Saying no

A lot of business articles and books teach the importance of saying no - but what do you say no to? How do you know you are limiting your time to the right tasks?

In our work with clients we limit goals to 3 levels:

• What is your ultimate goal (North Star)
• What is your 1 year goal
• What is your 1 month goal

All three of these should align so that natural progression follows. When you have your one month goal in place this is the yes/no decider. If something helps you achieve this short term goal then you do it. If it does not then you don’t.

Saying yes to anything that does not help you reach your short term goal is a distraction that will prevent you from progressing towards your longer term goals. This framework makes it simple to prioritise work and get clarity on what is important.

Summary

• Set a long term goal, and a short term goal
• Use the short term goal to filter work that comes your way
• If work helps your complete your short term goal do it, if it does not don’t do it