Start to say "No" - DW

"Not doing something is always faster than doing it -

By - James Clear

This simple yet effective statement applies not only to computer programming but also to our life.

There are many meetings held that don’t need to be held.

There are a lot of codes written that could be deleted.

It is worth asking if things are necessary. Many of them are not and a simple “no” will be more productive than whatever work the most efficient person can muster.

Why we are Saying Yes?

We say yes to many requests not because we want to do them, but because we don’t want to be seen as rude, arrogant, or unhelpful. Often, you have to consider saying no to someone you will interact with again in the future—your co-worker, your spouse, your family and your friends. Saying no to these people can be particularly difficult because we like them and want to support them.

Saying no is sometimes seen as a luxury that only those in power can afford. But it is also true that saying no is not merely a privilege reserved for the successful among us. It is also a strategy that can help you become successful. Saying no is an important skill to develop at any stage of your career because it retains the most important asset in life: your time. You need to say no to whatever isn’t leading you toward your goals. You need to say no to distractions.

Diff b/w Yes & No

The words “yes” and “no” get used in comparison to each other so often that it feels like they carry equal weight in conversation. In reality, they are not just opposite in meaning, but of entirely different magnitudes in commitment. When you say no, you are only saying no to one option. When you say yes, you are saying no to every other option.

Every time we say yes to a request, we are also saying no to anything else we might accomplish with the 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. Saying yes costs you time in the future. No is a form of time credit. You retain the ability to spend your future time however you want. Yes is a form of time debt. You have to pay back your commitment at some point.

No is a decision.

Yes is a responsibility.

Nobody embodied this idea better than Steve Jobs, who said, “People think focus means saying yes to the thing you’ve got to focus on. But that’s not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are. You have to pick carefully.” There is an important balance to strike here. Saying no doesn’t mean you’ll never do anything interesting or innovative or spontaneous. It just means that you say yes in a focused way. Once you have knocked out the distractions, it can make sense to say yes to any opportunity that could potentially move you in the right direction. You may have to try many things to discover what works and what you enjoy. This period of exploration can be particularly important at the beginning of a project, job, or career.

The Power of Saying No

The opportunity cost of your time increases as you become more successful. At first, you just eliminate the obvious distractions and explore the rest. As your skills improve and you learn to separate what works from what doesn’t, you have to continually increase your threshold for saying yes. You still need to say no to distractions, but you also need to learn to say no to opportunities that were previously good uses of time, so you can make space for great uses of time. It’s a good problem to have, but it can be a tough saying no to yourself.

It’s not just saying no to others that’s important. You also need to learn how to say no to yourself. One of the biggest obstacles to productivity is the tendency to get sidetracked by our own desires. We all know the feeling of being in the middle of a project and suddenly getting the urge to check social media or watch a YouTube video.

This is where the power of no comes in. You need to say no to yourself just as often as you say no to others. This means setting boundaries and establishing rules for yourself. You need to decide what you will and will not allow yourself to do during work hours.

One way to do this is to establish a routine. By creating a set schedule for yourself, you can eliminate the decision-making process that often leads to distraction. When you have a routine, you don’t have to decide whether to work on a project or check your email—you just do what you have scheduled for that time.

Another way to say no to yourself is to eliminate temptations. If you find yourself constantly checking your phone, consider leaving it in another room during work hours. If social media is a problem, use an app blocker to limit your access.

The key is to be intentional about your time and energy. Don’t let yourself get sidetracked by things that don’t matter. Focus on what’s important and say no to everything else.

Conclusion

By learning to say no, you can focus your time and energy on the things that matter most. You can eliminate distractions and stay on track towards your goals.

But saying no is not always easy. We often feel obligated to say yes, even when we don’t want to. And as we become more successful, we face new challenges in deciding what to say yes to and what to say no to.

The key is to be intentional about your decisions. You need to decide what’s important to you and make sure that everything you say yes to is leading you towards those goals. And just as importantly, you need to say no to everything that’s not.

So next time you’re faced with a request, take a moment to consider whether it’s something you really want to say yes to. Remember, saying no is not just a way to save time—it’s a way to invest in your future.

The End

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