“No” is one of our power words. How do you say “No”?

Professional organizer Ramona Creel has a list of twenty ways. Here are seven of them, good for the office and for all the other places that people want some of your professional time (homeowners association board, anyone?):

I DO NOT HAVE ANY MORE ROOM IN MY CALENDAR

* be honest if your schedule is filled
* “filled” doesn’t have to mean really filled
* know when you are scheduled as much as you are willing and stop

I HATE TO SPLIT MY ATTENTION AMONG PROJECTS

* let people know that you want to do a good job for them
* but you can’t when your focus is too divided or splintered
* you will be more effective if you focus on one project at a time

I NEED TO LEAVE SOME FREE TIME FOR MYSELF

* it’s okay to be selfish — in a good way!
* treat your personal time like any other appointment
* block off time in your calendar and guard it with your life

I WOULD RATHER DECLINE THAN DO A MEDIOCRE JOB

* know when you aren’t going to be able to deliver a quality product
* the reason doesn’t matter — not enough time, wrong skills, etc.
* whatever the reason is enough for turning a request down

LET ME HOOK YOU UP WITH SOMEONE WHO CAN DO IT

* if you aren’t available to help out, offer another qualified resource
* helping to connect people is a valuable service to offer
* make sure the person you refer will represent you well

NO

* sometimes it’s okay to just say no!
* just say it in a way that expresses respect and courtesy
* leave the door open for good relations

THIS REALLY IS NOT MY STRONG SUIT

* it’s okay to admit your limitations
* knowing what you can handle and what you can’t is a skill
* your time will be more efficiently spent on something you do well

Click here for -> the full twenty.

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 25th, 2007 at 11:35 pm and is filed under How To..., Organizations and Links, Quotes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.