Do you get to the end of a well planned week and find you’ve been distracted and have actually got very little of what you intended done? So did you really need to do some of the things for yourself and for others that took you off track and even cost you valuable time and dollars? Are you exhausted from pushing yourself to the limit with automatically saying Yes? This problem comes up all the time for coaches and is often one of the client's biggest barriers to achieving some wonderful goals. On saying ‘no’ to yourself: • Is it important to do this right now or could it really wait? • Could somebody else be doing this? • What can I do to make it easier for myself? On saying ‘no’ to others when they make demands on your time that really don’t fit in with your plans: • What is the real benefit I will get personally/professionally if I agree to do this for them (especially if it is a voluntary project)? • How will doing this extra task affect my focus on doing the really important things I need to complete to achieve my goals? • If I agree to this, will I be giving up precious time that could be spent on my goals, with my family or on renewing my energy? This last set of questions is about making it OK to put your needs on at least an equal footing of importance with the needs and requests of other people. Try these ways of saying NO graciously and without giving offence: • 'I'd love to help you, and I’m really busy, but tell me about the project and if I think of something or someone, I’ll get back to you • 'It just doesn’t work for me to do that just now, but can I suggest…’ • 'I can’t see my way to being able to do this in addition to what you have already requested. Where would you prefer I direct my attention?’ • I’m sure you’ll understand I really have just too much on at the moment to give this my best attention.’ If you find the idea of saying NO to someone in a particular work or relationship situation sends you into a tizz, then it could be time to assess whether this is an environment or relationship that really works for you. The bottom line is that learning to say NO confidently can move you forward towards your goals faster than saying YES to everything? “Does an Olympic athlete put training aside when a friend drops in for coffee?”
Article Source: http://bizymoms.com/business
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