{"id":10297,"date":"2012-05-08T21:37:26","date_gmt":"2012-05-09T05:37:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/?p=10297"},"modified":"2013-09-18T10:03:38","modified_gmt":"2013-09-18T18:03:38","slug":"why-you-need-to-say-no-to-yourself","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/why-you-need-to-say-no-to-yourself\/","title":{"rendered":"Why You Need to Say \u201cNo\u201d … to Yourself"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

<\/a><\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve read much time management advice, you\u2019ll know that the ability to say \u201cno\u201d is an important one. Lots of productive, busy people have a tendency to take on too much because they never want to turn down a request for a favor, or even a new client who they know is going to be a pain to work with.<\/p>\n

But friends, colleagues, and clients aren\u2019t the only people who you need to learn to say \u201cno\u201d to. There\u2019s one other person who can wreak havoc in your life … and that\u2019s you.<\/p>\n

Saying \u201cNo\u201d to Achieve Financial Security<\/h2>\n

We\u2019re all bombarded with advertisements: on television, in newspapers, on the subway, and especially on the internet. And the newest gadgets, DVDs, clothes, and so on are easily accessible, from stores open long hours, or online.<\/p>\n

If your finances aren\u2019t as good as you\u2019d like them to be, perhaps you need to pay more attention to your impulse to buy new things. <\/strong>It\u2019s all too easy for a few small purchases to add up to several hundred dollars a month in unnecessary spending.<\/p>\n

Of course, I\u2019m not saying that you should never treat yourself \u2013 but by resisting the urge to snap up every new goody that comes your way, you\u2019ll truly appreciate the things that you do <\/em>buy. You might want to set yourself a budget for discretionary spending, or keep a spending log for a few weeks to become more conscious of your choices.<\/p>\n

Do it now: If there are particular stores (online or offline) that always tempt you to spend on things you don\u2019t need, make a commitment not to visit them for the next month. <\/strong><\/p>\n

Saying \u201cNo\u201d to Keep Your Schedule Sane<\/h2>\n

If you\u2019re someone who gets excited by ideas and new projects \u2013 and most of us do \u2013 then you might struggle to fit everything into your days. Maybe you\u2019ve taken on too many new tasks at work, or you\u2019re juggling a bunch of different hobbies and interest in your personal life.<\/p>\n

By saying \u201cno\u201d to some of those new project ideas (however good or interesting they might be), you give yourself a much better chance of succeeding at everything else.<\/strong> You\u2019ll get existing tasks done faster \u2013 freeing you up to take on interesting opportunities that come your way in future.<\/p>\n

You could try keeping a \u201csomeday\/maybe\u201d list of ideas, as recommended by David Allen in Getting Things Done<\/em>. These projects aren\u2019t ones that you\u2019re giving up on forever \u2013 they\u2019re just things that you know you can\u2019t fully commit to right now.<\/p>\n

Do it now: Look at all the projects that you have going on right now. Which one(s) could you put on hold for few months?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Saying \u201cNo\u201d to Live Up to Your Values<\/h2>\n

The final area where you might need to say \u201cno\u201d is when a particular action would conflict with your values. This could be something small, like turning off the TV to spend quality time with your family, even though you\u2019re feeling tired. It could be something huge, like refusing to have an affair because you\u2019re committed to your marriage.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re all tempted to take the easy path at times \u2013 but that\u2019s often not where real happiness lies.<\/strong> (And something that looks easy right now might create all sorts of problems in a few days, weeks, or months.) By saying \u201cno\u201d to yourself, you strengthen your will-power, meaning that you\u2019ll be more likely to stick to your values and be the person you want to be in the future.<\/p>\n

Do it now: What do you need to do (or to avoid) today, in order to live up to your own values?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Where in your life have you successfully said \u201cno\u201d to yourself recently? Share your experiences \u2013 and your tips \u2013 in the comments below.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Photo credit: ‘Hand Gesture<\/a>‘ by Big Stock<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019ve read much time management advice, you\u2019ll know that the ability to say \u201cno\u201d is an important one. Lots of productive, busy people have a tendency to take on too much because they never want to turn down a request for a favor, or even a new client who they know is going to be a pain to work with.<\/p>\n

But friends, colleagues, and clients aren\u2019t the only people who you need to learn to say \u201cno\u201d to. There\u2019s one other person who can wreak havoc in your life … and that\u2019s you. Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12163,"featured_media":10299,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[30,6],"tags":[840,1993,66,660,4651,1964,4629,4640],"yoast_head":"\nWhy You Need to Say \u201cNo\u201d ... to Yourself - Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"If your finances aren\u2019t as good as you\u2019d like them to be, perhaps you need to pay more attention to your impulse to buy new things. 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