There is a tip, sometimes forgotten, that can really increase your productivity and dramatically reduce your stress level: Stop saying YES when you should say NO.
We probably agree that there are infinite techniques, methods, systems and tricks that allow us to increase our organization and be more productive.
However, there is a tip, sometimes forgotten, that can really increase your productivity and dramatically reduce your stress level:
Stop saying YES when you should say NO.
In the age of communication it seems "normal" to be doing several things at once (the famous multi-tasking). Furthermore, if we are service providers…
It seems natural to us to answer YES to all the demands of our clients and potential clients without even pausing to assess whether we are truly in a position to attend to your request in a timely manner. We do the same with our own activities, objectives and plans, both business and personal. We have so many commitments that if we took a few minutes to assess our situation, we would probably realize that it will be impossible to do so.
But what makes us say YES when we should say NO?
This is how Estevo Raposo answers this great question:
“Sometimes we commit ourselves to perform tasks, even knowing in advance that we have little time for them and that we will probably not be able to complete them. The result is a work overload that is detrimental to our productivity. The reasons for doing this (saying yes when we should say no to accepting tasks) can be:
- Search for gratitude. By agreeing to do the job that others have to do, we are earning their gratitude and acceptance: by getting to like each other, or impressing the boss, we can end up accumulating many more pending tasks than we are capable of taking on. Before doing it, it is worth thinking that not finishing our tasks or doing it carelessly and hastily due to lack of time, generates disapproval almost immediately. Culpability.When a colleague asks us for help, or we are asked to collaborate on an important project and we are really short of time, feelings of guilt can assail us at the idea of having to say: no; however, we must master these feelings by thinking that it is not reasonable to try to do whatever is asked of us. Fear of being expendable. Perhaps, even in a subconscious way, we are assuming tasks above our responsibilities because we think that if we slow down, the organization can conclude that we are not necessary. The best way to become essential is to carry out our work conscientiously and excellently. Feeling of indispensableness.If we believe that it is better to do it than to send it to the best, we are doing more than we can in the belief that we are indispensable and nobody can do the job as well as we do. The unequivocal symptom of this is preferring to miss a deadline rather than delegate a task. You have to realize that it is better to delegate (correctly and efficiently) than to produce poor quality work due to overwork. ”
I invite you to reflect on the reasons raised by Estevo.
A simple "NO" can increase your productivity and considerably reduce your stress level. In countless situations, "less is more."
Finally, I invite you to download this text by Hugo Filkenstein, “No es No»
Increase your productivity, stop saying YES when you should say NO!
