Many of us tend to over-commit ourselves, especially during the holidays. Rather than give you pointers on how to manage your time, I’d like you to consider the Art of Saying No. In Time Management from the Inside Out, Julie Morgenstern says,
“The act of eliminating tasks involves saying no to other people. If it’s hard for you to say no, you’ll end up doing things you really don’t want to, simply because you feel guilty declining. We all hate to disappoint, but the larger truth is that those requests are going to keep coming your way. Do you really want to spend your ever more precious time doing things just to please others? You need to learn how to balance doing things for those you care about, while still honoring your own goals.”
And finally, there’s the saying: “Stress is when your gut says no, but your mouth says yes.” Isn’t that the truth!
So go ahead, volunteer, help out on that special project, bake those cookies–if you really can, and if you really want to. Sometimes it’s ok to say no.
