[Blog] Just 
Say No!

Michelle Hubert

What makes people successful has nothing to do with the fact that they’re smarter or more talented than anyone else. They are successful because they have discovered their unique abilities and have built a framework around leveraging them every day. They develop daily habits, set boundaries and pursue growth in a way that feeds into those abilities.

You’ve probably experienced people who have no boundaries. Everyone knows they can enlist that person’s help; they say yes to everything. But in doing so, they often overcommit—and at the expense of more important items. Stress, anxiety and burnout are written all over them.

As a helper, this is an area I have struggled with. But I have learned that boundaries release us to do our best work, be our best selves and bring our highest level of creativity to whatever problem we’re trying to solve. It’s important to know that we can say no—and in fact, we should be saying no a lot more often than we do!

Wanting to be available to help others is a good thing, as long as it’s kept in check. Often, strengths that are unchecked will lead us away from what we’re trying to accomplish. Building the appropriate boundaries can help us discern what we should be saying yes to.

Here are some recommendations for building boundaries that can help you function at your best:

• Turn off notifications on your phone. Start with email and social media notifications.
• Turn off notifications on your computer (or close your email when you’re not working on it).
• Block specific times of day for returning calls or emails.
• Block time into your week for proactive activities—the ones that help you move things forward.
• Preserve white space in your calendar for you to use as needed.

The thought of some of this may make you break into a cold sweat, but trust me, it’s liberating! We really do not need to know the second that someone posts something.

Reading or reacting to it every moment distracts us from delivering our very best. That little pop-up telling you that you have a new email takes you out of what you’re currently working on and disrupts your work, even if momentarily.

Unless you have a position that requires it, in most cases you do not have to return a call or email immediately. Stay focused on what you are doing that is proactive, and use a specific time block to “catch up” on phone calls and emails. Be sure that you’re blocking time for accomplishing tasks or driving strategy.

And finally, don’t forget to leave some white space in your calendar that you can use as needed. Maybe taking a break, checking in to help a partner or tackling the priority that just came up.

Distraction lowers productivity. Notifications, emails, phone calls and other interruptions that come at us all day, every day are filled with other people’s to-do lists and agendas. It’s important to serve as a resource and help others, but not at the expense of delivering our very best to those counting on us.

Build some boundaries today that corral the chaos and create more freedom!