase where your child told YOU “no”, 1000 times a day. As a young professional, you likely experienced a superior or mentor telling you that saying “no” could damage your reputation or your career path. As a leader and business owner, many times you likely have found yourself wanting to say “no“ but feeling the pressure to say “yes” in order to support your team, carry the heavy load, or to keep your business alive.
I am here to tell you that saying “no” can be a positive experience, can be the better answer, and that peak performers actually use no as a way to boost their productivity.
Michael Hyatt said, “The secret to reducing overwhelm is to do less, not more.” In order to make a significant impact, you honestly have to say no to many things…even things you find fun, easy, and interesting. When you focus on fewer things, you more quickly master them and you perform them with excellence. You remember the saying, “jack of all trades, master of none,” right? Using the world “no” can help lead you to greater productivity and mastery, leaving the mark on the world and those around you that you desire.
Saying no really is the ultimate productivity hack!
Think about your week so far; what have you said ”yes” to already that you really didn’t want or need to add to your plate? Being a “yes man” or “yes woman” creates a vicious cycle – you likely will become frustrated by your obligations even though you were the one who said yes to them in the first place!
Why do you say “yes” in most circumstances?
- You don’t want to seem rude, selfish, unhelpful, or unsupportive?
- You don’t want to tarnish or strain relationships?
- You may need help from the person in the future?
- You were taught to put others before yourself?
- You feel obligated because of a past event or experience, and you said yes last time?
- You’ve always done it this way, so you didn’t even think to question it?
We think of yes and no as equal and opposite, right? I would argue that while they are opposite, they are not necessarily equal in terms of the weight that they carry. When you say “no”….you are saying “no” to one option, but when you say “yes”…you are saying no to every other option. Think about it from an economist’s perspective. Tim Harford said, “Every time we say yes to a request, we are also saying no to anything else we might accomplish with that time.” Once you have committed to something, you have already decided how that future block of time will be spent. In other words, saying “no” saves you time in the future. It’s like earning a time credit! Saying “yes” costs you time in the future. That’s a time debt! No is a decision. Yes is a responsibility.
While Saying No is sometimes a luxury or a choice only the privileged and already successful have because they have money and power to fall back upon, think of it also as a strategy that can lead you to greater levels of success and power. Say “no” to distractions…say “no” to good ideas so you can focus on the great ideas.
So, how do you capitalize on the power of NO? Start asking, is this task/role necessary? Practice how to say no in advance. Stop telling yourself you have to explain your decision; “no” is a 1-word response! Work on “no” becoming more of a default than yes. “Yes” must be strategic.
Peter Drucker said, “There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all.” What should you not be doing at all? My challenge to you is to think about one area of your life where you can say “no” to create more time. Enjoy the freedom, opportunities and increased productivity that comes with powerfully saying ‘no!”
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