Have you ever found yourself overwhelmed with too many commitments? Well, we live in a world that is full, chock full of opportunities possibilities, and truly exciting ventures. But while that's all amazing, It can also lead us down a path of over commitment and burnout even. And that's why it's crucial to understand the power of our choices and the impact they have on our productivity and really on our well-being. Welcome back, everyone, to another episode of the Do More podcast. I'm your host, Ben from benribble.com coaching, where we focus on 3 foundational pillars, leadership, productivity, and organization. Well, I'm thrilled to have you join me today. because in today's episode, we're gonna dive into an extremely thought provoking concept. every time you say yes. You are in turn saying no. It's really all about making wise decisions about how we allocate our time, So grab your cup of coffee or tea or whatever your preferred beverage is. and let's get started. Let's start by exploring the idea that every time we say yes, we are implicitly saying no to something else. Maybe it's when you say yes to that extra project at work. That means that you have to spend more evenings at the office. Maybe that's saying no to spending quality time with loved ones or no to personal hobbies that you may have. Or maybe when you say yes to that extra activity and for your volunteer organization, Maybe that's you saying no to self care and relaxation. Remember, we only have so many hours in a day. And when you say yes to something, you are most likely or always saying no to something else. And we we really often underestimate the value of those 2 simple letters making the word no. And we underestimate the impact it has on our overall productivity and happiness. So The big question here is, how can we make wiser decisions about how we allocate our time? Well, the first step is to gain clarity about our priorities. We have to know what our priorities are in order to make informed decisions. Right? What is it that truly truly matters to you? I want you to take a moment to reflect on your core values, the things that matter, the absolute most to you. and then focus only on the activities that align with those core values. And by understanding what's truly important to you, what your core values are, your beliefs are, Then you'll be better equipped to make decisions that support your overall goals and your aspirations. And another essential aspect of decision making is learning to assess the opportunity cost. Learning to assess the opportunity cost. Whenever a new opportunity comes knocking on your door, it's crucial to evaluate not only the potential benefits that it may bring you, but also the potential drawbacks and the time and energy that it may require from you. You'll need to weigh these factors one against the other. And doing so is gonna allow us to make more informed choices and really to avoid spreading ourselves too thin to the point that we're miserable. Now, of course, we all know that saying no isn't always easy. Sometimes it's downright hard because and this gets me right here, We wanna please others. We're people pleasers. We want to avoid disappointing others, right? and we always strive to be seen as reliable and dependable. You know, that's that's one of those things that innately I want people to come to me because I am reliable and I am dependable. But remember, saying no doesn't mean you're being selfish or uncooperative. Friends, I'm gonna repeat that for those of you in the back. saying no doesn't mean you're being selfish or uncooperative. It simply means that you value your time and your resources and that you recognize the importance of maintaining a healthy work life balance. So how can you do that in your own life? how can you make those decisions? You know, we we we talked about knowing your your core values, saying no, but how can you make better decisions? when it comes to your time and your energy. Well, here are a few practical tips that I've come up with. First of all, Give yourself permission to pause. Pause before responding to requests pause before responding to invitations, pause before responding to demands on your time and energy. Friends, I want you to physically take a deep breath when someone asks you to commit. I want you to take a deep breath, and I want you to assess your your schedule, your calendar, what your energy level currently is right now. And I want you to consider whether the the commitment aligns with your priorities and your core values. And believe me, it is okay to say to someone, let me get back to you on that I can't make a commitment right now. Or maybe you say, let me check my calendar and I'll get back to you. Doing this gives you the opportunity and the time that is necessary for you to think about to assess the the opportunity, the activity, the commitment that you're you're getting ready to make. And the fact of the matter is if you're going to decline participating in this activity, or you're going to turn away from this commitment. Now is the time to do it. No one wants someone to commit to something for it to be an empty commitment and for them to later, you know, turn it down or decline it later after they've already committed. It's absolutely best for everyone. if you if you plan to, to decline the commitment that you do that early on. Okay? And also what that does is that keeps you from coming across as flaky or, unreliable, not dependable. k? If you decline early on, nobody's gonna think anything more about it. However, if you wait until you've already committed or, you know, there's a due date tomorrow. Friends, I guarantee you that you're gonna frustrate people and it's gonna be harder to get out of the commitment unscathed. k. So remember that give yourself permission to pause. Let me check my calendar. Let me get back to you. So on. Our second strategy or practical tip here is practice the art of delegation. Sometimes we say yes. Because we feel like we're the only ones capable of getting the job done or the only ones capable of getting the job done correctly. I've heard that. I've probably said that, but we need to remember that when we delegate tasks, to other individuals. Not only do we create space in our own schedule for things that truly matter to us. But friends, what that does is that gives us the ability to empower someone else to do something or, you know, to create or it it allows someone else to step in and do something or find themselves, you know, in that area. So That was step number or excuse me, practical tip number 2 practice the art of delegation, delegate. And the 3rd tip that I have for you is learn to set boundaries. You know, I want you to think about Think about a dog that that runs free in the front yard. but he he has a fence Right? That fence is there for more than more than just to keep him in. Right? That fence is to keep him or her safe, keep that dog safe, and it protects the dog. It gives it clear indicators of where it can and can't go. And the same thing happens when we establish clear boundaries to protect our time and our energy and our overall well-being. And it's important that you first know where those boundaries are in your life on your time You know, do you protect Sunday as a family day? Do you protect Sunday morning for church time? Do you have, you know, dinner time at 6 o'clock with your family and you you, insist on being there every day, every night at 6 o'clock so that you can have dinner with your family. Whatever it is. No judgment from me on what it is or what it isn't even. but we all have boundaries that need to be set so that it's clear for us And for those that we work with our our colleagues and so on, that they understand that we have limits on when they can place demands on our time, right? So make sure that you communicate those boundaries and limits effectively. And again, I'm gonna say it. Don't be afraid to say no. When it's necessary, when somebody requests something from you that is outside of your boundaries. Don't be afraid to say no. If you feel it's necessary, you can explain to them. I'm sorry. I've set that time aside so that I can xyz/abc, whatever it is. And remember As I said before, it's better to say no upfront than to stretch yourself too thin and potentially compromise the quality of work. or have someone think that you are not dependable or that you're flaky. we don't want those things. Alright. Well, my fellow productivity enthusiasts. We've covered quite a bit in this episode where we've talked about every yes being a no. But the next time an opportunity arises, I want you to remember that. Remember that when you say yes, you are in turn saying no to something else and value weigh the value of the yes versus the no, the opportunity cost there. Okay. Alright. Well, I hope you enjoyed today's episode of The Do More podcast. Remember, every time you say yes, you are in turn saying no to something else. I'm gonna say it again and again and again because driving that home is important for all of us that saying yes is in turn saying something is saying no to something else. and by making wise decisions about how you allocate your time, what your core values are, you can achieve greater productivity and fulfillment in both your personal life and your professional life. Now friends, if you found this episode helpful, I want you to be sure that you subscribe to our podcast and leave us a review on whatever podcasting platform you're listening on. And don't forget to share this episode with your friends and colleagues, especially those who you know need to set some boundaries in their lives because they're always saying yes. and never realizing the things they're saying no to. Thank you again for tuning in to the Do More podcast. Again, my name is Ben, and I'm your host and productivity coach. If you want to stay updated on what's going on with, with our coaching, platform jump over to benribble.com and fill out the simple form there. But all I'm asking you today, friends, is to join me next time on this podcast as we explore more strategies and tips to help you unlock your full potential. And until then, remember to make intentional choices and say yes to what truly matters. Stay productive friends, and remember to make today a great day.
