Its okay to say no!

While continuing reading through books and articles, completing my research on time management, there was a section asking what kind of time waster are you? I found out I am in the category labeled “The Dog”. This means that I like to take on lots of other tasks and jobs from other people just to help them out, to look like a better worker to them, or to boost my own self-esteem. When doing this, I do not realize the amount of time and work this will take, on top of all my other workloads. This causes me to become stressed and overwhelmed, leaving me with little or no time to complete all the tasks I must do.

This led me to read another section of the book Smart Guide to Managing Your Time by Lisa Rogak, “Learning How to Say No”. In this section of the book, it talks about when you are asked by someone else to do something, you feel the need to say yes so don’t miss an opportunity or you’re afraid of their reaction. In reality, your expectations of what the person may say when you respond “no” is far from what they will say. The person probably won’t be mad, considering everyone has lots of tasks and accomplishments needed to be done. You don’t have to say no in a nasty way and you don’t need to explain yourself for not being able to take on the task. For example, Lisa Rogak writes, “You may also be surprised to discover that usually all that’s needed to settle even a complicated issue is a simple no, without the lengthy and overly detailed explanation you feel compelled to offer” (1999). This means that even though you feel like you need to explain why you just said no, you do not need to tell the other person why. You do not need to justify your no. It could simply be because you cannot complete the task in enough time.

Reading this section of the book helped me understand that it is okay to say “no” when you want to. You do not always have to say “yes” just because you want someone to like you or because you are afraid of their reaction if you say “no”. One of the main problems people have with time management is not being able to say no, but remember, it is okay and you won’t be liked any less for managing your time effectively.

Rogak, L. (1999). Smart Guide to Managing Your Time. New York: Wiley.

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