Every time you say Yes to something you are also saying No to something else. There are several ways to look at this. When asked to do something that is outside your priorities, if you say no you create the necessary space of time to say yes to something that will make a difference that aligns well with your top objectives.
How many times a day do you personally agree to do something because your normal pace is moving so fast there isn’t really time to fully consider it? Working with innovation experts has taught me that the ability to keep in mind your true priorities provides you with the lens to make better-informed decisions. Simply saying yes to everything will ultimately create a distracted and fragmented day that saying no to things will not.
I’m fond of saying, “Don’t ever confuse making motions with making improvement. “ Living at a deliberate pace is actually much faster because it allows you to make more discerning decisions of how you’re going to spend your time.
A key question to ask while making a yes or no decision is, will my saying yes bring me closer to my priorities or lead me away from them? From there you can decide where you should draw the line.
