<ul><li>Not doing something will always be faster than doing it. </li><li>This statement reminds of the old computer programming saying, “Remember that there is no code faster than no code.”</li></ul>

Saying No

<ul><li>We agree to many requests not because we want to do them, but because we don't want to be seen as rude, arrogant, or unhelpful. </li><li>Often, you have to consider saying no to someone you will interact with again in the future.</li></ul>

Why We Say Yes

<ul><li>Upgrading your no doesn't mean you'll never say yes.</li><li> It just means you default to saying no and only say yes when it really makes sense.</li><li> To quote the investor Brent Beshore, “Saying no is so powerful because it preserves the opportunity to say yes.”</li></ul>

Upgrading Your No

<ul><li>More effort is wasted doing things that don't matter than is wasted doing things inefficiently. </li><li>And if that is the case, elimination is a more useful skill than optimization.</li></ul>

The Power Of Saying No

<ul><li><a href="https://deepstash.com/idea/262067/stop-doing-whats-not-working">This is similar to the well-known “Hell Yeah or No” method from Derek Sivers.</a></li><li>If someone asks you to do something and your first reaction is “Hell Yeah!”, then do it. If it doesn't excite you, then say no.</li></ul>

When To Say No

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

<ul><li>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. </li><li>As the investor Pedro Sorrentino put it, “If you don’t guard your time, people will steal it from you.”</li></ul>

The Role Of No

<ul><li>Saying no saves you time in the future.</li><li>Saying yes costs you time in the future.</li><li>No is a form of time credit. You retain the ability to spend your future time however you want.</li><li>Yes is a form of time debt. You have to pay back your commitment at some point.</li><li>No is a decision. Yes is a responsibility.</li></ul>

The Power Of Saying No

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Saying No

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A variation of the optimization trap