The Ultimate Productivity Hack is Saying No | James Clear - Deepstash
7 days with Seth Godin

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7 days with Seth Godin

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Introduction

  • Not doing something will always be faster than doing it.
  • ”Remember there is no code faster than no code.”

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Why We Say Yes

  • We agree to many requests not because we don’t want to do them, but because we don’t want to be seen as rude, arrogant, or unhelpful
  • Collaborating with others is an important element of life. The thought of straining the relationship outweighs the commitment of our time and energy. 
  • For this reason, it can be helpful to be gracious in your response. Do whatever favours you can, and be warm-hearted and direct when you have to say no.

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The Difference Between Yes and No

  • No means you are only saying no to one option. Yes means, you are saying no to every other option.
  • Once you have committed to something, you have already decided how that future block of time will be spent. Saying no saves you time in the future. Saying yes costs you time in the future. 
  • No is a form of time credit. You retain the ability to spend your future time however you want. Yes is a form of time debt. You have to pay back your commitment at some point.

No is a decision. Yes is a responsibility.

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The Role of No

Saying no is an important skill to develop at any stage of your career because it retains the most important asset in life: your time. 

“If you don’t guard your time, people will steal it from you.”

  • Pedro Sorrentino

You need to say no to whatever isn’t leading you towards your goals. You need to say no to distractions.

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Upgrading your No

  • Over time, as you continue to improve and succeed, your strategy to approach taking up tasks needs to change.
  • You will need to say no to distractions plus opportunities that were previously good uses of time, so you can make space for great uses of time. 
  • You will increasingly learn to only say yes when it really makes sense.

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How to Say No

  • Ask yourself, “If I had to do this today, would I agree to it?” This works because any future task you commit to will eventually become an imminent problem.

“There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all.”

  • Peter Drucker

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