To
successfully own your business, you have to find a balance between work and
life. And finding that balance often
means knowing when to say no. People shy
away from saying no for fear others will dislike or resent them. But saying no when you honestly know you can’t
take on another volunteer project, answer another interruption, or be late for
another meeting is important for maintaining your sanity. It’s a lot like going to the gym. You dread it up until the time you’re
finished. Then you realize it was the
right thing to do.
You are
in the driver’s seat for how you let people treat you. Below are a variety of ways to keep you there:
1. Say no three times in the mirror every morning.
love to
take credit for this one, but I can’t. It’s
a tip that has been passed down through generations of women at my church. If you constantly get asked to volunteer or
take on more than you can, say no three times in the mirror every morning. Then when someone asks you to volunteer your
time or take on something extra, you can honestly respond by saying, “Thank you
for thinking of me, however I’ve already said no three times today, so it just
wouldn’t be fair.”
2. Make everything an appointment.
If you
often find yourself crunched for time between meetings or as you head out the
door after work, it’s time to set boundaries.
Explain to the other person you have another appointment/meeting to get
to, and politely excuse yourself. Your
obligation could be anything from picking children up from school to locking
yourself in your office to meet a deadline.
There is no need to go into detail about what the appointment or meeting
is. Not only are you gently telling the
other person no (and letting them save face) but you are also telling yourself
no. No to lack of time management. No to feeling frazzled. No to feeling like you are at the whim of
others.
3. Turn off interruptions throughout the day.
Say no to
interruptions by simply turning them off.
Set your email auto-responder and voicemail. Explain that you are currently unavailable
and let people know when you’ll return. When
your time is up, respond to messages immediately. A similar method can be used with children. When you need time to get things done around
the house, set a timer. Explain to your
children they need to entertain themselves until the timer goes off. When it does, end what you’re doing and join
them.
4. Just say it…and end with a positive.
Sometimes
you just have to be direct. There is no
other way around it. But saying no doesn’t
mean you’re cruel and self-centered. If
you think your no is going to cause a problem end it with a positive. “No, I can’t write a 255 page report for
tomorrow morning’s meeting. But I can
create a short presentation containing the important points.” Set your boundaries but offer an olive branch. It keeps them happy and keeps you sane.
Learning
to say no when you really need to is a huge step in the direction of growing
your business and maintaining work/life balance. It also helps you appreciate all the times
you can say yes.
So how do
you put a halt on being overextended?
By Morgan
L. Leu Parkhurst
Source
Shar MIND Marketing
