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Learn to Say, “No”

Overloaded? Overwhelmed? Learn to say, “No.” If you don’t take care of yourself, then who will? Zen Habits‘ blogger Leo Babauta offer these 8 Essential Strategies for Saying No.

  1. Try saying “yes” first
  2. Know your commitments
  3. Value your time
  4. Defer
  5. Be polite, but firm
  6. Pre-empt
  7. “I’d love to, but”
  8. Never say you’re sorry

If you’re going to say yes, then mean it. Otherwise, say, “No.”
Here’s one more. Say, “Yes,” sincerely. Check your private un-spoken conversation (thoughts). Are you thinking, “I don’t want to do this?” If so, you owe it to yourself to either say, “No,” or to negotiate some other promise.

Still having trouble saying, “No?” Remember this: a no is far better than a half-hearted yes. Treat people with the same respect you want. If you’re going to say yes, then mean it. Otherwise, say, “No.”

This entry was posted on Sunday, October 14, 2007 at 4:05 pm. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.


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