Productivity is about deletion… not addition.
It’s not about adding more to your already full plate, it’s about deleting activities from your plate.
One of the most effective ways to delete or delegate activities from your already growing list of responsibilities is to say no… and say it often.
We need to say NO often … and over and over again. Clients from around the world, struggle with this powerful word. People want to be seen as ”team players” and feel that if they say “no” they might offend someone.
No is a full sentence.
No doesn’t require explanation.
No means no.
We love “no.” We think it is a great word to become your friend if you want to sound more productive.
Of course the power of no is all in your delivery (tone, inflection and facial expressions).
A few ways to help you say no more easily include:
Understand your priorities and have them in writing – This could include keeping your calendar up to date with activities and your goals posted in clear view to remind you.
If someone invites you to an event, you can refer to your calendar and comment, ”Thank you for thinking of me, however I am already committed at that time.”
Before you say no also understand the full extent of what you are being asked to do or attend. Sometimes we think there is more (or maybe even less) involved than is true. Ask several questions before giving your response.
1. Am I the best person to do this?
2. Does this timing work for me?
3. Do I have all the information required to make this decision?
You could also ask yourself another simple question; “Is this the best use of my time right now?” This simple but effective question will allow you to discontinue working on something and refocus on what matters.
Deletion might mean delegation – You might also like to ask yourself, ”Am I the best person to be working on this?“ Are you investing time in activities that could potentially be delegated or outsourced to others that could help you achieve your goals?
In his book 18 minutes, Peter Bregman suggests, ”We need to quickly and confidently identify and reduce our extraneous commitments, to know for sure whether we should deal with something or avoid it, and to manage our own desire to be available always.” His advice is powerful when considering collaborating with others, trying to turn down an invitation and in our everyday responses during emails and meetings.
Keep your answers short when responding with a no – if you attempt to over-explain or give too much detail, you might sound like you are making an excuse. No one wants to hear that.
If you do need to say no to a task or project, can you recommend someone else so that you are also able to assist the person making the request?
We all know we don’t have time to do everything; we only have time to do what matters.
To allow you to achieve what matters, consider these strategies to help incorporate ‘no’ into your language:
Just say ‘no’ – No doesn’t require an explanation. You can still gracefully decline an invitation for a social event or a meeting request on the condition that you do it with kindness and don’t go into a long-winded explanation. If you can’t attend an event simply say, ”Thank you for kindly thinking of me. “ That’s it – nothing else required.
Deletion is a choice (just like addition), however some of the most productive people I know do less… not more! What can you choose to delete today?
In the book Anything You Want, Derek Sivers says, ”When you say no to most things you leave room in your life to throw yourself completely into that rare thing that makes you say, ‘hell yeah’.” We LOVE this quote.
Saying no allows you to say yes to activities that energize you.
What do you need to say no to so you can say ‘hell yeah’? Share your ideas with us here on our blog.
PS. If you want more ideas on how to increase your productivity – check out other blogs here and several eBooks you can share with your team. You might especially like our eBook on Work Life Integration.
