Saying Yes
From the desk of Managing Director, Aaron Lieberman:
Like many people, I’ve come to the realization that I say “yes” to things more often than I should, in an effort to please others. While taking a selfless approach to life is not inherently wrong, doing for others should not come at the expense of doing what you need to do in order to work towards your own goals. Trying to “work harder and faster” as the accompanying article notes, can lead to feelings of pressure that could potentially affect your health.
Recognizing the plight of my situation, I decided to hire a productivity coach, Carl Pullein, to help me in my efforts to simplify my life. Since I’ve started working with him, I’ve made many changes in the way I handle the requests of others and approach my own work. The hardest part for me has been saying “no” more often. I hate feeling as though I am letting someone down, however, I understand that I need to make time for work that aligns with my priorities, is motivating to me and helps me work towards my goals.
If you find yourself stressed and trying to cram an overwhelming amount of work into your schedule, remember, it’s ok to say “no.” Your health and well-being are more important than trying to be a “people pleaser.” After all, if the people asking favors of you truly care about you, they’ll understand that you need to do what you need to do.
For free resources from my productivity coach, Carl Pullein, visit, https://www.carlpullein.com/.
SAYING “YES” TO YOUR PRIORITIES!
Bringing balance to a busy personal and professional life is challenging. In order to accomplish all that seems necessary, most people resolve to work harder and faster.
Therefore, individuals and families are increasingly experiencing a time crunch. The result is mounting stress and compromised health and vitality. And yet, despite their best efforts, many express frustration about not being able to bring tasks to completion, and having enough time to focus on what or who is most important to them.
No doubt, time is one of the most precious limited resources we have. In fact, most people feel that if they had a choice, they would pick having more time over having more money.
In your own life, you will find that one of the biggest factors that contributes to your life satisfaction is gaining (or regaining) a sense of control over how you spend your time. Ironically, Odette Pollar, author of Take Back Your Life, recommends that the best way to do more is to do less.
For example, don’t keep trying to jam more and more into your over-crowded schedule. Instead, determine to drop several activities and demands. However, you will first need to analyze your priorities. Once you are clear on what is most important to you, then you can eliminate all that does not fit your criteria. Saying “no” more often will allow you to say “yes” to your priorities.
In Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress Free Productivity, author David Allen offers a number of principles and practical suggestions for managing daily activities and responsibilities. He confidently proclaims, “It’s possible for a person to have an over-whelming number of things to do and still function productively with a clear head and a positive sense of relaxed control.”
A key practice in Allen’s methodology for managing our lives is what he calls “outcome visioning.” In other words, picturing in our minds what success would look like and feel like regarding any commitment, activity, or project.
Some individuals call this process a “mental dress rehearsal”—a way of imagining a desired result that helps them to gain clarity about available resources and creative approaches to achieving their financial and life goals.
In your own life, you too will discover that the clearer your vision of the future becomes, the easier it will be to move toward that image. In addition, as you intentionally “make room” in your life for what is most important to you, the sense of satisfaction and fulfillment you experience will increase and multiply.
Reprinted by permission of Money Quotient, NP