Do you have your day so scheduled that if something goes quite not as planned, your entire day is ruined because now, your schedule is off? Are you the woman that when every time someone asks you to do something, you just say yes because you can’t say no? Yes, I will bake 12 dozen cup cakes for the school picnic and have them ready by tomorrow! Yes, I would love to help you paint your bedroom tonight! Yes, I will, I will, I will….. Sound familiar??
Your time is finite–we all only have 24 hours to work with each and every day and once that 24 hours is gone, you can never get it back again. We have to protect our time because we are the only ones who can. Because of that, we need to make the best and most effective use of our precious time.
Here are a few reasons why we like to say “Yes”:
- They will not like me if I say no
- They will forget about me if I say no
- I will miss out on something if I say no
- I will disappoint them if I say no
Here are three tips to help protecting your time
- Create boundaries with your time and stick to those boundaries. For example, between 4-8 on Saturdays is family time or I will work out between 7-8 AM no matter what. Whatever time window works for your needs, create those boundaries and keep them firmly in place–no exceptions.
- Evaluate how much time and effort will the task require. How much time will this task take away from your other responsibilities? Do you really have the time to make those 12 dozen cupcakes by tomorrow morning when you do not have a single cake mix even in your house?
- Is this task something you can do well and can follow through with? Does the task you are being asked to take on require you to learn something new? Will you be able to finish what you start? Evaluate each situation that you are asked to participate in and make sure you can begin it and end it. If you can’t do this, then it is probably best that you step back.
We have gotten ourselves sucked into the habit of being constantly busy but being busy doesn’t mean that we are being productive. Sometimes we are just “busy” and getting nowhere. Use these tips to evaluate a situation that next time you are asked to do something. It is best just to be honest with people and just say “NO”. Doing this will save you the frustration and grief later down the road.
And guess what, it is OK to say no every once in a while. In the end, they probably will still like you, they probably will still remember you, you may miss out on a thing or two, and if they are disappointed in you, they will get over it. Every time you say yes to something, you are saying no to something else. Make the best use out of those precious 86,400 seconds that you receive each day because every second counts!
Do you have any tips to help in protecting your time? Please share them in the comment second below. Have a fabulous and protected day!
I am horrible with scheduling and keeping with times. Never got a handle on it.
It is never too late!
Yes, yes yes! These are exactly what I’m talking about when I try to communicate we don’t always need to say yes! This makes me think of the book Boundaries!
I haven’t read that book but will look it up. Thank you.
Thank you for sharing this. I often feel guilty when I don’t manage time better for family and friends.
Same here. I think this is a common theme among us women.
Love this post! So important for those of us “people pleasers” to learn to say no! Stress helps no one and unless we can give it our best effort, we probably shouldn’t do it. Life lessons…
I love these tips. I definitely struggle with boundaries and need to work on that aspect.
SOOO important for us to remember! This brought to mind the book, The Best Yes, by Lysa Terkeurst. Keeping in mind that I am choosing “the best yes” for me, my family, etc. helped to dissuade my usual guilt. 🙂
We are reading that book in our ladies small group which is why this was probably on my mind. It is a great book!
Saying “no” is so hard! Especially since my schedule is very flexible, I always think I can say “yes” and still get everything done… Which has backfired on me so many times!
Nellwyn | http://www.thecardinalpress.com
Saying NO is difficult but with practice and wisdom, it becomes easier.
YES…time is so important, and it needs to be protected! I have a tendency to be busy but not productive…thanks for all the great tips to deal with this!
Emma | http://www.creativexplorations.com
That is my problem also: busy but not productive!
Yes, creating boundaries is very important. I’ve done it.
Nice job! How is it working for you?
Love it- something I also do is pre-plan my week on Sundays – leaving a few gaps in time for last minute things that come up – once I’m out of time slots – that’s it, I say no!
I love that! Having the time slots is a great idea.