Tag: say no

The Productive You

business-15498_640Have you ever wondered how others manage to be more productive than you? Every person on earth has the exact same 24 hours every day and still some people get so much more done in that time every day. It is easy to get envious… but instead let’s look at 3 ways you can increase your productivity today!

Sleep more!

It feels like you will add to your productivity if you cut back on sleep. You will have more time every day to get stuff done. But it is all a lie. If you don’t sleep enough… you will pay a high price the next day: you will not be able to concentrate. Focus is the secret to getting tons done.

Now you might think that less sleep has no impact on your productivity. Well, you might get away with less sleep for a few days, even a few weeks without noticing the impact this has on you. But try to cut back on sleep for a longer period of time and you will not only lose your ability to focus – you might even get ill or put on weight!

It is better to find out how much sleep your body needs every night and protect your sleep time. Some people thrive on 6 hours rest per night – some others need 8 hours to jump out of bed ready for the day. Keep your sleep sacred!

Learn to say NO!

Is this a challenge for you? We were all brought up to say yes – it was the expected behavior at home and in school. Especially women feel that saying no to requests means letting the other person down. But what happens when you say yes to all new projects, new opportunities while still doing your routine tasks? You will guaranteed become overwhelmed and stressed. Nobody can do 120% all the time.

You need to set your priorities and adhere to them. Try to develop a “cooperative”, solution based communication style. It is important to be able to renegotiate priorities with your boss and coworkers. The best is to begin practicing saying NO today!

Never start a day without a plan!

Plan tomorrow already today – in the last 15 minutes at work or before going to bed. Take 5-10 minutes to write down the plan and if possible do some preparation, too.

If you have an important meeting the next day, you can gather and organize your presentation, write down your questions, pack up your materials, etc today. How calm would you enter that meeting without the drama of not finding the things you need? How confident would you feel totally prepared to answer questions and share your opinion? Taking the extra 10-15 minutes today for tomorrow’s success is so worth it!

If you just manage to get a good night’s sleep to replenish your energy, practice to say No and make a plan before you go to bed… your life will change – there is no doubt about this!

 

 

Small Changes, Big Impact – Part Four

111HDiscover more great tips on how small changes will influence your life deeply in our continued series.

Learn to say No

How many times do you say YES to new projects and tasks at your workplace even though you know you should say No instead? It might be clear from the beginning that you will not be able to finish said project on time. Or you miss resources that enable you to deliver great work. You might feel obligated to take up more work for whatever reason. The result? High level of stress, decreased performance and poorly delivered work. And you might even feel hostile against your job – all bad outcomes.

Just imagine: instead of saying automatically “yes”, take up a serious conversation with your boss or co-worker around the deliverables, time frame, etc. You discover all the important information around the new task, negotiate to find the best way to handle the project and then make a conscious decision to say Yes or No to it.

The same principles apply in your private life, too. If you are asked to organize a school event during a stressful time at the office – feel free to say No or negotiate it.

We often cause ourselves a lot of stress when we feel obligated to say yes to everyone all the time. We feel as though saying “no” is rude. But we all have a limited number of hours in the day and we can’t do everything we’re asked.

Try offering alternative solutions, or even just saying you can’t do it right now. Yes, it’s direct but you probably feel worse saying it than the recipient feels hearing it (as long as you say it nicely!)

 

Trying to be someone else?

Saying no is difficult as we learn early in life that we are supposed to say yes and take up more than we can handle.

Our whole life if full with these “supposed” behaviors. Our parents tell us early on how we are supposed to talk, play, sleep, eat, etc. Then school shows how we are supposed to learn and behave as part of groups. And it doesn’t stop until our last day.

It is so easy to forget who you are really. What true talents and strength do you have? How would you like to live? What is the best way to share your talents with the world? Maybe you have forgotten all the answers…

What if you began exploring your truth? What if you started being yourself?

Just tiny little steps of showing up as the real you will make you happier. If you always had a passion for fashion – why don’t you add a few fashionable accessories to your office attire? You don’t have to look like you just left the Milan runway and still make a statement about loving fashion. If you dream about writing short stories – why don’t you declare a 2-hour writing date every weekend?

We are all different, isn’t just beautiful? We’re not meant to be the same and we all have different destinies. Getting closer to yours might be challenging at first, but it will make you happier at the end.

Would you like to read all parts of this series? Here are the links to our recent series articles: Part 1 , Part 2 and Part 3. Enjoy!