Only Respond to Commitments with Either "No" or "Hell Yes"
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Here at the Coaching Blog- one of the world’s leading blogs on the subject of Leadership and Coaching we quite often post articles by leading authors and authorities- today we are delighted to post the following article by Eric Ravenscraft on commitments.
It’s easy to over fill your schedule if you’re not careful. Committing to something you’re not enthusiastic about is a quick way to get overwhelmed. The next time you’re considering whether to add something to your schedule, if your answer isn’t along the lines of “Hell yeah!” then say “No.”
As writer Derek Sivers suggests, this filter can keep you from stacking up your time with events you don’t really care about. Not only does this keep you from wasting time on things you don’t want, it keeps your schedule open for things you do like. Your time is limited. It makes sense to save it for the things that are important to you:
When you say no to most things, you leave room in your life to really throw yourself completely into that rare thing that makes you say “HELL YEAH!”
We’re all busy. We’ve all taken on too much. Saying yes to less is the way out.
Of course, as with anything, there’s a counter perspective. Sivers himself shares a post from writer Sid Savara who suggests there’s a third option: “Hell, why not?” Saying no to all but your favorite commitments is only really helpful if you’re going to replace it with something productive or fulfilling with your time. If saying no means that you’ll sit at home watching Netflix for the fourth night in a row, “Why not?” may be a better option:
On the other hand, if your time is not being utilized at a high rate, before using HELL YEAH (or a lack thereof) as a determining factor, ask yourself – am I going to do something productive with the time I save by not taking on this project, or is this just a cop out?
You don’t have to say yes to everything that comes your way – but I would at least consider dipping your toes in if you don’t have a better option.
No matter which approach you prefer, the goal is still the same: to prevent you from throwing away your time on things you hate because you feel like you have to. Most of the time, we have more choices than we think we do. Sure, you can’t blow off work, and you may have a family or loved ones to take care of. However, your spare time is yours to do with as you choose. If you don’t prioritize it, someone else will.
If You Don’t Prioritize Your Life, Someone Else Will
Deciding what you want to do with your time can be hard. It requires commitment and forethought that many of us get overwhelmed by. The problem is, if you don’t prioritize what you want to do with your time, someone else will have something for you to do with it before long, and you might not like it.
As business blog Harvard Business Review points out, one of the classic examples of where we see this idea manifest is the workplace. If you don’t draw clear lines in the sand and let your employer know that you won’t be working on your off days, you’ll quickly wind up overworked and under-satisfied. That’s great if you want to be the go-getter that moves up in the company. Less so if you have other priorities that you’re not willing to stand up for. HBR describes what this looks like with a woman named Jin-Yung, whose story sounds familiar for plenty of us:
Jin-Yung had never really negotiated with her manager. She would simply say yes even if it threw her life into temporary turmoil, as it often did. She had given unknowable hours to executing every request and task, diligently delivering them in neat and complete packages, no matter the sacrifice.
The site goes on to explain how Jin-Yung put up specific boundaries with her employer and stuck with them. Of course, many employees don’t have to come up with a plan like this, as they have set office hours, or an hourly schedule. However, you can still decide when you’re available, or that you won’t work extra hours. It might mean your boss is unhappy, but if you have different priorities than keeping your boss happy, it’s up to you to stick to them.
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