When (and How) to Say “No” To Opportunities - Deepstash
Survival Tips

Learn more about timemanagement with this collection

Basic survival skills

How to prioritize needs in survival situations

How to adapt to extreme situations

Survival Tips

Discover 63 similar ideas in

It takes just

11 mins to read

Outsmart the pleasure principle

Outsmart the pleasure principle

We sometimes say yes to an opportunity simply because it is in the distant future and filling out our planner makes us feel more productive. Saying yes is also easier than saying no. It takes less time and requires no thoughtful explanation. But, when the event comes, we sometimes start to regret our decision.

Sigmund Freud famously referred to these short-term gains for long-term pains as the pleasure principle, our tendency as humans to seek pleasure and avoid pain. When we immediately say yes, we are met with a positive response from the requester, which makes us feel good. However, the pain shows up later down the line, when we actually have to follow through.

143

1.76K reads

Estimate the time (generously)

The next time you are asked to do something that initially sounds exciting, stop and think about how much less exciting work will be involved if you say yes.

Is the total time commitment something you can fit into your schedule? If it is, you considering saying yes with confidence, knowing you will be able to deliver.

112

706 reads

Adopt some hard rules

When developing your own rules, consider your strengths and the type of activities that energize you

For example, you may feel highly anxious attending networking events, but still recognize that building networks is important for your career. As such, you might set yourself a rule that you don’t attend networking events because they’re not beneficial for you, but instead, you proactively reach out to people for one-on-one conversations to build your networks in a less anxiety-provoking way.

115

593 reads

CURATED BY

makidd

I see video and web as a way to reach and inspire people.

stash-superman-illustration

Explore the World’s

Best Ideas

200,000+ ideas on pretty much any topic. Created by the smartest people around & well-organized so you can explore at will.

An Idea for Everything

Explore the biggest library of insights. And we've infused it with powerful filtering tools so you can easily find what you need.

Knowledge Library

Powerful Saving & Organizational Tools

Save ideas for later reading, for personalized stashes, or for remembering it later.

# Personal Growth

Take Your Ideas

Anywhere

Organize your ideas & listen on the go. And with Pro, there are no limits.

Listen on the go

Just press play and we take care of the words.

Never worry about spotty connections

No Internet access? No problem. Within the mobile app, all your ideas are available, even when offline.

Get Organized with Stashes

Ideas for your next work project? Quotes that inspire you? Put them in the right place so you never lose them.

Join

2 Million Stashers

4.8

5,740 Reviews

App Store

4.7

72,690 Reviews

Google Play

Ashley Anthony

This app is LOADED with RELEVANT, HELPFUL, AND EDUCATIONAL material. It is creatively intellectual, yet minimal enough to not overstimulate and create a learning block. I am exceptionally impressed with this app!

Sean Green

Great interesting short snippets of informative articles. Highly recommended to anyone who loves information and lacks patience.

samz905

Don’t look further if you love learning new things. A refreshing concept that provides quick ideas for busy thought leaders.

Shankul Varada

Best app ever! You heard it right. This app has helped me get back on my quest to get things done while equipping myself with knowledge everyday.

Jamyson Haug

Great for quick bits of information and interesting ideas around whatever topics you are interested in. Visually, it looks great as well.

Laetitia Berton

I have only been using it for a few days now, but I have found answers to questions I had never consciously formulated, or to problems I face everyday at work or at home. I wish I had found this earlier, highly recommended!

Giovanna Scalzone

Brilliant. It feels fresh and encouraging. So many interesting pieces of information that are just enough to absorb and apply. So happy I found this.

Ghazala Begum

Even five minutes a day will improve your thinking. I've come across new ideas and learnt to improve existing ways to become more motivated, confident and happier.

Read & Learn

20x Faster

without
deepstash

with
deepstash

with

deepstash

Access to 200,000+ ideas

Access to the mobile app

Unlimited idea saving & library

Unlimited history

Unlimited listening to ideas

Downloading & offline access

Personalized recommendations

Supercharge your mind with one idea per day

Enter your email and spend 1 minute every day to learn something new.

Email

I agree to receive email updates