If you want to make more money in less time then you need to start saying “no” more often. It should be your default answer.
Having “no” as your default answer has some important benefits – especially when you do it in the right way. Benefits include:
- Control of your headspace and your energy (and time).
- More focus on your high-value opportunities.
- Greater effectiveness for you and your team.
- Improved relationships and more referrals.
Even when you understand the benefits, it is hard to shift your default to “no” instead of “yes”. That’s because so many professionals have been conditioned to say “yes” almost without thinking.
At one point in your life that may have served you. When you were younger and had limitless energy – searching for direction. Not anymore. What got you to this point in your career won’t necessarily get you to where you want to go.
You only have so many quality hours of critical thinking and high-attention time every day. You know, the kind of mental energy you need to do your job. It’s a matter of will, work ethic, or character. It’s brain science.
The brutal truth is that when you say “yes” to one thing, you are really saying “no” to something else. So you must choose wisely – based on your values and your value as a professional.
And you need to have a system to make this work for you. If you’d like to take the first step check out my guide Saying No Without Being Negative. This guide shows you how to create a Stop Doing List – and it gives you the words you can use to say “no” without missing out. CLICK HERE for your guide.