Saying no.
My current favourite word is no, and it’s been getting a lot of use lately, especially when it comes to invitations to events that don’t interest me, prospective clients who aren’t the right fit, scammy-seeming tech bros who invite me to connect on LinkedIn, and so much more.
I’ve been channelling Paulo Coelho, who said, ‘When you say yes to others, make sure you’re not saying no to yourself’.
A few days ago, I went through my calendar and realised that by the time I take into account holidays, work travel, and in-person workshops, I only have 12 days left in the office this year.
And of those 12 days, at least seven are accounted for, with client work and other a couple of exciting projects I want to complete so I can best set myself up for 2024.
Saying no didn’t used to be an easy word for me to utter. I said yes to so many more things than I had the energy, time and attention for because I wanted to be “helpful”. I didn’t want people to think less of me, and I definitely didn’t have the confidence to turn people down.
It took a long time, and quite a bit of practicing in front of the mirror, but these days I’m pretty damn proud of my ability to say no.
Not everything I say no to is something I don’t want to do, or something that’s a poor fit.
After reading Oliver Burkman’s book Four Thousand Weeks, I’ve realised there aren’t enough weeks left to do all the things I want to do at work and in life.
My no’s are becoming a lot more considered and a lot more frequent.
I’m also spending more time planning my time so I can focus on what is most important to me.
One of my days that is accounted for is the day I map out my 2024.
I’ve been using this process for almost 20 years, where I sit down and review my core priorities for the year ahead. I look at six key areas and reflect on the past year and set some goals for the coming year.
While I include key work goals and activities in this day, this time is about mapping out a separate life plan.
Questions I ask include:
Where do see myself in 12 months?
What do I want to focus on when it comes to health, relationships and community?
For the first time, I’m running a workshop to share my process with you.
At the end of it, you will have:
A personalised plan for 2024, focusing on six key areas of work and life
Strategies to cut through distractions and define YOUR clear focus areas
Confidence to set intentions, create rituals, and become an action-taker so you can achieve your goals
A set of clear actions for your next quarter
And much more!
Join me on 5 December for a half-day online 2024 Planning Workshop to set you up for a supercharged 2024.
