Saying “no” to go from “good” to “best”

photo credit: jenny downing

I don’t consider myself a “yes” person. At all.

Anyone who knows me well knows that I’m opinionated to the nth degree. Um. That’s putting it mildly! :)

On the flip side, I do want people to like me (awcckk, my insecurities are showing!) so I will often say “yes” to a myriad of requests. Plus, I don’t like missing out on things. There’s just too much cool work, fun stuff, awesome people and worthy things to be a part of. And on and on.

Added to all this is the fact that not a day goes by when I don’t hear:

Can you edit this?

Can you just look at this one thing …

We need a wordsmith like you to _____.

Will you bring a snack, make a meal, help with this, that and the other.

I am not complaining.

I’m not.

I love the people in my life. My family. My friends. My church. My clients. I love being able to serve, and I sincerely try to put others first. In fact, that’s part of the reason I became a freelancer. I wanted/want  to have flexibility in my schedule to serve others. And, really, what I’m asked just takes moments of my time.

Problem is … those moments are adding up. And up. And up.

And I’m trying to figure it out. I’m going to have to say “no” to some things so I can say “yes” to other things. I know I’m not alone in this. But I am alone in trying to figure it out for MY life.

I’m going to have to say “no” to clear some room in my head. I”m going to have to say “no” to put some margin in my life. (I’m uber-organized and super productive so that’s not the problem, I’m sure.)

Then and only then, when my mind and schedule and heart aren’t so cluttered can I sift through not just what is good, but what is best.

Here’s what I know so far. Please share your ideas!

• I’m in charge of budgeting my 24 hours just like everyone else.
• Saying “no” doesn’t make me a bad person.
• Saying “yes” doesn’t make me a better person.
• I’m a better steward of my resources when I allow a little breathing room.
• Some things take care of themselves if you wait long enough. (Gasp! But it’s true.)
• I potentially rob others of a blessing if I do the thing instead of letting someone else do the thing.
• Continually focusing on low-value tasks leaves little to no room for high-value tasks.
• I’ve missed reading for pleasure and if I really want to I can make time for it.
• Some of my time issues are perception only. (I added up my TV watching for 5 weekdays and it averaged 2 hours a day.)
• Having a couple of “desk days” and limiting meetings/travel to 2 days a week is serving me well.

By JanO on 10/12/11, In creativity, productivity tips and time management, the writing life, Tags client, clutter, freelance, freelancer, good to great, margin in my day, productivity, time management, time problem, words, wordsmith, writer