Last week I found myself in a position where a friend asked me to join a charity committee. She was very excited about this opportunity and it was a great cause. “Your skills in the office are just what we need to keep everything organized!” The more she spoke, the more excited I became about the committee.
Before I blurted out “I would love to help you!” I asked her if I could take a night to sleep on her request. The process of stepping back and taking a look at what I had already committed to others gave me time to put her request into perspective.
Though I would love to help her committee, I told her I was flattered she had thought of me but with my prior commitments, I was not able to join the committee at this time.
It is not easy to say no, either to a colleague or to a friend. We don’t want to hurt our friend’s feelings and we certainly don’t want to be perceived at work as someone who doesn’t contribute to the team. So what do we do?
We say yes, yes, yes to everything without thinking how it will affect our own productivity.
We want to be a team player but saying yes to everyone’s request bogs down our own work efficiency. When our own work suffers because we are working on someone else’s project, it creates more stress for us. We work longer hours and struggle to get all the work completed.
How do we say no when our plate is already overflowing?
- Ask for time to consider the request. By taking a step back, it gives you time to consider your other commitments and determine if saying yes works in your schedule.
- I would love to help but . . .One of the best ways to say no is to say I would love to help you but I have already promised to complete this project for (insert client, colleague, etc.) by (insert date).
- Ask if the request must be completed immediately. Another solution is to ask the person who is requesting the help if you could work on the project at a later date. This would give you more time to complete the project to the best of your ability. You are not saying no to their request, only delaying your help to a time when you can comfortably complete the work.
- Keep your reason why you said no short. When giving a friend or colleague a no response, keep your response to one reason as to why you are saying no. Do not go into elaborate reasons as to why you are too busy, or that you have so much on your plate, or why you are so overwhelmed. The more you embellish why you are saying no, the more you will sound like you are making excuses. Keep your “no, thank you” short.
- Don’t go looking for extra work. To help with your own productivity, don’t offer help when help is not required or requested. If you are leading a team to complete a project, give the team the tools to make the decisions but do not step in with every problem or question. Let the team work through their problems and questions on their own. They will thank you for allowing them to learn new skills and you will not be taking on the team’s work.
- Do not say no in an email. Though the urge to say no in an email can be very tempting, try to avoid it if possible. Though the goal in an email is to avoid saying no face to face, the person on the other end of the email may not know if you are sincere or if you are just giving an empty excuse.
We all experience times we are not able to say no. When a direct superior is requesting extra work, ask which project is the priority. It will make them aware of the number of projects you are working on and also make them decide which project should be your top priority.
If you are a new member of a team or the youngest member of a team, you may be expected to take on a heavier workload. Again, ask what the priority task is and go forward from there.
Take a look at the other time drains we discussed in this Productivity Series. Apply the suggestions to your workload to increase your productivity and reduce daily stress.
How do you say no to a colleague? Do you find it more stressful to say no or do you just say yes and to take on the extra work?
Next post in the Productivity Series: How To Tell If You’re A Workaholic
Hi, I’m Karen. Welcome to my website! I will show you how to establish the framework for an organized and successful leadership and office management system.
