N-O spells YES!

I came upon something brilliant in a Harvard blog.  Yes, I said Harvard so it must be smart.  Here it is: No is the new yes.  Think about it for a second.   

The blog was talking about work place behaviors.  People spend too much of their time responding and not enough time producing.  This especially is true in work places with micro managers.  The blog argued that saying "no" to the multiple requests each day is really saying "yes" to the best use of your time. 

No as the new yes most definitely applies beyond the job. 

I used to have a problem saying no.  No to being on some committee, no to watching someone's child, no to volunteering for a bunch of stuff.  Much of it I enjoyed, but some of it I said yes to because I hadn't yet learned to say no.  I felt obligated out of friendship - as if saying no would turn someone against me, the worst possible of outcomes.  Someone might not like me?  AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

I have observed that many people learn to say no early in  life.  They tend to be confident type people.  They value their time because they believe their time is valuable.  Simple concept.  Well, not for all of us.