Silver Clipboard: Time Management Skills and Personal Productivity Tools

The fastest way to free time in your schedule is also the hardest: learning to say ‘no’. It’s a tricky endeavor, doubly so when the person asking something of you is in a position of authority. Here are some suggestions to make the process less painful:

1. Repeat the ‘No’. People expect a conversation to go this way: “Can you help with with project X?”, “I’m sorry I can’t”, “Oh please? I’m really in over my head.”, “Alright, what do you need?” Do not give in to this. When you say no, you have to learn to hold your ground.
2. No Excuses. Never, ever give an excuse for why you can’t do something. If you give an excuse, it puts you on the defense. The person asking will now launch into an attack on why your excuse isn’t (to them) satisfactory. (Not offering excuses, is a good rule in general, not just for saying ‘no’.)
3. Not Enough time “I’m sorry, I’d like to be able to help right now, but my current project take up all of my available time.” For lots of workers, this is the truth. You must not over schedule yourself and, more importantly, you must not let others over schedule you.
4. The Conditional ‘no’ Agree to help, but only if X number of other people agree to help as well. This is the best method for friends who want to move house, or want volunteers to help them with household projects. Moving house with 10 people is a world of difference from moving house with just two.
5. Switch Projects With bosses, often there isn’t a way to say ‘no’ to taking on an additional project. It’s best to keep a projects list and ask your supervisor what project you should stop working on to dedicate time to the new project. This serves two purposes: it reminds your boss of the things you are working on, and it also reminds them that if you start something new, something else must suffer.
6. Do an Excellent Job When You DO Help. On the projects you do say ‘yes’ to, do your best to do a superb job. It will help build your reputation as a person who does great work, but has limited time.

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Header photograph by Daquella manera