Want to be Even More Productive? Start by Saying No!
Ever feel forced to say Yes to a friend or boss but later feel stressed out and full of regret? Do you say Yes to be nice, help out, or just be a good team player even though your plate is full (or you simply don’t want to do something)? There’s an easy solution to saying No and regaining your POWER. Use these five simple steps to saying no without feeling guilty.
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Plan Ahead (P) – anticipate who is going to make a request and prepare your answer ahead of time so you are not caught off guard (and end up saying Yes by default). The request might be watching someone’s pet, preparing a report at the last minute, or accepting a party invitation where you don’t really enjoy the other attendees. When you are prepared for the request, it gives you confidence to say No so you don’t waffle with a loss of words and get talked into something you just don’t want to do.
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Offer Alternate Solutions (O) – while not required, it is helpful to offer another choice when you can’t help someone. Simply saying you aren’t available but sharing 1-2 names of other people who may be makes you look helpful and considerate. It also may help squash any guilt you may feel by not saying Yes.
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Why You Shouldn’t Feel Guilty
– we are each responsible for our own time and happiness. When we let other people drive our decisions, it fuels regret and unhappiness which is not productive. No good comes from giving up our power to other people and it can even lead to illness. You have every right to say Yes or No to any request – it’s totally your decision.
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Explanation Not Needed (E) – while we often feel we need to explain why we say No, it’s really not required. Often we give an explanation so we don’t feel bad or we want the other person to accept our reasoning. If you just say No without the excuse or justification, it can even make the other person even more curious about why you said No. While that make feel awkward at first, it will pass with time. Just say No and stop talking.
Rehearse No with Little Things (R) – if you say Yes more often than you want, it may take some time to get used to saying No before it feels natural. To get practice, start by saying No to little things. When someone offers you a stick of gum or a mint, say No. When the waiter tries to refill your water, say No. When co-workers suggest a restaurant for lunch that you really don’t enjoy, say No. After a while, saying No will feel more natural.
The POWER system provides simple, but effective techniques to increase your productivity. Many people associate productivity with time management – but it’s so much more. It’s doing the right things with your organization, resources, and mindset to get where you want to go even faster. If you loved these 5 tips, I invite you to visit my blog and podcasts to learn even more productivity ideas to rock your life and business.
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Nancy Gaines is the CEO and Founder of Gain Advantages, Inc., a company which serves individuals and corporations to accelerate impact and performance. This is accomplished through solutions, education, and knowledge-based proven systems that enable high achievement and results.
In addition to speaker, training, and consulting, she has created three successful companies of her own and spent almost two decades consulting to Fortune 500 companies like Shell Oil, Clorox, Office Max, and IBM. Nancy has shared the stage with Greg Reid, David Corbin, Karen Leland, and Blair Singer. She is a best-selling author who was recently featured in All You Magazine, Trulia, Roomi, and CafeMom.com.
If you have a situation with your business where you want to do something differently, how long do you want it to take? Do you want change over 6 months, a year, a month? Nancy and her team work with people who are stuck in their business and they don’t have the time or patience to let things unfold with a traditional business coach. Most business owners want change right now. Try SPEED CONSULTING and accelerate your business in 1 Day. Get started now at www.NancyGaines.com or call 800-360-8694.
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Thank you to Nancy Gaines for sharing with us her knowledge. I have been wanting to someone to write this style post for some times now. If you are interested in being a Guest Blogger on my site, please email me your topic (or the completed article 250 words or more, 3-5 images and a bio) I look forward to hearing from you.
Xoxo,
Trisha Trixie
TrishaTrixie™ Sprinkler of Fabulousness 
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