When to say "no"

If you know you can’t do a good job, don’t take it on.  If it’s going to distract you from doing work that really matters, don’t do it.

If you’d be unhappy to see it printed in the paper, reconsider.

If it creates a habit that hurts you in the long run, don’t start.

If it doesn’t move you towards what really matters, walk away.

‘Urgent’ seems really important at the time, and it causes us to say ‘yes’ to things that we would be best to say ‘no’ to. How often have you been ‘flat out busy’ yet felt like you achieved nothing?

Don’t fool yourself with the urgent/important matrix; if it’s urgent it’s probably because you neglected the important.

Passion is killed by saying ‘yes’ to the unimportant because it fills our lives with things that don’t move us forward.

Happiness is found in progress, and progress is created when we are conscious of what we say ‘yes’ to and what we say ‘no’ to.