29 min
20 Things You Should Stop Doing - Issue #327 Invincible Career - Claim your power and regain your freedom
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- Careers
Welcome to Invincible Career — a newsletter by Larry Cornett that helps ambitious professionals live better lives. If you find this article helpful or interesting, consider sharing it with a friend or two. If you’ve been reading and enjoying my newsletter for a while, consider a premium membership that gives you access to my private community, weekly office hours, and exclusive professional development prompts and challenges!
Several years ago, I made a mistake.
I declined an early-morning meeting, and the person scheduling it asked me why I couldn’t make it. I shared the details of my existing commitment with him. He said, “Oh! Well, this meeting is much more important than that. Cancel your other commitment.”
I will never let that happen again. How I choose to prioritize my time is my decision. Only I understand the reasoning and the tradeoffs I want to make.
After that day, I forever changed how I manage my time and communicate with people who want a slice of it. I know that my time is a finite precious resource, and I’ll never have enough of it to do the things that matter most unless I fiercely protect it.
Does anyone ever feel like that they just have extra time lying around? I doubt it. Pretty much every person I know says there aren’t enough hours in the day.
How about you? Does any of this ring true?
* I feel like I can never catch up at work.
* 41% of people spend time on tasks they don’t enjoy that don't really get work done.
* I will never complete my growing to-do list.
* Only 2.5% of people can multitask effectively (i.e., they’re supertaskers).
* I’m so tired! I never get enough sleep.
* Over a third of U.S. adults don’t get enough sleep.
* I’d like to spend more time with my family and friends, but I have too much to do.
* 56% of employed parents say it’s difficult to balance the responsibilities of job and family.
* I’d like to exercise and eat healthier, but I’m too busy.
* 67% of Americans say they don’t have time to exercise as much as they’d like.
* I want to take more time off to enjoy life, but I can’t.
* 60% of U.S. adults say they sometimes feel too busy to enjoy life.
Saying Yes can be a problem
There are only 24 hours in a day. You cannot create more time.
You can’t keep robbing yourself of sleep, either. That’s not sustainable or healthy.
You can try to work faster and be more efficient. There are tons of books on productivity tricks and hacks. But that will only help a little.
The real solution is to do less. You have to say no to things that eat up your time to make room for more important things.
I know this isn’t a revolutionary concept. You know that you should be saying “No” more often.
However, if you’re like most of us, that’s easier said than done. You’re thinking it, but you’re not really doing it.
Why? Well, we often bite our tongues and say “Yes” because:
* We want to be kind and helpful.
* We don’t want to appear selfish or rude.
* We’re afraid to upset our bosses.
* We don’t like conflict.
* We don’t want to disappoint others.
* We hope that saying “Yes” now will benefit us later.
In some cases, there are valid reasons to take on more work, tasks, and activities even when we wish we could decline. There are times that doing more is necessary to push through and get things done, get ahead at work, or take care of your loved ones.
However, your time isn’t infinite, and you still need to consider what you’re taking on and who you’re helping. You have to ruthlessly prioritize and rank the demands.
Also, I would bet you’re still saying “Yes” to requests that aren’t worth it. There are dozens of things that you should start declining to reinvest your time in better ways.
I’m just as guilty as most people. I like to help others. I don’t enjoy conflict. I feel guilty about saying “No” when someone wants a little of my time.
But I’ve lived long enough to see
Welcome to Invincible Career — a newsletter by Larry Cornett that helps ambitious professionals live better lives. If you find this article helpful or interesting, consider sharing it with a friend or two. If you’ve been reading and enjoying my newsletter for a while, consider a premium membership that gives you access to my private community, weekly office hours, and exclusive professional development prompts and challenges!
Several years ago, I made a mistake.
I declined an early-morning meeting, and the person scheduling it asked me why I couldn’t make it. I shared the details of my existing commitment with him. He said, “Oh! Well, this meeting is much more important than that. Cancel your other commitment.”
I will never let that happen again. How I choose to prioritize my time is my decision. Only I understand the reasoning and the tradeoffs I want to make.
After that day, I forever changed how I manage my time and communicate with people who want a slice of it. I know that my time is a finite precious resource, and I’ll never have enough of it to do the things that matter most unless I fiercely protect it.
Does anyone ever feel like that they just have extra time lying around? I doubt it. Pretty much every person I know says there aren’t enough hours in the day.
How about you? Does any of this ring true?
* I feel like I can never catch up at work.
* 41% of people spend time on tasks they don’t enjoy that don't really get work done.
* I will never complete my growing to-do list.
* Only 2.5% of people can multitask effectively (i.e., they’re supertaskers).
* I’m so tired! I never get enough sleep.
* Over a third of U.S. adults don’t get enough sleep.
* I’d like to spend more time with my family and friends, but I have too much to do.
* 56% of employed parents say it’s difficult to balance the responsibilities of job and family.
* I’d like to exercise and eat healthier, but I’m too busy.
* 67% of Americans say they don’t have time to exercise as much as they’d like.
* I want to take more time off to enjoy life, but I can’t.
* 60% of U.S. adults say they sometimes feel too busy to enjoy life.
Saying Yes can be a problem
There are only 24 hours in a day. You cannot create more time.
You can’t keep robbing yourself of sleep, either. That’s not sustainable or healthy.
You can try to work faster and be more efficient. There are tons of books on productivity tricks and hacks. But that will only help a little.
The real solution is to do less. You have to say no to things that eat up your time to make room for more important things.
I know this isn’t a revolutionary concept. You know that you should be saying “No” more often.
However, if you’re like most of us, that’s easier said than done. You’re thinking it, but you’re not really doing it.
Why? Well, we often bite our tongues and say “Yes” because:
* We want to be kind and helpful.
* We don’t want to appear selfish or rude.
* We’re afraid to upset our bosses.
* We don’t like conflict.
* We don’t want to disappoint others.
* We hope that saying “Yes” now will benefit us later.
In some cases, there are valid reasons to take on more work, tasks, and activities even when we wish we could decline. There are times that doing more is necessary to push through and get things done, get ahead at work, or take care of your loved ones.
However, your time isn’t infinite, and you still need to consider what you’re taking on and who you’re helping. You have to ruthlessly prioritize and rank the demands.
Also, I would bet you’re still saying “Yes” to requests that aren’t worth it. There are dozens of things that you should start declining to reinvest your time in better ways.
I’m just as guilty as most people. I like to help others. I don’t enjoy conflict. I feel guilty about saying “No” when someone wants a little of my time.
But I’ve lived long enough to see
29 min